South Korea's Kiwoom Securities plans to invest in Bithumb through a third-party share placement

According to Chosun Biz, South Korea's Kiwoom Securities is seeking to acquire a stake in South Korea's second-largest virtual asset exchange, Bithumb. Both parties are discussing the issuance of new shares through a third-party allotment, with the specific equity ratio and investment scale still being coordinated.

South Korean securities companies are rushing to enter the virtual asset industry ahead of the issuance of security tokens (STO) and the institutionalization of stablecoins; the Financial Services Commission of South Korea is also discussing the major shareholder equity regulations in the second phase of the virtual asset law, which will generally limit the shareholding ratio of major shareholders in virtual asset exchanges to 20%, with exceptions allowing up to 34%. Bithumb's largest shareholder, Bithumb Holdings, currently holds 73.56%, and if the relevant regulations are implemented, it will need to reduce its stake by more than 50 percentage points.