The Korea Exchange is limited to spot trading, with trading volume in Q2 dropping by 33%

According to a report by Daum, while global exchanges are expanding into perpetual contracts, options, and traditional stocks, South Korean local exchanges are still limited to spot trading due to regulatory restrictions. Data from CoinGecko shows that in the second quarter of 2026, the total spot trading volume of the five major Korean won exchanges—Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, DigitalX (formerly Korbit), and GOPAX—was approximately $14.67 billion, a decrease of 33.0% from $21.88 billion in the first quarter.

Coinbase completed its integration with the derivatives exchange Deribit this month and plans to launch a unified platform covering spot, derivatives, and stocks; Binance is expanding into precious metals, stocks, and index-related perpetual contracts. Current regulations in South Korea prohibit local institutions from engaging in cryptocurrency derivatives business, and the upcoming virtual asset tax law only covers spot gains, with a lack of clear taxation mechanisms for overseas derivatives gains. The industry is concerned about the loss of competitiveness for local exchanges and tax inequities. South Korean financial regulatory authorities have yet to propose a specific timeline for the introduction of cryptocurrency derivatives trading.