South Korea tightens crypto withdrawal-delay exemptions after scam losses

The Financial Services Commission said inconsistent exemption rules created loopholes that allowed funds to move quickly with minimal account history.

South Korea’s financial regulator said it will tighten the exception rules under crypto exchanges’ withdrawal-delay system after finding that scam-linked accounts granted exemptions accounted for most voice-phishing-related losses. 

The Financial Services Commission (FSC) said Wednesday that the strengthened framework, developed with the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) and the Digital Asset eXchange Alliance (DAXA), will impose unified standards on when users can bypass withdrawal delays. 

The regulator said exchanges had been applying their own exception criteria with no clear minimum standard, creating loopholes that let bad actors quickly move funds if they meet easy requirements such as account age or trading history. 

From June to September 2025, accounts granted withdrawal-delay exemptions made up 59% of fraudulent accounts and 75.5% of related losses at crypto exchanges, the FSC said.

The move follows a wider South Korean push to tighten crypto exchange controls after voice-phishing abuse and operational-control failures, including fresh reforms announced this week after Bithumb’s Bitcoin (BTC) payout error.

The FSC said that under the new rules, exchanges must assess factors like trading frequency, account history and deposit and withdrawal amounts when determining whether a user qualifies for a withdrawal-delay exemption. 

The regulator said the change is expected to reduce the number of users eligible for exemptions sharply. The FSC said a simulation showed the share of users eligible for exemptions would fall to around 1% under the new rules, but did not provide a baseline for comparison.

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The FSC said it will also strengthen oversight of users granted exemptions through periodic checks, including verification of the source of funds, and by building systems to monitor suspicious withdrawal activity. 

The regulator added that they will continue reviewing the rules to prevent new circumvention methods and adjust as needed. 

The move adds to a broader push by South Korean regulators to tighten oversight of crypto exchanges following recent incidents. 

On Tuesday, the FSC ordered exchanges to reconcile internal ledgers with actual asset holdings every five minutes after an inspection linked to the Bithumb payout error found gaps in internal controls and risk management systems.

On Jan. 29, South Korea expanded crypto licensing scrutiny to cover exchanges and major shareholders. 

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Source: CoinTelegraph