This year, the total value of overseas financial account reports surged 46% year-on-year, marking a record high. According to the National Tax Service, reported assets in 2025 reached 94.5 trillion won, an increase of 29.6 trillion won from last year. The number of filers also climbed to 6,858, up 38.3%, the highest since the reporting system was introduced.
Two main factors are behind the surge. The first is the rise in the value of cryptocurrencies. Since 2023, overseas cryptocurrency accounts have been subject to reporting requirements, and this year their declared value amounted to 11.1 trillion won. A total of 2,320 individuals reported such accounts, showing that digital assets are now firmly within the scope of regulatory oversight, not only for individual investors but also for institutional-level accounts. The rebound in prices of major tokens such as Bitcoin and Ethereum has significantly increased the valuation of these holdings.
The second driver is foreign stock accounts. Reported assets in this category reached 48.1 trillion won, a staggering 103.8% increase from the previous year. This reflects the growing participation of Korean retail investors in U.S. equities. The rally in tech stocks such as Tesla and Nvidia, combined with opportunities for gains from a strong dollar, encouraged more active offshore investing.
The National Tax Service commented, “As investments in high-risk, high-return assets such as cryptocurrencies and overseas equities have expanded, reported assets have grown sharply. We will continue to strengthen monitoring and international cooperation to collect information going forward.”
Experts note that the latest figures highlight not only the scale of reported assets but also a shift in investment patterns. While reports once centered on overseas deposits and corporate accounts, the focus has now shifted toward blockchain-based assets and global equity markets. With digital assets increasingly entering the institutional fold, tax and financial authorities are expected to tighten their oversight in the years ahead.
