Korea Investment, OKX acquire 20% stakes in Coinone
Korea Investment & Securities is set to become a major shareholder of cryptocurrency exchange Coinone after agreeing to acquire a 20 percent stake, underscoring traditional finance's growing push into the nation's digital asset market.
Coinone said Friday that Korea Investment & Securities and OKX Ventures would each acquire a 20 percent stake through a combination of newly issued shares and existing shares sold by Coinone CEO Cha Myung-hoon and Com2uS Holdings.
Following the transaction, Cha will remain the largest shareholder with a 30.36 percent stake, followed by Com2uS Holdings at 24.54 percent. Korea Investment & Securities and OKX Ventures will become joint third-largest shareholders, each with 20 percent.
The investment positions Korea Investment & Securities to expand into emerging areas such as tokenized securities, stablecoins and blockchain-based financial services as Korea moves to establish a broader digital asset regulatory framework.
"This marks the first step in expanding beyond traditional finance into blockchain-based digital financial services," Korea Investment & Securities CEO Kim Sung-hwan said.
Coinone said the partnership with OKX Ventures, the investment arm of global crypto exchange OKX, will provide access to international market expertise while strengthening investor protection, security and risk management capabilities.
"South Korea is one of the world's most mature digital asset markets and has a regulatory framework that is highly regarded globally," said Netero Dai of OKX Ventures.
Coinone CEO Cha Myung-hoon said the company selected investors capable of creating strategic synergies across finance, technology and digital assets, adding that it would continue working with regulators on procedures related to the shareholder changes.
The four companies plan to hold a joint media briefing in June to outline the partnership and future areas of cooperation.
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