주식 팔고 코인? 리플, 일주일 새 47%↑…가상자산 거래량 10배 늘어

South Korean virtual asset trading platforms have seen a surge in activity as Bitcoin prices once again surpassed $70,000, marking a 47% increase over the past week. According to CoinMarketCap data, the trading volume on exchange Upbit reached 2.2038 trillion won in the afternoon of the 24th. Upbit's daily trading volume had fluctuated between 30 billion and 60 billion won over the past week, surpassing 1 trillion won just after Bitcoin prices neared $70,000 on the 20th.

Last weekend, the 24-hour trading volume reached 4.6153 trillion won. Compared to a week ago, the trading volume has increased by a factor of 10. Other Korean virtual asset exchanges also reported increased trading volumes over the weekend. On the 22nd at 3 PM, Bithumb recorded a 24-hour trading volume exceeding 2 trillion won, while Coinone, Kobot, and Gotsp also recorded higher trading volumes compared to usual.

Among the virtual assets with the highest trading activity on Korean exchanges, Ripple (XRP) led with a 23.77% share of the total trading volume. Bithumb and Kobot again showed the highest trading volumes for Ripple, at 26.63% and 33.68%, respectively. At market open, Bitcoin was trading at around $77,000, up 22% from a week ago, while Ethereum increased by 29% to $2,400.

The revival in the Korean virtual asset trading market is attributed to recent expansion of long-term government bond purchases by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, anticipation of U.S. virtual asset-related legislation (the CLARITY Act), and the impact of broader virtual asset price rises. Shortly after the announcement of the long-term bond purchase expansion plan, U.S. bond yields fell, and the dollar index (which fell to its lowest level in three months at 98.6-98.8 on the 21st) indicated a decline in the value of major six currencies compared to the dollar, prompting a surge in Bitcoin prices.

Yoon Seung-ji, Head of Tiger Research Center at KTIG, stated, "Investors' interest in cryptocurrencies, apart from Bitcoin, has surged due to Bitcoin's sharp rise, leading to a high level of liquidity for the only tradable asset, coins, over the weekend." Kim Min-suk, Head of DigitalEX Research Center, added, "Bitcoin's sharp rise broke a long period of stagnation, reigniting investor interest.

Particularly, Ripple, a virtual asset highly valued by Korean investors, experienced a significant price increase, driving the rise in trading volumes." At market close yesterday, Ripple was trading at $1.47, marking a 47% increase from a week earlier.