Chainalysis finds South Korea leads East Asia $1.2 trillion crypto economy
Image: Crypto BriefingChainalysis released its East Asia Crypto Adoption Report on October 5, 2026. The region's total crypto economy exceeded $1.2 trillion between July 2025 and June 2026, with a minor contraction amid a global bear market. South Korea recorded the largest regional economy at $449.1 billion, up 12.3% period over period. Retail traders drove most of that growth via centralized exchanges, with AI-themed tokens making up the largest share of Korean trading volume. Japan's $228.3 billion crypto economy saw DEX activity rise 36% to 34.5% of its market. Hong Kong's $192.2 billion economy had 87% institutional growth year over year. China's P2P stablecoin wallets grew 43 times between Q1 2024 and Q2 2026.
Key points
- East Asia's total crypto economy exceeded $1.2 trillion between July 2025 and June 2026.
- South Korea led the region with a $449.1 billion crypto economy, up 12.3% period over period.
- AI-themed tokens made up the largest share of South Korean trading volume by June 2026.
- Japan's DEX activity rose 36% to make up 34.5% of its crypto market.
- China's P2P stablecoin wallets grew 43 times between Q1 2024 and Q2 2026.
Why it matters
The data shows divergent regional crypto market structures, with retail AI token demand driving South Korean growth, institutional activity expanding in Hong Kong, and DEX and stablecoin adoption rising across Japan and China.
Sources · 2 publishers
Crypto Briefing
Tier 2
Chainalysis: South Korea leads East Asia crypto economy with $449.1B
Coverage timeline
- First reported by Blockonomi
- Confirmed by Crypto Briefing
- CryptoVideos brief published
How this brief was made. Our system found this event in 2 independent publications, summarised two complete reports with AI and checked every number above against the source text. Sources are linked in full. Not financial advice. Report an error
