At Jensen Hwang’s recent appearance in Seoul, attendees waved smartphones that showed stock tickers for Nvidia and Samsung instead of cryptocurrency charts.
Meanwhile, trading volumes at Upbit, South Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, fell by 12.8% recently, indicating a notable shift in retail investor sentiment.
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The Korean retail market is moving from cryptocurrencies to AI-related stocks
South Korea is witnessing a clear exodus from digital assets. Data from CoinGecko shows that Upbit recorded $2.02 billion in 24-hour trading volume as of October 31, 2025. It is down more than 13% in the past 24 hours.
Trading volumes have declined over the past few months, reflecting a sharp decline despite the exchange having 293 currencies listed, 636 trading pairs, and a confidence score of 8/10.
The scene became symbolic when Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang appeared with Samsung Vice President Lee Jae-yong. Attendees displayed stock charts, not cryptocurrency charts, reflecting new market interests.
While Li appeared indifferent, Huang pointed to the crowd, highlighting the moment. This went viral and was seen as a symbol of Korea’s shift from speculative assets to technology-driven growth.
“Where did all the Korean retail investors go in the cryptocurrency circuit? Answer: to the neighborhood stock market,” analyst AB Kuai Dong noted.
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Some believe that the circulation of capital constitutes a major change, not just indifference. Retail traders are now aligning with Korea’s national AI strategy, seeking more stable returns than volatile cryptocurrencies provide.
Capital appears to be shifting from speculation to targeting fundamental growth opportunities instead. Korean investors are now focusing on government-led AI industrial upgrades.
The government and major companies are coordinating to allocate 260,000 GPUs, boosting the build of artificial intelligence that may extend beyond cryptocurrencies.
Recently, Samsung and Nvidia announced plans to partner for next-generation massive AI factories. The project will use 50,000 Nvidia GPUs to automate the manufacturing process. Samsung’s AI Factory aims to unify design, processing, equipment, operations and quality within a single intelligent network.
This announcement coincided with Nvidia’s announcement of a market value of $5 trillion, which strengthened its dominance in artificial intelligence infrastructure.
For comparison, the total market capitalization of cryptocurrencies is about $3.8 trillion as of October 31, 2025. This discrepancy reflects the direction in which global technological momentum is headed.
The ‘Jensen moment’ in Seoul may mark a handover, from cryptocurrencies to technology stocks, as retail investors seek reliability.
Globally, AI has overtaken cryptocurrencies as the main path to growth. Korean investors appear keen to participate in national AI initiatives alongside leading companies, rather than remaining exposed to speculative markets without institutional support.