South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb has been hit with a $136,000 fine after regulators found it violated data protection laws by sending users’ personal information abroad without proper consent.
The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) announced the penalty Thursday, saying Bithumb transferred user data to overseas exchanges while sharing order books and processing virtual asset transfers. The investigation found that between September and November 2025, Bithumb shared information not just with Stellar — which users had approved — but with 13 additional overseas exchanges including BingX.
While sharing personal data can be necessary for anti-money laundering checks during cross-exchange transfers, Bithumb failed to follow the strict consent procedures required under South Korea’s data protection laws.
Bithumb is one of South Korea’s largest crypto exchanges and has faced repeated scrutiny. The country’s financial watchdog imposed a six-month operational suspension in March over alleged Financial Information Act violations, though a court reversed that decision in April.
