Key Takeaways
- • AI-linked cryptocurrencies became South Korea's leading thematic crypto category by June 2026, overtaking payment-focused assets such as XRP, according to Chainalysis.
- • Chainalysis measured the category by share of Korean won-denominated trading volume across July 2025 through June 2026, so the finding reflects relative thematic share rather than total Korean crypto activity.
- • Worldcoin (WLD) led with approximately $7.41 billion in reported trading volume, followed by SAHARA ($3.2 billion), VIRTUAL ($2.7 billion), BIO ($2 billion) and NEAR ($1.7 billion).
- • Korean retail traders rotated through the AI category faster and more intensely than traders in the other markets Chainalysis covered, underscoring how quickly thematic leadership can shift.
- • The data do not show that XRP has left Korean trading: XRP remains among the most actively traded assets in the market, and the rotation has not been shown to translate into token demand from Ripple's corporate initiatives.
Summary
AI-linked cryptocurrencies have become South Korea's leading crypto category by June 2026, overtaking payment-focused tokens such as XRP, according to Chainalysis. The analysis covered crypto activity from July 2025 through June 2026 and ranked thematic categories by their share of Korean won-denominated trading volume. The category is defined as assets tied to AI-focused projects or AI infrastructure. Because the measure is a share of won-denominated trading, it does not capture the full scale of Korean crypto activity.
Worldcoin (WLD) led the AI group with reported trading volume of $7.41 billion. SAHARA followed at $3.2 billion, VIRTUAL at $2.7 billion, BIO at $2 billion and NEAR at $1.7 billion. The leaderboard has shifted over time: VIRTUAL and KAITO led AI-related tokens in 2025 before Worldcoin and SAHARA moved ahead. Chainalysis also found that Korean retail traders moved through the AI category faster and more intensely than traders in the other markets it covered, a pattern it links to how quickly thematic leadership can change.
The rotation is a notable shift for a market with a long history of XRP trading. Reporting on the Chainalysis data indicates that XRP has not disappeared from Korean trading; it remains one of the most actively traded cryptocurrencies in the country, and at one point XRP topped trading volume on Upbit, beating Bitcoin. Separately, reports describe an exploratory Ripple–Meritz review of custody and tokenization infrastructure. That initiative is distinct from retail token flows, and the available data do not show that Ripple's institutional relationships are translating into XRP demand. The distinction between changing market narratives and operating products is central to interpreting the data.
Worldcoin (WLD) led the AI group with reported trading volume of $7.41 billion. SAHARA followed at $3.2 billion, VIRTUAL at $2.7 billion, BIO at $2 billion and NEAR at $1.7 billion. The leaderboard has shifted over time: VIRTUAL and KAITO led AI-related tokens in 2025 before Worldcoin and SAHARA moved ahead. Chainalysis also found that Korean retail traders moved through the AI category faster and more intensely than traders in the other markets it covered, a pattern it links to how quickly thematic leadership can change.
The rotation is a notable shift for a market with a long history of XRP trading. Reporting on the Chainalysis data indicates that XRP has not disappeared from Korean trading; it remains one of the most actively traded cryptocurrencies in the country, and at one point XRP topped trading volume on Upbit, beating Bitcoin. Separately, reports describe an exploratory Ripple–Meritz review of custody and tokenization infrastructure. That initiative is distinct from retail token flows, and the available data do not show that Ripple's institutional relationships are translating into XRP demand. The distinction between changing market narratives and operating products is central to interpreting the data.
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