South Korea’s Digital Asset Exchange Alliance has introduced a new API key standard for local crypto exchanges. The move targets improper API key sharing and possible market abuse.
Summary
- DAXA will now force suspicious API keys to expire after warnings, monitoring, and user checks.
- FSS said API-based trading accounts for around 30% of South Korea’s domestic crypto market turnover.
- Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit, and Gopax will now add stricter monitoring and IP whitelist systems.
The rule comes as regulators watch automated crypto trading more closely. The Financial Supervisory Service said API-based trading now makes up about 30% of domestic crypto turnover.
DAXA targets shared API keys
DAXA said the new policy will apply when exchanges suspect improper API key lending. The group said such keys can give outside tools access to price checks, balances, orders, deposits, and withdrawals.
The Asia Business Daily reported that some users had lent or shared API keys with others. Those keys were then linked to unfair trading practices, including possible price manipulation.
Under the new standard, exchanges can increase monitoring after suspicious activity. They can also send warnings, require identity checks again, and force API keys to expire.
Kim Jae-jin, DAXA’s executive vice chairman, said the group will “respond swiftly to new and emerging threats.” He said user protection remains the main value behind the new measures.
FSS warning raises pressure on exchanges
The FSS warning adds more pressure on local exchanges. The regulator has said automated trading can create false volume and distort token prices.
Reports cited repeated small trades, spoofed orders, and coordinated activity across many accounts. These actions can make a token look more active than it really is.
The regulator also warned users about high-frequency trading code shared online. It urged investors to avoid chasing sudden price spikes without clear reasons.
The new DAXA policy fits that warning. It gives exchanges a direct way to act when account access looks suspicious.
Upbit and Bithumb face stricter API checks
The rules apply to DAXA member exchanges, including Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit, and Gopax. These platforms dominate South Korea’s regulated crypto exchange market.
Member exchanges will add IP whitelisting systems. This means API keys can only work from IP addresses that users register in advance.
The system can make shared keys harder to use. It can also help exchanges spot access from unusual locations or outside trading systems.
The rule does not ban API trading. It instead targets cases where users hand over keys or allow others to trade through their exchange accounts.
Korea expands crypto exchange oversight
The API rule adds to a wider push across South Korea’s crypto market. Regulators have already moved to tighten exchange checks after past control failures.
As previously reported by crypto.news, South Korea ordered local exchanges to add five-minute balance checks, automatic trading halts, and monthly audits after a major Bithumb error.
Separate coverage also showed DAXA warning that a proposed AML rule could raise suspicious transaction reports from 63,000 to more than 5.4 million.
The latest API standard shows the same direction. Korean regulators and exchanges are moving toward faster controls, closer monitoring, and earlier action against market abuse.
