South Korea’s Crypto Crackdown: Will ETFs Survive the Drama? 🎭

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Ah, South Korea—the land of K-pop, kimchi, and now, crypto chaos. The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) has stepped into the spotlight with yet another round of verbal guidance, urging local asset managers to tone down their ETF flirtations with crypto darlings like Coinbase and MicroStrategy. 😏 It seems the FSS is determined to keep the ghosts of 2017 alive, when the country first drew a line in the sand against digital assets. “No touchy!” they said then, and apparently, they’re saying it again now—but with more emphasis this time.

Why the fuss? Well, some Korean ETFs have been living their best life, exceeding 10% exposure to these crypto-adjacent companies. To the FSS, this is less “living large” and more “courting disaster.” 😬 With crypto markets being as stable as a house of cards in a windstorm, regulators are understandably jittery. Their mission? To shield the financial system from potential chaos while ensuring compliance with national stability standards. Noble, isn’t it? Or maybe just overly cautious—time will tell. 🕰️

So, what’s next for South Korea’s asset managers? Will they heed the FSS’s warnings and retreat from the crypto circus? Or will they cling to their high-risk, high-reward dreams like a cat refusing to let go of a laser pointer? 🐱 Only time—and perhaps a few more rounds of sternly worded guidance—will reveal the answer. Until then, we can all enjoy the show from the sidelines, popcorn in hand. 🍿

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2025-07-23 14:02