According to a survey by Hana Bank’s Hana Financial Research Institute, half of adults in their 20s through 50s have tried crypto, and more than a quarter still hold them.
Men still lead by a wide margin, accounting for 67% of crypto investors compared with 33% women, but female participation has surged since 2024.
Among those who have ever bought virtual assets, 38% describe themselves as having an aggressive approach, versus just 20% in the general investing public.
They also juggle more products—7.3 different investment vehicles on average compared with 4.3 for non‑crypto investors—and 73% of them hold domestic stocks.
Trading ETFs and ISAs is 1.5 times more common among virtual asset holders than among others.
Three‑quarters of investors started with less than 3 million won, but today 42% have pumped more than 10 million won into virtual assets over time. That shift shows a growing willingness to scale up stakes once confidence sets in.
Fear of missing out used to drive 57% of new investors, but that’s fallen to 34%. Meanwhile, those citing “new investment experiences,” growth potential or portfolio balance rose from 26% to 44%.
When hunting for tips, 39% now lean on friends and family (down from 44%), while official exchange sites attract 24% (up from 15%) and analysis platforms draw 19% (up from 10%).
Features like trading volume or UI matter less now; bank linkage ease (7→11%) and promotions (2→10%) rank higher when choosing an exchange. If exchanges lifted their one‑bank‑only rule, 70% say they’d stick with their main bank rather than open a new one for perks.
Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
