The Korea Financial Services Commission recently announced the official lifting of the 9-year ban on crypto asset investments by listed companies. Under the new policy framework, listed companies and professional investment institutions are permitted to allocate up to 5% of their equity capital to cryptocurrencies ranked in the top 20 by market capitalization on Korea's five major exchanges, including mainstream coins such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.

This initiative covers approximately 3,500 eligible corporate entities. To mitigate market volatility risks, the policy requires tiered implementation by exchanges and the setting of order size limits. Notably, discussions are still ongoing regarding the inclusion of USD stablecoins.

According to the schedule, relevant guidelines are expected to be officially released between January and February, in conjunction with the Korea Digital Asset Basic Act. By the end of the year, the corporate trading mechanism will be fully operational.

This is widely regarded as an important signal of large-scale institutional capital entering the Asian market. Although the 5% investment cap appears conservative compared to the unlimited policy of US ETFs, considering the flexibility shown by Japan and the European Union, Korea's approach is already a steady step forward. Analysts expect this will inject hundreds of trillions of Korean won into the market, significantly enhancing trading depth and pricing efficiency in the domestic market.

Industry opinions on the policy's strength vary. Some believe the 5% limit is cautious, but overall, this step-by-step, managed policy framework is more constructive than a blanket ban. From a global perspective, Korea's easing of restrictions is undoubtedly a positive development. As institutional funds gradually enter, mainstream crypto assets may see a new wave of institutional buying, continuously adding upward momentum to the market.