Bithumb: licences, security, fees and reviews

Centralized exchange

Status update

Data leak notice (29 Oct 2026): On 29 October 2026 Bithumb posted a notice titled '일부 고객, 임직원 개인정보 유출 안내 및 2차 피해 방지 안내 (개인정보 유출 조회 확인 포함)' (a data leak affecting some customers and employees, steps to prevent secondary damage, and a way to check whether one's data leaked) and an apology notice; its scope is not stated in the sources we could read. source ↗

As of 1 November 2026, from the company’s own announcements unless stated otherwise.

In short

Legal entity: 주식회사 빗썸 (Bithumb Co., Ltd.)
Fees: Spot maker / taker: 0.25% in the KRW market (base rate, 1 October 2026; promotional rates may apply at the time of reading).
Risks and caveats: In March 2026 the FIU ordered a six-month partial suspension of Bithumb (27 March to 26 September 2026) and announced fines of 36.8 billion won (amount as announced on 17 March 2026) under the 특정금융정보법; it cited 45,772 transfers with 18 unregistered foreign providers.
Checked: 28 October 2026

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Key facts

Type: Centralized exchange
Country of registration: South Korea
Operator: Bithumb Co., Ltd. (주식회사 빗썸)
Official site: bithumb.com

Key facts checked on 28 October 2026 against official sources and regulator registers.

What is Bithumb

Bithumb is a centralised virtual asset exchange in South Korea operated by 주식회사 빗썸 (Bithumb Co., Ltd.), a virtual asset service provider registered with Korea's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). It runs a KRW market (원화마켓), with Korean won deposits and withdrawals through KB Kookmin Bank.

Good to know

Korea's FIU regime is a registration (신고) of virtual asset service providers under the 특정금융정보법, not a banking-style licence; 주식회사 빗썸 is on the FIU list of registered providers as of 30 September 2026. ↗
Korean won can be deposited and withdrawn only through a linked KB Kookmin Bank (KB국민은행) account. ↗
Proof of reserves takes the Korean form: DAXA, the association of the five KRW-market exchanges, publishes Bithumb's daily balance reconciliation (일일대사) results. This is not a Merkle-tree or attested reserve ratio. ↗
The FIU's six-month partial business suspension (27 March to 26 September 2026) limited only external virtual asset transfers by new customers; trading, exchange and KRW deposits and withdrawals stayed available. ↗
The operating company was called 주식회사 빗썸코리아 until 30 September 2024, when it was renamed 주식회사 빗썸. ↗
After an erroneous payout (오지급) at Bithumb on 6 February 2026, the FSC announced plans on 6 April 2026 to require all exchanges to reconcile balances every five minutes, with an automatic trading stop on large mismatches, and monthly external audits. ↗
The 0.25% base trading fee can be cut to 0.04% for 30 days by applying for Bithumb's "lowest fee in Korea" offer (help centre, updated 11 August 2026); promotional terms can change. ↗
Customer KRW deposits are kept by a bank, separate from the exchange's own funds, under the Virtual Asset User Protection Act; if an exchange's registration is cancelled or it goes bankrupt, the bank pays the deposits to users first. ↗
Bithumb's registration is with Korea's FIU. On 28 October 2026 the UK FCA register returned no firm for "Bithumb"; FinCEN's MSB search, the NYDFS list, ESMA's interim MiCA register and Japan's FSA list showed no entry for Bithumb Co., Ltd. (주식회사 빗썸) (FinCEN's search for "Bithumb" returns only two Denver-registered entries named "ZGbithumb", not the operator). ↗
Since 1 October 2026, voice-phishing victim relief also covers virtual assets; an account used to move such funds can be frozen (지급정지). ↗

Services

Services — Bithumb
Parameter	Details
Spot trading (KRW market)	Stablecoins traded for KRW: USDT, USDC, USDS, USD1, USDe, RLUSD, USDG, PYUSD and EURC (KRW- pairs in the API market list, 28 October 2026).
Fiat deposits	KRW deposits and withdrawals only through a linked KB Kookmin Bank (KB국민은행) account.
Interest on KRW balances	Interest on KRW deposits (예치금 이용료): 2.2% a year before tax.
Custody / wallet (USDT)	USDT networks: Ethereum, Tron, Kaia and Aptos (supported networks, 28 October 2026; deposits and withdrawals can be paused separately on each network).
Custody / wallet (USDC)	USDC networks: Ethereum and Arc.

Licences and registrations

Licences and registrations — Bithumb
Jurisdiction	Entity	Licence / registration	Regulator
South Korea	주식회사 빗썸 (Bithumb Co., Ltd.)	Registered virtual asset service provider (가상자산사업자), business registration no. 220-88-71844, business types 가–마; filed 9 September 2021, registered 2 December 2021 (FIU register).	Financial Intelligence Unit (금융정보분석원, FIU)

Status in the United States and the United Kingdom

Bithumb does not appear in the FCA’s Financial Services Register: a search for “Bithumb” on 28 October 2026 returned no firm, so no firm whose name contains “Bithumb” (including Bithumb Co., Ltd. and Bithumb Holdings) is listed there. FCA Financial Services Register
Under the UK Money Laundering Regulations 2017, cryptoasset businesses must register with the FCA before providing in-scope cryptoasset services in the course of business carried on in the UK. FCA: cryptoassets AML/CTF regime
FinCEN’s MSB Registrant Search holds no entry for Bithumb Co., Bithumb Korea or Bithumb Holdings: each name search returned no match on 28 October 2026. FinCEN MSB Registrant Search
Bithumb is not on the New York DFS list of regulated virtual currency entities (checked 28 October 2026). Virtual currency business activity in New York requires a BitLicense or a charter under the New York Banking Law. NYDFS: virtual currency businesses

Checked on 28 October 2026 against regulator registers and the text of the law.

Security and audits

Holds ISMS-P certification (Korea's information security and personal data management system) and ISO 27001, 27701, 27017 and 27018 certifications, per its DART filing.
Under the Virtual Asset User Protection Act, at least 80% of users' virtual assets are kept in cold wallets and a reserve of at least 5% of hot-wallet asset value is required (as summarised in Bithumb's help centre).
Virtual asset withdrawals are restricted for 72 hours after a first KRW deposit, and for 24 hours after each later KRW deposit for the matching amount.
Bithumb keeps its own virtual assets separate from users' virtual assets, as the Virtual Asset User Protection Act requires.
Runs an anti-money-laundering (AML) centre set up in 2019, and says it was the first Korean virtual asset exchange certified to the ISO 37301 compliance standard.

Fees

Fees — Bithumb
Parameter	Details
Spot maker / taker	0.25% in the KRW market (base rate, 1 October 2026; promotional rates may apply at the time of reading).
Return of deposits sent to another listed asset's wallet	30,000 KRW, deducted from the KRW balance.
Promotional trading fee	0.04% for 30 days after applying, instead of the 0.25% base rate (help centre, updated 11 August 2026).

Who can use it

Verification: After sign-up, users complete customer verification (고객 확인, KYC) and register a real-name bank account; KRW deposits and withdrawals need a linked KB Kookmin Bank account, which requires the bank's own customer due diligence (EDD). Withdrawals of 1,000,000 won or more require the receiving exchange and the recipient's name (travel rule, through the CODE solution); a personal wallet is registered after the owner proves control by signing.

History

History — Bithumb
Date	Event
July 2015	The company, incorporated in January 2014, adopts the Bithumb (빗썸) brand and starts full-scale virtual asset exchange operations.
2 December 2021	The FIU accepts the registration of 주식회사 빗썸 as a virtual asset service provider (filed 9 September 2021).
7 December 2023	Trading in USDT for KRW begins (first daily candle in the exchange's API).
9 December 2023	Trading in USDC for KRW begins (first daily candle in the exchange's API).
30 September 2024	The operating company is renamed from 주식회사 빗썸코리아 to 주식회사 빗썸.
24 March 2025	KB Kookmin Bank replaces NH NongHyup Bank as the KRW account bank.
1 April 2025	Withdrawals under 1,000,000 won to personal wallets and to exchanges outside the travel-rule network also go only to registered, checked addresses.
15 August 2025	A spin-off (인적분할) creates a new company, 주식회사 빗썸에셋.
6 February 2026	An erroneous payout (오지급) occurs at Bithumb.
17 March 2026	The FIU announces a six-month partial business suspension (27 March to 26 September 2026) and fines totalling 36.8 billion won, the final amount to be set after the company's comments.
6 April 2026	After the payout error, DAXA and the five KRW-market exchanges issue a joint industry resolution on preventing recurrence and strengthening internal controls.
1 October 2026	Voice-phishing victim relief is extended to virtual assets, including fraud proceeds converted into virtual assets and moved to a Bithumb account.

Risks and caveats

In March 2026 the FIU ordered a six-month partial suspension of Bithumb (27 March to 26 September 2026) and announced fines of 36.8 billion won (amount as announced on 17 March 2026) under the 특정금융정보법; it cited 45,772 transfers with 18 unregistered foreign providers.
On 6 February 2026 an erroneous payout (오지급) occurred at Bithumb; the FSC later announced industry-wide measures on balance reconciliation and external audits.
An account can be frozen (지급정지) after a victim-relief claim, a request from investigators or a legal check showing it was used to move fraud proceeds.
On 6 February 2026 a promotional payout to 695 users credited 2,000 BTC each instead of 2,000 won; per Bithumb, 99.7% of the 620,000 BTC was recovered before trading and about 93% of the 1,786 BTC sold.
The FSS inspected Bithumb from 10 February to 6 March 2026 and found general internal-control problems; as of 6 April 2026 it planned sanction proceedings under the Virtual Asset User Protection Act after legal review.
Every virtual asset withdrawal passes an abnormal-transaction check (FDS); a withdrawal matching a fraud pattern can be held for up to 72 hours.

About the company

Legal entity: 주식회사 빗썸 (Bithumb Co., Ltd.)
Banking partner (not a licence): KB Kookmin Bank (KB국민은행) provides the real-name verified deposit and withdrawal accounts (실명확인 입출금계정) used for KRW.
Parent company: ㈜빗썸홀딩스 (Bithumb Holdings), 73.56%
Founded: 5 January 2014 (incorporation date in the DART company record)
Corporate registration: Corporate registration no. 110111-5307388; business registration no. 220-88-71844
Headquarters: 서울특별시 강남구 테헤란로 124 (Teheran-ro 124, Gangnam-gu, Seoul)
CEO: 이재원, representative director
Formerly: 주식회사 빗썸코리아 (until 30 September 2024)
Other shareholders: ㈜비덴트 10.22%, ㈜티사이언티픽 7.17% (30 June 2026)
Spin-off: 주식회사 빗썸에셋, created by a spin-off (인적분할) on 15 August 2025
Customer KRW funds: Held in a separate bank account under the real-name account contract; the company cannot move them on its own, only on members' requests.

Official links

Website: www.bithumb.com
Fees: support.bithumb.com/hc/ko/articles/51131554420377
Proof of reserves: kdaxa.org/disclosure/reconciliation.php
Security: support.bithumb.com/hc/ko/articles/51146541268121

Questions and answers

Is Bithumb regulated?

Yes. 주식회사 빗썸 (Bithumb Co., Ltd.) is on the FIU list of registered virtual asset service providers (30 September 2026), and KB Kookmin Bank provides its real-name KRW accounts.

Does Bithumb publish proof of reserves?

DAXA, the Korean exchange association, publishes Bithumb's daily balance reconciliation results; no reserve ratio is stated.

What are Bithumb's fees?

The base trading fee in the KRW market is 0.25% (DAXA, 1 October 2026); promotional rates may apply.

Who owns Bithumb?

Its largest shareholder is ㈜빗썸홀딩스 (Bithumb Holdings) with 73.56%; ㈜비덴트 holds 10.22% and ㈜티사이언티픽 7.17% (DART, 30 June 2026).

Are KRW deposits at Bithumb protected?

Under the Virtual Asset User Protection Act, customer KRW deposits are kept by a bank, separate from the exchange's funds, and the bank pays users first if the exchange is deregistered or goes bankrupt.

Has Bithumb faced enforcement action?

Yes. In March 2026 the FIU ordered a six-month partial suspension (27 March to 26 September 2026, limited to external transfers by new customers) and announced fines of 36.8 billion won (amount as announced on 17 March 2026) under the 특정금융정보법. An erroneous payout on 6 February 2026 led to industry-wide FSC measures.

Is Bithumb registered outside South Korea?

Its registration is with Korea's FIU. On 28 October 2026 the UK FCA register, FinCEN's MSB search, the NYDFS list, ESMA's interim MiCA register and Japan's FSA list showed no entry for Bithumb Co., Ltd. (FinCEN's search for "Bithumb" returns only two Denver-registered entries named "ZGbithumb", not the operator).

Can I withdraw from Bithumb to a personal wallet?

Yes, to an address registered and checked in advance; a personal wallet is registered after the owner proves control by signing.

Sources

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Page updated: 2026-11-01