1. Market Overview Last week, the Korean market saw active large-scale asset trading, with new listings such as Cyber and Towns joining the market. ETH and XRP led the overall volume with several billion dollars in trading volume each, and SOL and BTC also maintained high trading volumes. This demonstrates that major Layer 1 tokens and blue-chip tokens remain the core of Korean trading activity. At the same time, the role of mid-cap tokens has become increasingly important. Newly listed assets like CYBER and PROVE quickly garnered significant attention, while popular community tokens such as ENA, PENGU, and SOON illustrated how user preferences are divided between emerging altcoins and established ones. Overall, the market exhibits a two-track structure. While most of the liquidity is absorbed by major cryptocurrencies, selective mid-cap tokens offer high-beta opportunities to active traders. 2. Exchanges 2-1. Newly Listed Coins Last week, several new listings took place on major Korean exchanges. Main Marketing Strategies and Key Points Town Protocol (TOWNS) Towns is a project positioned as a decentralized Discord platform, conducting marketing by onboarding numerous domestic KOLs. Beginning with the lead investment from a16z, which is popular among Koreans, it appears they entered the Korean market early during the testing phase. Towns allows each KOL to create their own town where community members can interact with one another on the platform. By integrating features required for daily interaction, the platform promotes continued engagement, with KOLs regularly guiding community members in utilizing the platform. Towns goes beyond mere platform participation, engaging in in-depth discussions on the decentralization of communities and emphasizing its importance. Through regular platform updates, improvements and additions were shared in real time. 2-2. Trading Volume Last week, Upbit and Bithumb showed distinct trading volume patterns for the top 12 cryptocurrencies. Upbit’s highest volume was ETH (3.3 billion dollars), followed by XRP (2.74 billion dollars) and SOL (1.44 billion dollars), indicating intensive investments in major Layer 1 and utility tokens. On the other hand, Bithumb’s top trading volumes were XRP (1.26 billion dollars), ETH (1.14 billion dollars), and USDT (848 million dollars), suggesting a slight increase in stablecoin trading along with popular altcoins. Both exchanges maintained substantial BTC trading volumes, with Upbit at 1.43 billion dollars and Bithumb at 699 million dollars, confirming BTC’s ongoing central position in trading activity. Mid-cap tokens such as ADA, SOL, and DOGE consistently ranked high, and Upbit-specialized high-volume tokens like CYBER and PROVE attracted notable trading interest on specific platforms. Bithumb saw remarkable trading focus on ENA, PENGU, and SOON, reflecting the variety of trading preferences among its users. Comparative analysis shows that while both exchanges prioritize the liquidity of leading cryptocurrencies, Upbit favors a broader investment in emerging and platform-based tokens, whereas Bithumb emphasizes higher trading volume in established altcoins and stablecoins. This divergence may influence participants’ short-term trading strategies and liquidity allocation on the two platforms. 2-3. Top 10 Gainers Last week, Upbit and Bithumb revealed distinct patterns among leading cryptocurrencies. On Upbit, MNT led the rise with a weekly increase of 26.79%, followed by ARB (22.92%) and STRIKE (21.65%), showing a strong momentum for mid-cap and platform-specialized tokens. ADA and LINK also saw gains of 19.79% and 19.55%, indicating ongoing investor interest in major Layer 1 tokens. On Bithumb, the biggest gainer was SKL, soaring 72.84% and significantly outpacing other assets. CTSI followed with a 47.71% rise, and ORDER increased by 23.49%, demonstrating sharp surges of small-cap and DeFi-related tokens. MNT also performed well on Bithumb with a 21.84% increase, while ADA (16.22%) and ARB (16.27%) showed overlaps among trending assets on both exchanges. Overall, price fluctuations on Upbit were relatively moderate yet consistent across both mid-cap and major cryptocurrencies. In contrast, Bithumb saw sharper volatility, especially for small and niche tokens. These differences suggest variation in trading patterns and risk tolerance among investors on each platform. All content is prepared and provided for informational purposes only, and is not intended as a basis for investment decisions or as investment, legal, or tax advice. The authors of this article take no responsibility for any aspect of investment, legal, or tax issues. INF CryptoLab (INFCL) is a consulting firm specializing in the blockchain and Web3 sectors, offering one-stop solutions for Web3 strategy development, token economy design, and global market entry. They provide both strategy development and execution for leading domestic and international securities firms, game companies, platform providers, and global Web3 companies, leveraging accumulated expertise and references to drive sustainable growth in the digital asset ecosystem. This report is independent of the editorial direction of any media, and all responsibility rests with the information provider.
8月 19日ピック