Cryptocurrency exchanges to evaluate listed coins

Implementation of Korea’s first cryptocurrency act on user protection to take effect from July 19

By Anna J. Park

With the implementation of Korea’s first law on virtual asset user protection, due to occur on July 19, cryptocurrency exchanges are set to comprehensively review the listing status of over 600 virtual assets currently being traded.

According to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) and the virtual asset industry on Sunday, 29 cryptocurrency exchanges registered to the financial authorities, including Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit and Gopax, must regularly evaluate whether to continue supporting the trading of their listed coins.

The exchanges are each required to set up their own evaluation and decision-making body within their organizations, with the said bodies assessing the reliability of the issuer of their listed coins, user protection measures, technology and security and compliance with regulations.

With regards to assets like Bitcoin, of which the issuer is not specified, alternative review criteria will be introduced.

When cryptocurrency coins do not meet certain standards, they will be designated as cautionary and will face delisting.

“Financial authorities will support cryptocurrency exchanges to conduct reviews on their listed coins every six months regarding whether to continue supporting the trading of the virtual assets. After this initial review, the exchanges will be required to conduct maintenance reviews every three months,” an official from the financial authorities said.

Financial authorities are also preparing guidelines for virtual asset transactions, aiming for them to be utilized by virtual asset exchanges from next month, when the virtual asset user protection law is set to come into effect.

The figures from the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit under the Financial Services Commission (FSC) showed that the total number of cryptocurrency coins listed on the domestic virtual asset exchanges stood at around 600 as of the second half of last year, which is about a 3.5 percent fall compared to the first half of last year.

Meanwhile, the financial authorities are also preparing a change in their internal structures to devise policies on the cryptocurrency industry effectively.

The FSC plans to establish a new bureau solely dedicated to virtual assets so as to oversee the overall regulatory framework for the virtual asset industry as early as the end of this month.

The FSC’s organizational amendment, which includes these details, will complete its legislative notice by Monday and will be reviewed by the cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

The FSS is also gearing up for its supervision and investigations into unfair trade in the virtual asset sector at two new bureaus established at the end of last year.