South Korea investigates Upbit’s KYC violations amid market dominance concerns

Blurred IDs and potential fines loom over South Korea's largest crypto exchange in KYC compliance debacle.

Cover art/illustration via CryptoSlate. Image includes combined content which may include AI-generated content.

The South Korean government has uncovered significant Know-Your-Customer (KYC) violations on Upbit, the country’s largest cryptocurrency exchange.

On Nov. 14, local media reports indicated that the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Financial Services Commission identified these issues during a routine business license renewal review for Upbit. The regulator has found between 500,000 and 600,000 potential KYC violations on the exchange so far.

KYC is a process for verifying the identity of customers to comply with anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF) laws. This typically involves registering real names and submitting valid identification documents.

The FIU revealed that some Upbit users provided inadequate identification for their KYC registration. In some cases, accounts were opened with IDs that had blurry names and registration numbers, rendering the identities unrecognizable. This raises concerns that these accounts could be used for money laundering or other illicit activities.

Under South Korean law, companies found violating KYC regulations may face fines of up to 100 million won (approximately $71,600) per violation. Given the scale of the violations, there is speculation about the potential financial penalty Upbit may face.

[Editor’s Note: At an average of 550,000 potential violations, this could theoretically amount to $39 billion in fines should the letter of the law be followed.]

Additionally, the violations could delay Upbit’s license renewal process, which is currently under review. According to the Korean Special Financial Transaction Information Act, digital asset operators must renew their licenses every three years.

Upbit applied for renewal in August, but the approval may be postponed as the FIU assesses each case individually and determines appropriate actions.

Meanwhile, this new issue comes around a month after South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) revealed its intent to investigate Upbit’s market dominance. The authorities noted that the exchange makes up nearly 20% of the 22 trillion won deposits on K Bank which could be harmful for the financial institution in the long term.

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