OKX Ventures takes $53M stake in South Korea's Coinone!

OKX Ventures, the investment arm of crypto exchange OKX, is acquiring a 19.6% stake in South Korean exchange Coinone for KRW 80 billion ($53 million), with Korea Investment & Securities (KIS) making an identical investment — bringing the combined deal to KRW 160 billion ($106 million). The transaction is pending regulatory approval and will be structured through a mix of secondary share purchases and newly issued shares.

Following the deal, CEO Cha Myunghun retains the largest individual stake at 27.8% and keeps management control. Com2uS Holdings and affiliates hold 25%, while OKX Ventures and KIS become joint third-largest shareholders at 19.6% each.

The investment signals Coinone's ambitions beyond spot trading — the exchange is pushing into stablecoins and tokenized securities, two areas where South Korea's regulatory framework is actively evolving.