16 Million Koreans Hold Crypto. Now They Can Finally Use It.
Why South Korea, Why Now
We’re thrilled to announce that Oobit is now live in South Korea — a country where crypto adoption is part of the mainstream. Nearly one in three South Koreans is already engaged with crypto, but most of that activity has been locked in trading and speculation.
It's understood the next wave is about use, not just ownership.
Turning Crypto Ownership Into Everyday Use
With Oobit, South Korean users can now:
- Tap to pay in-store globally, anywhere Visa is accepted with zero merchant onboarding
- Shop online via an Apple Pay or Google Pay integration
- Send P2P payments with zero fees using just a phone number
Koreans can pay with over 20 digital assets and stablecoins, including USDT, BTC, and KAIA on the Kaia network. This is what it means to bring crypto into the real economy, moving beyond the exchange and into the café.
A Market Ready for Utility
South Korea has become one of the most dynamic crypto markets in the world:
- Over 16 million South Koreans hold crypto exchange accounts: nearly a third of the population.
- Over 25% of South Koreans aged 20–50 already hold crypto.
- Crypto asset holdings exceed 102 trillion KRW (over USD $70 billion).
These numbers clearly show the community is massive, but the use cases are still catching up.
“Crypto adoption in Korea is already world-class. What’s been missing is real-world use. We’re giving millions of people the ability to take their crypto out of the exchange and into everyday life," said Amram Adar Co-Founder and CEO of Oobit.
Looking Ahead
This is just the beginning. We look forward to adding new jurisdictions across Asia over the next few weeks. From Seoul to Bangkok, we’ll continue building partnerships and expanding global access to make sure crypto utility spreads.