South Korea's leading virtual asset exchange platform, Coinone, announced on May 29th that it has signed a strategic equity investment agreement with Com2uS Holdings and its affiliate Korea Investment & Securities (KIS), along with the global financial technology and cryptocurrency company OKX's investment arm, OKX Ventures.
Under the agreement, KIS and OKX Ventures will each invest 80 billion Korean Won (approximately $53 million) and, upon completion of the relevant regulatory approvals, will each hold a 19.6% stake in Coinone, becoming the third-largest shareholders behind Coinone CEO Cha Myung-hun (27.8% ownership) and Com2uS Holdings and its affiliates (25.0% ownership).
This investment will be completed through a combination of purchasing secondary market shares from existing shareholders Cha Myung-hun and Com2uS Holdings, and subscribing to newly issued shares. After the investment, Mr. Cha Myung-hun is expected to remain the largest shareholder of Coinone, with his management control unaffected.
Com2uS Holdings stated that it aims to further deepen cooperation with highly reputable licensed financial institutions and world-class infrastructure partners to generate synergies and achieve value growth for all parties.
KIS plans to align with the trend of legislative development in South Korea, collaborating with Coinone to promote security token offerings (STOs) and stablecoin businesses, exploring a new financial model that integrates regulated finance with virtual assets. Simultaneously, both parties will leverage the professional capabilities of financial institutions in asset management and operations, combined with the blockchain infrastructure advantages of a virtual asset exchange, to explore new synergies in the institutional and derivative markets. Furthermore, they have agreed to share expertise in compliance areas such as anti-money laundering (AML) and suspicious transaction detection to collectively enhance Coinone's market credibility and transaction security.
CEO of Korea Investment & Securities, Kim Sung-hwan, stated: "Through this strategic equity investment in Coinone, we will actively contribute to building a sound virtual asset ecosystem and accelerate the development of new growth engines in the virtual asset field."
Meanwhile, through the strategic collaboration with OKX Ventures, Coinone aims to gain global market insights, international operational experience, and best practices in the digital asset industry. Both parties will also engage in in-depth discussions on core topics such as user protection, operational resilience, security measures, and risk management, to help Coinone continuously enhance its comprehensive competitiveness in the institutional and corporate investor market.
OKX Global Market Vice President Netero Dai said, "South Korea is one of the most mature digital asset markets globally, and its regulatory framework is highly regarded in the international community. We firmly believe that the future financial system will be built on compliant, regulated infrastructure. This joint investment in Coinone with South Korea Investment Securities is a concrete implementation of this idea. We look forward to closely collaborating with Coinone and South Korea Investment Securities to create next-generation compliant digital financial services for Korean investors."
Coinone CEO Cha Myung-hoon stated, "We have carefully selected the best partners in various subfields that can achieve the maximum synergy with Coinone. This investment will strongly drive our leadership position in the emerging track of blockchain-based digital financial infrastructure."
He further stated, "As a licensed operator, we will help the virtual asset industry gain social trust by building a responsible ownership structure. At the same time, we will strictly adhere to all relevant procedures, maintain close communication with financial regulatory authorities, and ensure smooth acceptance of the major shareholder change report."
In addition, Coinone, Com2uS Holdings, South Korea Investment Securities, and OKX plan to jointly hold a press conference in June to provide a comprehensive explanation of the background, objectives, and expected impact of this strategic equity investment. Details of the arrangement will be announced separately.
About Coinone - "Taking Blockchain to the World"
Coinone is a registered virtual asset service provider in South Korea and one of the leading professional cryptocurrency exchanges in Korea. With the vision of "Taking Blockchain to the World," Coinone is committed to becoming a global leader and pioneer in the digital asset and blockchain fields.
About OKX Ventures and OKX
OKX Ventures is the investment arm of OKX. OKX is a global financial technology company dedicated to advancing currency and market modernization. Currently, with over 120 million users worldwide trusting OKX, they invest, trade, and circulate digital assets through their platform, covering various financial instruments such as spot, options, and decentralized markets. As one of the world's largest digital asset platforms, OKX is renowned for its exchange platform, wallet, and on-chain ecosystem favored by individual users and large institutions. OKX has regional offices in the US, Europe, the UAE, and Singapore, as well as local offices in São Paulo, Hong Kong, Turkey, and Australia, establishing one of the most comprehensive licensed fintech ecosystems globally.
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