Mirae Asset Bumili ng Korbit sa ₱5.33 billion ($92 million) — Una Nang Institutional Takeover ng Korean Crypto Exchange

₱5.33 billion ($92 million) ang binayad ng Mirae Asset para sa 92% stake sa Korbit, ang oldest crypto exchange ng South Korea. Aprubahan ng board nila ang acquisition noong February 5, binili ang 61% controlling share mula sa gaming firm Nexon at ang 31.5% share mula sa SK Planet, subsidiary ng telecoms.

Major shift lang tong deal sa Korean crypto world. Dati, lahat ng five permit-holding exchanges dito ay nag-start pa lang bilang small IT startups. Pero ngayon, Mirae Asset—na may ₱24.22 trillion ($418 billion) sa assets under management—bago na ang laro.

Clever move talaga ang ginawa ng Mirae para makuha ito. Kasi may regulations na nag-block sa financial firms na directly mag-own ng crypto exchanges, gumamit sila ng non-financial subsidiary nila, Mirae Asset Consulting, para sa purchase. Ayon sa unnamed financial industry official na nagsalita sa Maeil Kyungjae, may possibilities itong mag-create: "It is highly likely that this will lead to the development of various derivatives, such as securities tokens and crypto custody offerings."

Timing-wise, hindi lang random ito. Si President Lee Jae-myung kasi nag-push ng stock market revival bilang core ng economic policy niya. Noong nag-meet siya with Mirae chiefs at other securities firms last year, tanong niya: "There is a lot of money in South Korea, but where is it going?" Concerned siya sa overseas stock investment at kung ano syang tinawag na "speculative" trading. Nag-discuss din doon ang deregulation para sa securities firms, kaya nag-embolden si Mirae. Korea's stock index naman ay nag-hit ng all-time high earlier this year, at marami pang Bitcoin traders na umalis sa crypto para mag-trade ng domestic equities. Si Upbit, market leader with 60-70% market share, nakita ang daily trading volume nag-collapse ng 90%—from around ₱579.36 billion ($10 billion) in mid-July 2025 down to ₱43.74 billion ($755 million) in late January.

Honestly, hindi na powerhouse si Korbit nowadays. May lang 1% market share ang exchange at nag-rank 73rd globally. Nag-post siya ng 8.7 billion won revenue at 9.8 billion won net profit sa latest fiscal year. Pero may issue din—nag-catch ng 2.73 billion won fine mula sa Financial Intelligence Unit dahil sa anti-money laundering at know-your-customer lapses. Kailangan pa ng approval ang deal from the Financial Services Commission, at tiyak na i-scrutinize nila ang compliance issues na yan.

Thappy naman ang investors sa announcement. Tumaas ng 15% ang share price ng Mirae Asset in five days after the deal announcement, at nag-surge ng 226% in the past six months. Last year pa lang, nag-post ang firm ng ₱63.73 billion ($1.1 billion) sa net profits, na 72% increase year-on-year.