Upbit Review 2026: Fees, Features & Verdict
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Our verdict
Upbit holds a strong position as the dominant spot venue for Korean retail trading, with deep won liquidity, a well-built interface and domestic regulatory standing that puts it ahead of most offshore competitors. Two things carry real weight: the real-name Korean banking requirement keeps the exchange closed to almost everyone outside South Korea, and the 2019 hot-wallet breach stays part of the record even though Dunamu covered every user loss.
| Stats | Upbit |
|---|---|
| Assets | |
| Spot assets (crypto) | 342 |
| Fees | |
| Spot fees (maker/taker) | 0.05% / 0.05% |
| Trading | |
| 24h spot volume | $612,989,770 |
| 24h futures volume | $0 |
| CryptoWinRate score | 6.2/10 |
Upbit Overview
Upbit is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in South Korea by trading volume and one of the largest in Asia. It lists 342 assets across 518 markets, with reported spot volume of $612,989,770 over the last 24 hours.
Founded in 2017 and operated by Dunamu, it is the venue where Korean retail flow actually goes. That matters more than any feature list: won-denominated order books here are deeper than anywhere else, and Korean listings routinely move global prices.
Access is the complication for most readers. Upbit is built around the Korean market and the Korean banking system, and this review spells out what that means if you are outside it.
Upbit Pros & Cons
- The deepest won liquidity anywhere, with $612,989,770 in reported spot volume.
- 342 assets across 518 markets, with fast listings of Korean-market favourites.
- A good interface on both web and mobile, and quick execution.
- Operates under South Korea’s exchange registration regime, with a domestic regulator behind it.
Against that:
- Effectively Korea-only, because account opening is tied to a Korean bank account and residency in practice.
- Suffered a major hot-wallet theft in 2019, roughly 342,000 ETH. Dunamu covered user losses from its own funds, and the breach stays on the record.
- Spot only, with futures and margin left to other venues.
- Support is Korean-first.
Pros & cons for Upbit have not been entered in the database yet.
Upbit Sign-up & KYC
Registration itself is ordinary: email, password, email confirmation. The gate comes after.
Full verification requires identity documents and, for won trading, a real-name verified bank account with a Korean bank. That requirement comes from Korean regulation, and it is the reason the exchange is so hard to use from outside South Korea however the sign-up form looks.
Upbit has run separate entities in other jurisdictions over the years, with varying fates. Check what is actually available in your country before assuming the Korean product is.
Upbit Security & Regulation
Upbit is registered with South Korea’s financial authorities and operates under the country’s real-name banking rules, a materially stronger regulatory position than the offshore venues that dominate this industry.
It has also been hacked. In November 2019 roughly 342,000 ETH left a hot wallet. Dunamu reimbursed affected users from its own balance sheet, which is the right outcome and more than several larger exchanges have managed, and the incident belongs in your assessment all the same.
Since then the exchange has kept the large majority of assets in cold storage and expanded its account-level controls. Two-factor authentication and withdrawal address management are both available and both worth switching on.
| Proof of reserves | Yes |
| Cold storage | Yes |
| Two-factor authentication | Yes |
| Withdrawal address whitelist | Yes |
| Anti-phishing passphrase | — |
Upbit Supported Cryptocurrencies
Upbit lists 342 assets across 518 markets, spread across won, Bitcoin and USDT order books.
The catalogue is mid-sized by industry standards, and the liquidity behind it is unusually concentrated. A mid-cap token with a won pair here can trade more volume than it does on venues that list ten times as many assets.
That is also why Upbit listings are watched globally. A new listing on this exchange regularly produces a price move that other markets follow.
Upbit lists 342 spot assets.
No cryptos match your search.
Upbit Trading Platform
The web terminal and the mobile app are both well built, with clean charting, fast order entry, and a market list that surfaces Korean flow clearly. For a spot exchange this is about as good as the category gets.
Upbit is a place to buy and sell assets. Futures and margin trading are off the menu, so leveraged positions need a different venue.
Upbit Trading Fees
Upbit’s standard trading fee is 0.05% for won-market trades, which is low for a spot venue of this size, and the same rate applies to makers and takers.
Fees on the BTC and USDT markets are higher, typically 0.25%. If you are trading anything other than the won pairs, that difference is the single biggest cost decision on the platform.
Deposit and withdrawal costs follow the usual pattern: won deposits from a linked bank account are free, and crypto withdrawals are charged per asset and per network. Confirm the figure in the withdrawal screen before sending.
Fee schedules on this venue have changed more than once and vary by market. Treat the numbers above as the shape of the pricing and check the current table before trading size.
| Trading type | Maker fee | Taker fee | CEX median (69 tracked) | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spot | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.1% / 0.1% | Cheaper |
The median across the 69 centralized exchanges (CEX) we track, per fee type. Upbit is only ever compared with its own kind. "Average" means within half a basis point of that median.
Upbit Customer Support
Support runs through an in-app ticket system and a help centre, Korean first. English coverage exists but is thinner, and response quality drops noticeably outside Korean.
For a domestic user this is a non-issue. For anyone else it compounds the access problem: the exchange is hard to join and harder to get help with.
Upbit Deposit Methods
Won deposits arrive by transfer from the real-name verified bank account linked to your identity. That link is mandatory and is the practical barrier to using the exchange from abroad.
Crypto deposits work normally and are free, priced only by the sending network.
Upbit Withdrawal Methods
Won withdrawals go back to the same verified bank account, and routing funds to a third party is blocked as a deliberate anti-laundering control.
Crypto withdrawals are per-asset and per-network. Upbit applies holding periods on newly deposited funds and on new withdrawal addresses, so plan for a delay.
Upbit Alternatives
| Feature | Upbit | Kraken | Bybit | Binance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | — | 2011 | 2018 | 2017 |
| CryptoWinRate score | 6.2/10 | 9.3/10 | 9/10 | 8.9/10 |
| Spot maker fee | 0.05% | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Spot taker fee | 0.05% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Futures maker fee | — | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% |
| Futures taker fee | — | 0.05% | 0.055% | 0.05% |
| Spot assets (crypto) | 342 | 682 | 378 | 520 |
| Futures contracts (crypto) | — | 182 | 710 | 599 |
| Max leverage | — | 50× | 100× | 150× |
| KYC | Required | Required | Required | Required |
| Available in your country | — | — | — | — |
| Links |
See every Upbit alternative compared
Bottom Line
If you are in South Korea, Upbit is the default and deservedly so: $612,989,770 of spot volume, 342 assets, a good interface, and domestic regulatory standing.
If you are outside South Korea, the real-name bank requirement closes the door, and no amount of feature comparison changes it.
The 2019 breach deserves weight. Dunamu made users whole, which is the test that actually matters when a venue fails.
Frequently Asked Questions
In practice, mostly no. Won trading requires a real-name verified account with a Korean bank, and that requirement comes from regulation.
Around 0.05% on the won markets for both makers and takers, and typically 0.25% on the BTC and USDT markets. Check the current table before trading size.
342 assets across 518 markets.
Yes. In November 2019 about 342,000 ETH was taken from a hot wallet. Operator Dunamu covered the losses from its own funds, so users were made whole.
No. Upbit is a spot exchange, so futures and margin trading need a different venue.
It is the largest exchange in South Korea by volume, currently reporting $612,989,770 in spot trading over 24 hours.
Yes, identity verification is mandatory before you can trade on Upbit.
Spot trading costs 0.05% maker / 0.05% taker. Figures load live from our exchange database.
No, the US appears on Upbit's restricted-country list.
Upbit News
- XRP spot volume surpasses Bitcoin and Ethereum on South Korea’s Upbit
- Visa works with Upbit parent on stablecoin payments, AI commerce
- Samsung unit explores stablecoin infrastructure with Upbit’s operator
- Upbit parent Dunamu faces South Korean regulator sanctions process: Report
- Samsung units take $408M stake in Upbit operator Dunamu: Report
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- North Korea denies crypto hacks, Upbit’s bank tests Ripple: Asia Express
- South Korea court cancels Upbit suspension, citing regulatory gaps: Report
- Naver delays deal with Upbit operator Dunamu as review drags on
- Binance denies reports of delayed action over funds linked to Upbit hack
- South Korea to impose bank-level liability on crypto exchanges after Upbit hack: Report









