Mirae Asset wins approval to acquire cryptocurrency exchange Korbit

SEOUL, July 9 (UPI) -- South Korea's Mirae Asset Group said Thursday it received approval to acquire the country's major cryptocurrency exchange, Korbit, from the Korea Fair Trade Commission.

Mirae Asset Group is a Seoul-based financial conglomerate that owns brokerage house Mirae Asset Securities and asset manager Mirae Asset Global Investments. Korbit was established in 2013 as South Korea's first cryptocurrency exchange.

Early this year, Mirae Asset disclosed plans to spend $88 million to purchase a 92% stake in Korbit. The transaction has now cleared the antitrust watchdog's merger review.

Mirae Asset noted that the acquisition is more than simply the purchase of a cryptocurrency exchange, as it represents a strategic move to build a global investment platform that connects traditional and digital assets.

By combining its expertise in securities and asset management with Korbit's digital asset infrastructure, the group said that it would create an integrated investment ecosystem for customers.

Korbit will become a core component of Mirae Asset's global investment platform, according to the group.

"Digital assets are no longer just a short-term investment vehicle for a limited group of investors but have emerged as a new asset class in the global financial industry," Mirae Asset said in a statement.

"By combining Korbit's established digital asset trading infrastructure with our risk management, internal control, and investor protection, we will set a new standard for the global asset market."

The share price of Mirae Asset Securities edged down 0.62% on the Seoul bourse on Thursday, while the benchmark KOSPI gained 0.62%. Neither Mirae Asset Global Investments nor Korbit is publicly listed.

Copyright 2026 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published July 9, 2026 at 9:15 AM.