What Coinone does

Coinone (코인원) is a South Korean virtual asset exchange founded in 2014 and headquartered in Seoul's Yeouido financial district. It operates as one of five major regulated cryptocurrency exchanges in South Korea, serving primarily Korean retail traders via KRW-denominated spot trading, with a secondary book of high-volume VIP and corporate/institutional customers. The platform architecture is a core crypto exchange augmented by adjacent product modules: 코인모으기 (recurring buy/DCA), 코인원 스테이킹 (flexible and fixed staking), 코인빌리기 (crypto borrowing up to 82% LTV for short-selling), and 스마트 트레이딩 / AI 그리드 (automated grid trading). Supplementary services include OAuth-linked robo-advisors GenPort (by Newgistock) and TradingBank (by TimePercent), 코인원 아케이드 (community/chat), VIP Club (five-tier fee structure from 0.2% down to 0.02%), 법인회원 (corporate accounts with fund separation), and a public Open API for algorithmic and quantitative clients.

The platform is built on proprietary security infrastructure including a Fraud Detection System (FDS), multi-signature cold wallet vault, BitGo custody integration, and 24/7 security monitoring, supported by ISMS-P and ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certifications. Coinone derives revenue primarily from a tiered transaction-fee model (0.2% standard, discounted to 0.02% for Prestige VIP and Open API users), supplemented by staking yield share, coin borrowing interest (e.g., USDT 0.02% daily), and fee-coupon/promotional programs. Customer acquisition runs through the web/mobile platforms, the Arcade community, a 4,000 KRW-value referral program, trading competitions (e.g., ZERO Trading Challenge), and social/blog channels. The exchange is regulated under South Korea's Virtual Asset User Protection Act with mandatory KakaoBank real-name verification and Travel Rule compliance across major global VASPs.

Coinone disclosed FY2025 operating revenue of 45.49 billion KRW (~$34M USD) against an operating loss of 6.34 billion KRW, with net profit of 2.68 billion KRW supported by non-operating gains. In May 2026, OKX Ventures and Korea Investment & Securities each acquired approximately 20% stakes for a combined 160 billion KRW (~$106 million), joining Com2uS Holdings (24.54%) and founder/CEO Cha Myung-hoon (30.36%) on the cap table. In April 2026 the Financial Intelligence Unit fined the exchange 5.2 billion KRW ($3.5 million) and imposed a three-month partial business suspension for AML/KYC compliance failures. The company transitioned from a co-CEO to sole CEO model in March 2026 and previously doubled its market share to approximately 13% following the February 2026 Bithumb incident.

Name

Coinone

Legal name

주식회사 코인원

Website

https://coinone.co.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Coinone is a South Korean regulated cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2014, serving Korean retail and institutional investors with KRW spot trading, staking, crypto borrowing, and AI-grid automated trading as one of the country's five major virtual asset platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cryptocurrency Exchange

NAICS

Securities and Commodity Exchanges (52321)

SIC

Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)

akta.pro primary industry

POS, QR & In-Person Acceptance Infrastructure (Crypto) (FSADAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Unsecured / Under-Collateralized Crypto Credit (FSADAFAI), Crypto Payment Gateways & Checkout APIs (FSADAIAA)

Keywords

• Cryptocurrency exchange
• Digital asset trading
• Crypto staking services
• Virtual asset platform
• Crypto lending services

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Trading Transaction Fees: Coinone charges trading fees based on a tiered VIP program structure, with standard fees at 0.2% for both maker and taker, with lower rates for high-volume traders (down to 0.02% for Prestige VIP level).
2. Staking Services: Revenue generated from staking services where users earn daily rewards; Coinone earns a portion of staking yields as service fees.
3. Coin Borrowing (마진) Fees: Interest fees charged on borrowed cryptocurrencies, with the fee structure varying by asset (e.g., USDT at 0.02% daily rate after recent reduction from 0.05%).
4. API and Developer Services: Open API services provided to developers and algorithmic traders, with reduced trading fees of 0.02% for both maker and taker for API users.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Coinone operates a South Korean won (KRW)-denominated cryptocurrency spot exchange platform offering trading, staking, coin borrowing, AI Grid automated trading, and recurring buy services to Korean retail and corporate investors. The exchange pairs KRW with major cryptocurrencies under real-name bank account verification and provides additional modules including a community/chat platform (Arcade), market insights dashboard, and an Open API for programmatic trading.

Product overview

Coinone operates as a South Korean virtual asset exchange platform, one of the country's five major regulated crypto exchanges, offering a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core is the Coinone Cryptocurrency Exchange (코인원 거래소), a KRW-denominated spot trading platform. Surrounding the core are ancillary modules: 코인모으기 (recurring buy/DCA), 코인원 스테이킹 (staking with flexible and fixed options), and 스마트 트레이딩 / AI 그리드 (AI Grid automated trading). Social and community features include 코인원 아케이드 (community/chat), 랭킹보드 (trading competitions), and 코인원 인사이트 (market data). Lending and credit services are provided via 코인빌리기 (crypto borrowing for short-selling). Premium tiers include VIP Club (reduced fees) and 법인회원 (corporate accounts with fund separation). Automated investing is supported via OAuth partnerships with 젠포트 (GenPort robo-advisor) and 트레이딩뱅크 (TradingBank). The exchange also provides an Open API for programmatic trading integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coinone Cryptocurrency Exchange Primary virtual asset exchange platform enabling spot trading of cryptocurrencies against Korean won (KRW) and between crypto pairs, with real-time order books, multiple order types (limit, market, market-reserve), click trading, and AI Grid automation, targeting Korean retail and institutional crypto investors.
• Coin Gather (코인모으기)

Quantifiable outcome

• 11 years of zero security incidents
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

AI capability2 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Cross Finance KoreaminorOthers · 1 May 2026Coinone had invested between 1 billion and 4 billion won in Cross Finance products from November 2023 until early August 2024, based on its CEO's recommendation. Following the P2P lending default crisis, Coinone sought return of approximately 900 million won, leading to an unjust enrichment lawsuit where a South Korean court ordered Cross Finance to pay 360 million won (approximately $260,000) in compensation to Coinone.
• Newgistock (젠포트)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNewgistock provides the 젠포트 (Genport) auto trading service integrated with Coinone, offering algorithmic trading strategies developed by Korea's first HTS creator. The service has been adopted by 11 securities firms including Kiwoom, NH, and Hi Securities, with monthly trading volume reaching 1 trillion KRW.
• TradingBank (TimePercent)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTradingBank provides the AI grid automated investment service offered through Coinone, with Coinone providing up to 30,000 points as launch promotion and ongoing promotional campaigns.
• KakaoBankcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKakaoBank serves as the banking partner for Coinone's real-name account verification system, required under Korean financial regulations for KRW deposits and withdrawals. This partnership is essential for regulatory compliance and user account verification.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Gopax: Gopax is one of South Korea's five major regulated cryptocurrency exchanges, operating KRW-denominated spot trading with similar regulatory positioning to Coinone. The two exchanges compete for the same retail and institutional Korean crypto trading base.
• Korbit: Korbit is one of the five major South Korean cryptocurrency exchanges explicitly listed alongside Coinone, Upbit, Bithumb, and Gopax. Korbit operates a similar KRW spot trading platform and competes directly with Coinone for Korean retail crypto trading volume.
• Bithumb: Bithumb is one of South Korea's five major won-denominated cryptocurrency exchanges and a direct competitor to Coinone. Coinone's market share doubled following the Bithumb incident in February 2026, highlighting the head-to-head competitive dynamic between the two exchanges for Korean retail and institutional crypto traders.
• Upbit (Dunamu): Upbit is South Korea's largest cryptocurrency exchange and the dominant won-denominated trading platform. As the market leader against which Coinone competes for the ~13% share it currently holds, Upbit operates the same KRW spot trading model with similar regulatory positioning under the Virtual Asset User Protection Act.

Broad incumbents

• Binance: Binance is the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange and is integrated with Coinone as a Travel Rule counterparty VASP for regulatory compliance. While operating at vastly larger scale globally, Binance represents the dominant global player whose Korean regulatory trajectory shapes Coinone's competitive environment.
• OKX: OKX is a global cryptocurrency exchange that became a strategic investor in Coinone via OKX Ventures (May 2026, ~20% stake). Beyond the investor relationship, OKX operates as a broader global incumbent offering spot, derivatives, and Web3 services — providing both competitive overlap and partnership synergies with Coinone's Korean-focused platform.
• Bybit: Bybit is a global cryptocurrency exchange that is integrated with Coinone as a counterparty VASP for Travel Rule compliance. Bybit operates spot and derivatives trading globally, representing both a competitive overlap in trading services and a compliance counterpart in cross-border virtual asset transfers.
• Kraken: Kraken is a US-based established cryptocurrency exchange offering spot trading, staking, and institutional services — a comparable regulated exchange model that competes in adjacent markets. Kraken represents the institutional compliance-first positioning that Coinone's security record and certifications emulate.
• Coinbase: Coinbase is a publicly listed US-based cryptocurrency exchange operating a regulated spot trading platform with similar product breadth (staking, custody, institutional services). While not a direct competitor in Korea, Coinbase represents the institutional-grade public-company model that Coinone's KIS/OKX partnership appears designed to emulate in the Korean market.

Others

• Kakao (via KakaoBank partnership context): KakaoBank is the banking partner providing real-name account verification infrastructure that Coinone requires for KRW deposits/withdrawals under Korean financial regulation. While not a peer exchange, KakaoBank's digital banking infrastructure is a critical enabler for Coinone's Korean operations and represents a comparable Korean fintech/digital finance ecosystem participant.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CoinoneOfficial

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Coinone