Croatia vs South Korea
Crypto regulation comparison
Croatia
South Korea
Cryptocurrency is legal in Croatia and regulated under the EU's MiCA framework since Croatia joined the eurozone in January 2023. Crypto capital gains are taxed at 10-12% depending on the holding period. HANFA oversees crypto service providers.
South Korea is one of the world's largest crypto markets. The Virtual Asset Users Protection Act (VAUPA), effective July 2024, provides comprehensive investor protection including requirements for exchanges to hold user assets in cold storage and carry insurance. All VASPs must register with FIU and comply with strict AML rules under the Specific Financial Information Act. A 20% crypto gains tax (above KRW 2.5 million exemption, raised from the original 250K KRW threshold) has been deferred multiple times and is now scheduled for January 2027.
Key Points
- Capital gains on crypto taxed at 12% flat rate
- Gains on crypto held over 2 years are tax-exempt
- HANFA regulates VASPs under Croatian and EU law
- MiCA framework fully applicable from 30 December 2024
- Croatia joined the eurozone in January 2023, aligning financial regulation with EU standards
Key Points
- Virtual Asset Users Protection Act (VAUPA) effective July 2024 — major investor protection law
- VASPs must register with FIU and partner with real-name verified bank accounts
- 20% national tax (22% effective incl. 2% local income surtax) above KRW 2.5M annual exemption (deferred to January 2027)
- Exchanges must hold 80%+ of user assets in cold wallets and carry insurance/reserves
- Only won-denominated trading pairs allowed on major exchanges (Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit)