The governor of South Korea’s central bank said leveraged crypto trading threatens the country’s financial system, the Korea Herald reported.
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“An excessive level of leveraged cryptocurrency trading puts households at risk of financial damages considering the instability of [cryptocurrency],” Bank of Korea Gov. Lee Ju-yeol said Thursday.
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“We expect [the increasing amount of crypto trading] to have a negative impact on the financial system in any respect."
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Lee pledged to monitor the monetary transactions of Korea's financial institutions associated with leveraged crypto trading, suggesting new loans may be curtailed to prevent defaults that could have a knock-on effect on the country's banking system, according to the Korea Herald.
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Korea's central bank is already seeking authority to monitor cryptocurrency transactions made through individuals' bank accounts.
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That measure could be brought in as early as September, which is also the deadline for crypto exchanges to register as virtual asset service providers, a requirement that would enable the state to determine the legality of their operations in order to crack down on money laundering and fraud.
