Korbit CEO Oh Se-jin (left) and Mirae Asset Group Global Strategy Officer Park Hyun-joo [provided by each company]
Korbit CEO Oh Se-jin (left) and Mirae Asset Group Global Strategy Officer Park Hyun-joo [provided by each company]

Mirae Asset Group said Thursday that the Korea Fair Trade Commission has completed its merger review of Korbit, South Korea's first virtual asset exchange. The group said it plans to use the acquisition to set a new standard for the global asset market and contribute to customer wealth creation and the development of the nation and society.

The acquisition goes beyond simply taking over a virtual asset exchange, the group said, describing it as a move to break down the divide between traditional and digital assets and build new financial infrastructure connecting the global investment ecosystem.

Mirae Asset said it plans to combine its global investment capabilities built up in securities and asset management with Korbit's digital asset infrastructure, contributing to customer wealth growth and strengthening the competitiveness of South Korea's financial industry.

Going forward, Korbit will serve as a core pillar of Mirae Asset Group's global investment platform strategy. The goal is to build an environment where domestic and international customers can conveniently access both traditional and digital assets within a single investment ecosystem, regardless of national or asset-class boundaries.

In June, Mirae Asset unveiled its global investment platform MAPS (Mirae Asset Portfolio Service) in Hong Kong, laying the groundwork for integrating traditional and digital assets. The Korbit acquisition adds domestic digital asset trading infrastructure to that foundation, further strengthening the reach and execution of the group's global platform strategy.

The move marks a concrete step in "Mirae Asset 3.0," the medium- to long-term growth strategy put forward by Mirae Asset Global Strategy Officer Park Hyun-joo, with digital finance expected to become a key growth pillar for the group.

Mirae Asset plans to roll out a range of digital financial services in phases — including stablecoins, custody, real-world assets (RWA) and digital payments and storage — in line with the development of related regulatory frameworks such as the Digital Asset Basic Act and security token offering rules. The group also plans to offer institutional and corporate customers comprehensive services including research, investment information, asset custody, security and operational support, in response to regulatory changes broadening corporate participation in the digital asset market.

"Digital assets are no longer a short-term investment vehicle for a select group of investors — they are establishing themselves as a new asset class in the global financial industry," a Mirae Asset official said. "We will combine Korbit's accumulated digital asset trading infrastructure with Mirae Asset's risk management, internal controls and investor protection capabilities to set a new standard for the global asset market and help South Korea's digital asset industry develop into a trusted ecosystem."

Earlier Thursday, the Korea Fair Trade Commission approved the acquisition of Korbit, a virtual asset brokerage, by Mirae Asset Consulting. Mirae Asset Consulting will acquire a 92.06 percent stake in Korbit for approximately 133.4 billion won ($88.4 million). Mirae Asset Consulting is a non-financial affiliate of the Mirae Asset conglomerate whose revenue comes primarily from hotel operations. Other financial affiliates within the Mirae Asset group include Mirae Asset Securities and Mirae Asset Global Investments.


th5@heraldcorp.com