Upbit operator Dunamu reports 78% profit drop amid cooling crypto market

BUSINESS

Upbit operator Dunamu reports 78% profit drop amid cooling crypto market

Dunamu’s earnings suffer as a result of slumping digital asset trading volumes.

by
Vivian Nguyen

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Dunamu, the South Korean fintech company behind the country’s dominant crypto exchange Upbit, saw its first-quarter operating profit plunge 78% year-on-year to 88 billion won (approximately $59 million), according to reports.

The company disclosed through the Financial Supervisory Service on the 15th that first-quarter consolidated sales fell 55% year-on-year to 235 billion won, compared with 516 billion won last year. Operating profit dropped from about 396 billion won to 88 billion won.

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Net profit also declined by 78% year-on-year, reaching approximately 70 billion won versus nearly 321 billion won in the same period last year. Dunamu cited reduced trading volume in the virtual asset market caused by the global economic downturn as the main reason for weaker earnings.

Since transaction fees make up 97% of the company’s revenue, shrinking market activity also impacted customer deposits. Deposits stood at around 5 trillion won in the first quarter, down 11% from the end of last year.

Dunamu secures $670 million Hana Bank investment in major crypto banking deal

Dunamu has received a 1 trillion won ($670 million) investment from Hana Financial Group.

As part of the transaction, Hana Bank will purchase a 6.55% stake in Dunamu from Kakao Investment, becoming the company’s fourth-largest shareholder. The two firms also agreed to cooperate on infrastructure development for a won-based stablecoin ecosystem.

Separately, Naver Financial, a subsidiary of Naver Corp., agreed in November 2025 to acquire Dunamu in an all-stock deal valued at approximately $10 billion. The company is reportedly considering an IPO after the transaction is finalized.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Vivian Nguyen. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.