Two of South Korea's leading cryptocurrency exchanges, Bithumb and Upbit, have announced significant new altcoin listings on their spot trading platforms, marking a notable development in the Asian crypto market.
Bithumb's Listing of Based (BASED)
Bithumb announced it will list the Based (BASED) token. Deposit and withdrawal operations for BASED commenced approximately one hour after the announcement. Trading is scheduled to begin on April 21, 2026, at 17:00 (local time). The token will be paired against the South Korean won (KRW), with an initial reference price set at 167 won. Transactions will be conducted via the Ethereum network, and the exchange has warned users to only make transfers through this specified network to avoid potential loss of assets.
The exchange will implement standard trading restrictions for the new listing. Buy orders will be suspended for the first 5 minutes after trading begins. During this initial period, sell orders will be limited to price levels between 10% below and 100% above the reference price. Furthermore, only limit orders will be permitted for the first two hours of trading. Bithumb emphasized the high-risk nature of crypto assets and advised investors to carefully examine project details before transacting.
Upbit and Bithumb's Joint Listing of USD AI (CHIP)
In a separate but related development, both Upbit and Bithumb announced they will list the USD AI (CHIP) token. Upbit stated trading for CHIP will begin today at 16:00. The token will be available for trading against multiple pairs: the South Korean won (KRW), Bitcoin (BTC), and Tether (USDT). This multi-pair support is designed to enhance the asset's liquidity and accessibility.
Bithumb will also list CHIP, activating its KRW trading pair at 16:00 on April 21, 2026. The simultaneous listing of the same asset on two of South Korea's largest exchanges is viewed by market analysts as a significant event. Such dual listings typically increase an asset's visibility, trading volume, and credibility. The support from platforms with strong user bases in Asia is expected to draw considerable investor attention to the CHIP token in the short term.
