South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Upbit announced a fresh wave of altcoin listings on Aug. 21, adding Curve (CRV) in KRW and USDT pairs and launching Bitcoin and Tether markets for Biconomy (BICO), Bubblemaps (BMT), Nillion (NIL) and ETHGas (GWEI). The listings broaden retail access to a major DeFi governance token and several infrastructure-focused projects.
Curve trading began at 4:00 a.m. UTC, with CRV deposits opening about two hours earlier. Upbit supports buy and sell orders in both KRW and USDT pairs, and the Korean won market is expected to be the primary venue for local traders. The exchange reminded users to verify the official CRV contract address to avoid scams.
For BICO, BMT, NIL and GWEI, Upbit originally scheduled eight BTC and USDT markets to open at 13:00 KST on Aug. 21. The exchange updated its notice at 12:50 KST and postponed trading to 16:00 KST, a three-hour delay, without giving a detailed reason. Upbit apologized for the inconvenience and warned that the launch could be delayed again if deposits and withdrawals do not create sufficient liquidity.
Temporary restrictions will apply to the new markets. Buy orders will be restricted for roughly five minutes after trading begins, and sell orders priced more than 10% below the reference closing price will be blocked during that period. Only limit orders will be accepted for about two hours. BICO, NIL and GWEI deposits must use Ethereum, while BMT deposits require the Solana network only.
Curve Finance is a decentralized exchange optimized for stablecoin trading and low-slippage swaps, with CRV used for governance and fee-sharing. Biconomy provides blockchain account and chain abstraction infrastructure; Bubblemaps visualizes token distribution and wallet links; Nillion is building privacy-focused computing and AI data services; and ETHGas is developing a market for Ethereum blockspace and transaction preconfirmations.
Past Upbit listings have produced mixed reactions. Some tokens recorded sharp price and volume increases, while others, such as Venice Token, declined despite gaining new pairs. The exchange previously added nine tokens across BTC and USDT markets in June, reflecting continued expansion of non-won cryptocurrency markets in South Korea.
