South Korea is weighing an education levy on cryptocurrency exchanges that could require payments in unprofitable years if they are reclassified as financial companies after a pending law passes.
The proposed tax would apply after passage of the Digital Asset Basic Act if exchanges receive financial-company status. South Korean authorities are considering the levy, which has not been finalized.
Calculations using the companies’ 2025 revenue and rates now applied to financial firms put Dunamu’s potential annual tax at 10.2 billion won and Bithumb’s at 3.2 billion won. Dunamu operates Upbit. The estimated costs would fall on the exchange businesses if the reclassification condition is met.
The tax base would be operating revenue rather than profit. An exchange could therefore owe the charge even in a year when it records a loss, because profitability would not determine the revenue used in the calculation. The figures are estimates, not finalized tax bills.
