Korean Individual Investors Flock to Virtual Asset DAT and Leveraged ETFs [Crypto Briefing]

[Financial News] Over the past month, Korean individual investors investing in overseas stocks have been actively buying foreign stocks related to Virtual Assets, signaling a shift in their portfolios. In particular, significant capital has flowed into companies holding Ethereum and Bitcoin (BTC) mining firms, reflecting growing expectations for Virtual Assets to be incorporated into the institutional framework.
According to the Korea Securities Depository on the 2nd, Korean individual investors investing in overseas stocks purchased $288.49 million worth of shares in Bitmine Immersion Technologies Inc (BMNR), a Virtual Asset mining and investment company, making it the top net purchase over the past month. Iris Energy Limited, another Bitcoin (BTC) mining company, followed with $256.54 million in net purchases.
Bitmine Immersion Technologies Inc (BMNR), which holds a large amount of Ethereum—the world’s second-largest Virtual Asset by market capitalization—is classified as a Digital Asset Treasury (DAT) company. Iris Energy Limited has drawn attention for its Bitcoin (BTC) mining operations powered by eco-friendly energy.
Hyung-do Ham, a researcher at Shinhan Investment Corp., explained, “BMNR earns an annual return of 3–4% by staking its coins and reinvesting the rewards. Unlike Strategy, a Bitcoin (BTC)-based DAT company, BMNR participates in the Blockchain network and receives rewards through staking.”
Circle, a stablecoin issuer, entered the rankings at 12th place with $121.37 million in net purchases. Circle has also announced plans to launch its own Blockchain specialized for USD Coin (USDC), drawing attention. This development is expected to introduce new competition with existing stablecoin issuance platforms such as the Ethereum Blockchain.
Virtual Asset Leveraged Exchange-Traded Funds (Leveraged ETFs) have also attracted interest from Korean individual investors investing in overseas stocks. The Volatility Shares Trust 2X Ether ETF (ETHU), which offers double leverage on Ethereum, ranked fourth with $198.39 million, while the Strategy (MSTR) 2X Leveraged ETF (T-Rex 2X Long MSTR Daily Target ETF, MSTU) ranked 15th with $105.81 million.
CoreWeave, an artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure company, ranked 16th with $102.99 million. CoreWeave provides GPU cloud services and has gained attention for its business model that combines Virtual Asset mining infrastructure with AI computing.
In contrast, the Virtual Asset trading platform Robinhood saw net purchases of only $55.5 million, ranking 34th. This suggests that investors’ focus is shifting from exchanges to companies directly related to Virtual Assets.
Korean individual investors investing in overseas stocks are now watching for the potential launch of spot Altcoin ETFs in the United States this month. Sung-wook Hong, a researcher at NH Investment & Securities Co., Ltd., noted, “If spot ETFs for various Altcoins such as Solana are approved, the impact on ETF demand for those coins will be closely watched. However, considering public awareness, capital inflows immediately after launch may be somewhat disappointing.”

elikim@fnnews.com Kim Mi-hee Reporter