South Korea could soon follow Hong Kong in legalizing spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), as the country’s top presidential candidates have expressed pro-crypto positions.
Still, some industry observers remain cautious about the likelihood of near-term regulatory change.
“All three major South Korean presidential candidates support #Bitcoin ETFs and institutional investment,” Ki Young Ju, the founder and CEO of onchain data platform CryptoQuant, wrote in a May 14 X post.
Currently, Bitcoin ETFs and institutional crypto investments are banned in South Korea, meaning that “100% [of the] volume comes from retail,” Ju added.
From left: Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo and New Reform Party presidential candidate Lee Jun-seok. Source: Ki Young Ju
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