Samsung units to buy $408 million stake in South Korea’s biggest crypto exchange
Analysis
Price Impact
MedSamsung's investment in a major south korean crypto exchange signals growing institutional interest and potentially boosts confidence in the south korean crypto market. however, the direct impact on global major cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ethereum may be limited in the short term, as the investment is specific to a regional exchange.
Trustworthiness
HighPrice Direction
BullishThis investment demonstrates significant validation from a major south korean conglomerate, samsung, into the cryptocurrency space via upbit. it suggests a belief in the long-term viability and growth potential of digital asset exchanges, which can lead to increased adoption and positive sentiment for the crypto market.
Time Effect
LongThe long-term effects could include increased regulatory clarity and institutional adoption in south korea, potentially serving as a model for other regions. this could foster broader trust and integration of crypto into the traditional financial system over time.
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Finance Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Samsung units to buy $408 million stake in South Korea’s biggest crypto exchange Samsung Securities is set to take a 2% stake in Dunamu, worth over $200 million, from affiliates of technology conglomerate Kakao. By Jamie Crawley | Edited by Sheldon Reback May 28, 2026, 10:55 a.m. 2 min read Make preferred on Samsung (Shutterstock) What to know : Three Samsung affiliates agreed to buy 4% of Dunamu, the operator of South Korea's largest cryptocurrency exchange, Upbit, from tech conglomerate Kakao. The $408 million transaction means Kakao has now offloaded about $1.5 billion worth of equity in Dunamu in less than a month. Samsung, the largest company in South Korea, has been actively involved in the crypto industry for several years, having introduced its digital asset wallet in 2019. Three Samsung affiliates agreed to buy a 4% stake in Dunamu, the operator of South Korea's largest cryptocurrency exchange, Upbit, for a total of 612.8 billion won ($408 million), the Korea Herald reported . Investment bank Samsung Securities is set to take a 2% stake in Dunamu in a 306 billion-won cash transaction, from affiliates of technology conglomerate Kakao, according to a Thursday filing . It is joined by credit card provider Samsung Card and IT arm Samsung SDS, each taking a 1% stake, according to the Korea Herald. The deals, scheduled to complete on June 19, mean Kakao will have sold about $1.5 billion worth of equity in Dunamu in less than a month. It sold a 6.55% stake for about 1 trillion won to Seoul-based financial institution Hana Bank about two weeks ago, followed by a 600 billion won stake to Hanwha Investment and Securities. In common with many technology giants, Kakao has made artificial intelligence an increasingly central part of its strategy through its "Kanana" AI models and partnerships with OpenAI. With the cryptocurrency market in a sustained bearish mood, crypto is taking a backseat to AI for a lot of major companies' investment priorities. Samsung, the largest company in South Korea, has been actively involved in the crypto industry for several years, having introduced its digital asset wallet in 2019 . Samsung Securities shares fell 2.7%, Samsung SDS dropped 5% and Samsung Card gained 0.21% on Thursday. Kakao slipped 1%. The companies had not responded to a CoinDesk request for comment by publication time. South Korea mergers and acquisitions More For You BIS project finds tokenization could make cross-border payments faster, safer By Krisztian Sandor | Edited by Jamie Crawley 19 hours ago Project Agorá, backed by major central banks, will now move toward "real-value" testing to settle tokenized central bank money and bank deposits on blockchain rails. What to know : Project Agorá, backed by the Bank for International Settlements, found that tokenizing central bank reserves and commercial bank deposits could significantly improve the speed and reliability of payments across borders. With major central banks like the New York Fed, Bank of England and Bank of Japan involved, members now plan... Read full story Latest Crypto News Bitcoin’s famous CME gaps are about to disappear, though three remain unresolved 8 minutes ago Crypto slides on Hormuz airstrikes as $897 million in long liquidations pile up 11 minutes ago White House reviews CFTC prediction-market rule as Trump backs federal control 1 hour ago Diverging trends: Ether slides below $2,000 while futures open interest hits record high of 16 million ETH 3 hours ago BlackRock's bitcoin ETF sheds $528 million, the second-largest daily outflow on record 5 hours ago Bitcoin could be heading much lower, fund manager warns as $150 billion Treasury operation nears 6 hours ago Top Stories Bitcoin drops below $73,000 as U.S. strikes on Iran spark $1 billion liquidations 6 hours ago The crypto industry’s massive political war chest is starting to lean Republican ahead of midterms 13 hours ago Google engineer insider-traded search results on Polymarket, Feds allege 12 hours ago Elon Musk could become a top 5 corporate bitcoin holder if Tesla and SpaceX merge 16 hours ago DTCC plans to bring tokenized assets to Stellar in latest Wall Street blockchain push 20 hours ago