Bithumb Eyes Historic IPO on Korean Stock Exchange

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Bithumb, a number one South Korean cryptocurrency alternate, is reportedly making ready for a public itemizing on the KOSDAQ (South Korea’s equal to the U.S.-based Nasdaq), aiming to be the primary digital asset agency to take action.

In response to a latest native information report from Edaily, the alternate has focused the second half of 2025 for its preliminary public providing (IPO). This transfer positions Bithumb at a major juncture, reflecrting the rising integration of digital belongings into mainstream monetary markets.

Based in 2014, Bithumb has established itself as a major participant within the cryptocurrency alternate market. On the time of this report, the alternate reported a 24-hour buying and selling quantity of roughly $580 million in line with on-chain information. This displays the strong exercise and consumer engagement on the platform, even whereas regulatory and company challenges inside to the agency persist given its place within the South Korean crypto house.

Administration Shifts and Market Dynamics

Whereas Bithumb has not formally confirmed the IPO plans, it has not too long ago chosen Samsung Securities as its potential IPO underwriter, a important step within the public itemizing course of. The number of such a outstanding underwriter alerts the seriousness of Bithumb’s intentions. Concurrently, there have been notable adjustments within the alternate’s management. Former chairman Lee Jeong-hoon has resumed his function as registered director, whereas CEO Lee Sang-jun, embroiled in an ongoing bribery investigation, has been excluded from the board of administrators.

Bithumb’s choice to pursue a public itemizing seems partly pushed by aggressive pressures throughout the South Korean crypto alternate market. At the moment, Bithumb ranks because the second-largest alternate in South Korea by day by day buying and selling quantity, trailing behind Upbit. Upbit’s buying and selling volumes in July surpassed international giants like Coinbase and Binance, underscoring the extreme competitors throughout the home market. Bithumb’s IPO ambitions will be seen as a strategic transfer to consolidate its market place and problem Upbit’s dominance.

Regulatory Scrutiny and Authorized Challenges

Bithumb and Upbit have each confronted regulatory and authorized challenges in latest occasions. In Could, South Korean authorities raided their places of work amid allegations of fraudulent crypto buying and selling linked to an area lawmaker. Moreover, Bithumb shareholder Kang Jong-hyun was arrested in February on embezzlement fees following an investigation into his alleged illicit actions. Jong-hyun, deemed the “actual proprietor” of Bithumb, is the elder brother of Kang Ji-yeon, the pinnacle of Bithumb affiliate Inbiogen, which holds the most important share in Vidente, Bithumb’s main shareholder.

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