South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb is changing its partner bank to KB Bank (Korean). The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Financial Services Commission of South Korea recently accepted a report submitted by Bithumb on changing the issuing bank of real-name accounts. If approved, customers who trade cryptocurrencies on Bithumb must use KB accounts from March 24.
Under current laws, local cryptocurrency trading in South Korea implements the principle of "one company, one bank". Under the Specific Financial Information Act, exchanges must establish a real-name account partnership with a designated commercial bank to trade the won.
Bithumb has signed a real-name account contract with Nonghyup Bank since 2018. However, Bithumb has been trying to change its partner bank since last year in order to secure market share before the contract with Nonghyup Bank expires. As a result, the two companies, which usually sign a one-year contract, only extended the contract for six months in March.
A person related to Bithumb said that "we are requesting confirmation from the financial authorities and plan to announce relevant information as early as the 13th." (Insight Korea)