Coinone is bringing in Korea Investment Securities and OKX Ventures as new strategic investors. With a traditional financial company and a global digital asset firm joining as shareholders at the same time, Coinone’s expansion of its digital finance infrastructure and overseas cooperation is expected to accelerate.

Coinone said it held a signing ceremony on May 29 at its headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, to conclude strategic equity investment agreements with Korea Investment Securities, OKX Ventures and Com2uS Holdings.

Attendees at the ceremony included Kim Sung-hwan (김성환), CEO of Korea Investment Securities, Netero Dai (네테로 다이), head of global markets at OKX, Cha Myung-hoon (차명훈), CEO of Coinone, and Jung Cheol-ho (정철호), CEO of Com2uS Holdings.

The investment is structured as Korea Investment Securities and OKX Ventures buying some existing shares held by Cha, Coinone’s largest shareholder, and by Com2uS Holdings, the second-largest shareholder, as well as newly issued shares.

After the investment is completed, Korea Investment Securities and OKX Ventures will each acquire 20% stakes in Coinone. They will become joint third-largest shareholders after Cha, who will hold 30.36%, and Com2uS Holdings, which will hold 24.54%. Cha’s status as the largest shareholder and his management control will be maintained after the investment.

The investment is seen as laying the groundwork for expanding cooperation among traditional finance, digital assets and global trading infrastructure, beyond a simple equity acquisition.

As discussions continue on the legal institutionalisation of digital assets such as token securities and stablecoins, Coinone plans to enhance its business competitiveness by combining Korea Investment Securities’ financial services capabilities with OKX’s global market experience.

Korea Investment Securities will use the investment to enter new blockchain-based digital finance businesses. It plans to combine traditional financial services with Coinone’s blockchain technology and share its know-how on internal controls and risk management systems with Coinone to improve trading safety and trust.

Kim said, "The first step toward a blockchain-based digital finance new business has begun," and added, "We will fuse each company’s services and technology to take the lead in the digital finance market."

He added, "Korea Investment Securities will leap into a key player by launching innovative financial products using token securities in the future and linking them with stablecoins."

Cooperation with OKX Ventures is also cited as a factor in strengthening Coinone’s competitiveness. Coinone will be able to use OKX’s global market insights, experience operating overseas markets and know-how in the digital asset market. The two companies also plan to share insights in areas including user protection, operational stability, security systems and risk management.

Dai said, "Korea is one of the most mature digital asset markets in the world and has a highly trusted regulatory framework," adding, "This investment also shows that next-generation finance will be built on a solid regulatory infrastructure."

Com2uS Holdings plans to strengthen cooperation with partners that have the credibility of institutional finance and global infrastructure, following the addition of the new strategic investors, to generate synergies.

Jung said, "We have worked closely with Coinone and made efforts from multiple angles to conclude this agreement," adding, "We will continue to contribute going forward."

Cha said, "We selected the best partners in each sector who can maximise synergy with Coinone," adding, "With this investment as a turning point, we will take the lead in the new playing field of blockchain-based digital finance infrastructure."

He added, "As an institutional operator, we will contribute to establishing digital assets as a trusted industry by creating a responsible shareholding structure," and said, "We will do our best to comply with procedures and communicate with financial authorities to ensure smooth acceptance of notifications for changes in major shareholders in the future."