The Korean financial regulatory authorities have recently made a major decision, officially allowing listed companies and institutional investors to legally purchase cryptocurrency assets. This turnaround breaks long-standing policy barriers. Currently, more than 3,500 enterprises and professional institutions are poised to act, and industry insiders reveal that the off-exchange queued funds have reached hundreds of trillions of Korean won.

While this policy seems to open the door wide, the details reveal many nuances. According to regulations, the annual investment limit for listed companies in crypto assets is 5% of their net assets, and they can only invest in the top twenty cryptocurrencies by market capitalization on Korea’s five major exchanges. After the announcement, market reactions have been mixed—optimists see this as a milestone for institutional entry, while skeptics point out that the 5% limit leaves limited room for growth and is significantly more restrictive compared to the lenient policies of countries like Japan and the US.

Industry experts believe that such constraints could hinder Korean listed companies from accumulating large amounts of cryptocurrencies like Japan’s "Metaplanet" case—after all, to match the scale of US-style large crypto allocations, they first need to break through the quota ceiling.

The detailed implementation rules are expected to be officially announced within one to two months, and eligible companies could start buying operations as early as the end of the year. Whether this policy adjustment can stimulate the Asian market and whether it is enough to support a new bull market remains to be further validated by the market.