More than 4 in 10 South Koreans in their 20s and 30s use crypto exchange Upbit, data showed. Total membership tops 13 million. New inflows of women and middle-aged users are rising, spreading the investor base across all age groups.

Dunamu on Thursday released an infographic titled "Upbit User Status in 2025" containing the details.

As of Dec. 22, Upbit had 13.26 million cumulative members, the data showed. It added 1.1 million new sign-ups in 2025 and continued steady growth since launching the service in 2017.

By age group, users in their 30s accounted for the largest share at 28.7 percent. They were followed by users in their 40s at 24.1 percent, those in their 20s at 23.2 percent and those in their 50s at 16.9 percent.

Participation among younger users is particularly high. Upbit users in their 20s and 30s totalled 5.48 million, or 44 percent of the 12.37 million people in that age group nationwide, based on resident registration population statistics from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. That means nearly half of younger people are taking part in the digital asset market through Upbit.

The investor mix has also diversified. Women and middle-aged users have been entering a market that had been centred on men. Among new users in 2025, women accounted for 43.1 percent, narrowing the gap with men at 56.9 percent to 13 percentage points. People in their 50s made up 20 percent of new sign-ups, showing digital asset investment has become a common investment tool beyond a particular gender or generation.

The most popular asset among investors in 2025 was Ripple (XRP). It was followed by Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Tether (USDT) and Dogecoin (DOGE) by trading volume.

The hottest day for the market was Jan. 9. Trading value that day totalled 2.09 quadrillion won. It is seen as reflecting market expectations for pro-digital asset policies after the U.S. presidential election. The busiest time of day for trading was 9 a.m.

An investment culture of managing and operating assets beyond simple trading has also taken root. Users of the staking service, which allows users to deposit digital assets and receive rewards, topped 300,000, and cumulative rewards paid reached about 257.3 billion won. The regular investment service called Coin Accumulation, launched in August last year, also gained popularity, with 220,000 users and cumulative investment of 478.1 billion won.

An Upbit official said, "As digital asset investment has become part of everyday life, we will focus on creating an environment where users can trade more safely and conveniently."