Samsung Bets $408 Million on South Korea’s Top Crypto Exchange
Three Samsung affiliates acquired a combined 4% stake in Dunamu for $408 million on May 28, making it one of the largest corporate cryptocurrency exchange investments in Asia this year. The buyers are Samsung Securities, Samsung SDS, and Samsung Card.
The move signals a coordinated push by the Samsung group into digital asset infrastructure as South Korean regulatory conditions for cryptocurrency firms stabilize.
Samsung Dunamu Investment Details
A Samsung official told Korea Times that the acquisition was intended to strengthen each affiliate’s competitiveness in digital asset-related businesses. Samsung SDS, the group’s IT and cloud arm, said it plans to combine its artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and data management capabilities with Dunamu’s exchange platform.
Samsung Securities brings brokerage distribution reach. Samsung Card adds a consumer payments angle to the partnership structure.
The $408 million price tag values the combined 4% stake at roughly $10.2 billion for Dunamu overall.
That figure makes Dunamu one of the most valuable privately held cryptocurrency exchange operators in Asia.
Dunamu operates Upbit, South Korea’s dominant cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume. Upbit has consistently ranked among the top five exchanges globally by spot volume, processing billions of dollars in daily trades across Korean won pairs.
The exchange operates under a license granted by South Korea’s Financial Intelligence Unit, the national anti-money laundering regulator for virtual asset service providers.
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Background
South Korea has emerged as one of the most active retail cryptocurrency markets globally, with Upbit volumes frequently exceeding those of major U.S. exchanges on a per-capita basis. Dunamu was founded in 2012 and launched Upbit in 2017 in partnership with U.S. exchange Bittrex.
The company has since diversified into blockchain infrastructure and NFT services. Samsung’s broader group had previously maintained limited direct exposure to cryptocurrency exchange equity, making the May 28 announcement a meaningful strategic shift.
The investment follows a broader trend of South Korean conglomerates, known as chaebols, increasing their digital asset footprint as the country’s Virtual Asset User Protection Act, which took full effect in 2024, brought greater regulatory clarity to the sector.
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What Comes Next
Samsung SDS has not disclosed a timeline for integrating its AI and cybersecurity products with Dunamu’s platform.
The three affiliates are expected to take non-controlling minority board representation. Analysts will watch whether the investment accelerates Upbit’s push into institutional custody and tokenized asset services, two areas where Korean exchanges have lagged their global peers.
Any follow-on stake increase by Samsung group entities would further entrench the conglomerate as a structural backer of South Korea’s leading cryptocurrency trading venue.
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