Mirae Asset, South Korea’s largest securities firm, has agreed to acquire crypto exchange Korbit for $92 million. This positions the firm in the country’s emerging tokenized securities market.
The deal, conducted through a subsidiary to comply with regulatory constraints on direct ownership, reflects the company’s effort to connect traditional brokerage, digital bonds, tokenized securities (STOs), and exchange infrastructure.
Mirae Asset aims to “secure digital asset-powered future growth engines.” This aligns with its “Mirae Asset 3.0” strategy and follows its recent issuance of private digital bonds on a blockchain.
The Korbit acquisition adds exchange infrastructure to that wider strategy.
Infrastructure Over Market Share
While Korbit’s market share has declined to around 1% from earlier levels, the exchange remains operationally viable and strategically relevant.
The acquisition’s timing coincides with regulatory developments in South Korea.
The government has passed legislation enabling the issuance of security tokens (STOs), while regulators are discussing plans to allow public companies and professional investors to invest directly in crypto assets starting in 2026.
This move could expand institutional participation in the sector.
Against this backdrop, Mirae Asset’s move appears aimed at positioning the firm ahead of potential digital asset market shifts.
An Industry-Wide Convergence
Mirae Asset is not alone in exploring integration between traditional finance and crypto in South Korea. Tech conglomerate Naver has reportedly pursued discussions involving market-leading exchange Upbit.
Mirae Asset’s strategy targets operations in both traditional and digital asset markets. Acquiring a crypto exchange offers operational exposure that may gain importance if regulatory easing increases institutional participation or retail activity rebounds.
The company’s share price rose by over 15% in the five days following the announcement.
The deal highlights a broader trend in South Korea’s financial sector: growing integration between securities firms and digital asset infrastructure as regulatory clarity on tokenization emerges.
This article was written by Tanya Chepkova at www.financemagnates.com.
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