South Korea Suffers Substantial Cryptocurrency Outflows in Q1

input: South Korea suffered substantial cryptocurrency outflows in Q1, with approximately 57 trillion won (almost $40.6 billion) leaving the country. Almost half of these outflows

South Korea experienced significant cryptocurrency outflows in Q1, with nearly 57 trillion won (about $40.6 billion) leaving the country. A significant portion, almost half, of these outflows were in stablecoins, further indicating a trend of users shifting their funds to offshore crypto exchanges.

According to Democratic Party member and lawmaker Min Byung-duk, the Financial Supervisory Service said stablecoins such as Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC) accounted for 47.3% of the total outflow.

South Korea’s Crypto Outflows in Q1

During the period of January to March, 56.8 trillion won of cryptocurrencies were moved from South Korea’s five big digital asset exchanges (Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Cobbit, Gopax) to the global markets. Out of the total, 26.87 trillion won of this money was in the stablecoins, which is a testament to the increasing role such an asset plays in worldwide cryptocurrency trades.

Stablecoins are frequently utilized on international platforms such as Binance and Bybit for trading as well as buying digital assets. This makes stablecoins an ideal option to conduct international transfers.

While the report indicated a trend toward stablecoin transfers, a minor decline of the process was recorded in March. With the global market going cold and trading volume on foreign exchanges plummeting, the outflows were reduced. This change emphasizes the influence that broader market conditions exert on the way users act, with traders adapting to market volatility more and more.

Rising Crypto Adoption in South Korea

South Korea is still experiencing enhanced adoption of the digital assets. In February 2024, there were 16.29 million South Koreans with digital assets accounts (around 32% of the entire population in the country). Parallels are drawn to a rising level of mainstream engagement with digital assets, while both retail and institutional investors are interested. The figures are reflective of the user accounts from South Korea’s leading exchanges and reflect uniform growth in the sector.

The popularity of digital adoption is not confined to being practiced by private individuals; digital assets are also being made increasingly involved by public officials. Only 411 out of 2,047 public officials who filed asset declarations that year claimed that they held cryptocurrency-related assets. These officials enjoy high posts such as: the secretary general of the Labor-Management Development Foundation, president of the Korean National Police University, and vice-president of the Korea Water Resources Corporation.