South Korea Adds Crypto Holdings to Debt Relief Reviews for Small Business Owners

South Korea is updating its “New Start Fund” debt adjustment program for small business owners and self-employed borrowers to include virtual asset holdings in repayment-capacity assessments. According to ChainCatcher, citing Yonhap News Agency, the revised system will adjust debt relief rates based on an applicant’s ability to repay, and that evaluation will now take into account the applicant’s crypto asset holdings. Previously, the fund verified a debtor’s income and assets mainly through financial statements submitted by applicants and data available via public administrative information networks, which made it difficult to identify investment assets such as crypto. To address this gap, the fund has used virtual asset balance certificates in property assessments since January this year after consultations with South Korea’s five major won-based crypto exchanges. Applicants confirmed as members of those exchanges are now required to submit the balance certificates directly.