OKX Eyes Strategic Stake in South Korea’s Coinone
OKX is reportedly in talks to acquire a ~20% stake in South Korean crypto exchange Coinone, while Korea Investment & Securities is expected to take a similar-sized position through new share issuance rather than secondary sales.
Coinone is South Korea’s third-largest crypto exchange and one of only five platforms licensed for fiat-to-crypto trading, making regulated market access the main strategic value of the deal.
This structure would inject fresh capital into Coinone without changing operational control. If completed, OKX would become only the second global exchange to hold a major stake in a Korean trading platform after Binance’s investment in Gopax.
The move also comes as South Korea prepares new ownership limits for exchanges under the upcoming Digital Asset Basic Act, which could force major shareholders to dilute over time.