South Korea lifts nine-year ban on corporate crypto investments

South Korea’s financial authorities have finalized new rules that lift restrictions on corporate investments in digital assets that have been in place since 2017

South Korea opens the door for corporate crypto investments

12.01.2026 - 09:55

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2 min

Key points:

Legal entities and professional investors will be allowed to allocate part of their capital to cryptocurrencies.
The investment cap is set at 5% of a company’s own capital.
Purchases will be limited to cryptocurrencies ranked in the top 20 by market capitalization.

South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) has approved updated regulatory guidelines allowing publicly listed companies and registered professional market participants to invest in crypto assets. The move formally ends a nine-year ban on corporate participation in the crypto market.

Under the new framework, companies will be permitted to allocate up to 5% of their own capital to digital assets. Investments will be restricted to cryptocurrencies within the top 20 by market capitalization, and transactions must be executed only on the country’s five largest regulated trading platforms.

Market reaction

According to the FSC, around 3,500 organizations — ranging from listed firms to professional investment vehicles — are expected to gain access to the crypto market. Authorities say the change could lead to a significant inflow of capital and increased liquidity in South Korea’s domestic digital asset market.

Industry representatives, however, argue that the cap is too restrictive. They note that in the US, Japan, Hong Kong and the EU, corporate crypto investments are not subject to fixed percentage limits.

The final version of the regulatory guidance is expected to be published in January–February. Legal entities are likely to be able to begin crypto transactions before the end of the year. The FSC emphasized that liberalization will be rolled out gradually and under heightened supervision.

At the same time, progress on stablecoin legislation has stalled. Disagreements between the Bank of Korea and the financial regulator over issuer licensing models have delayed the adoption of a comprehensive digital asset law until 2026.

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