Upbit’s trading volume surged 273% over the past 24 hours to around $1.84 billion worth of crypto transactions as of August 21, 2026, according to The Block, citing CoinGecko data. The reading was Upbit’s largest daily trading level since mid-March 2026, according to CoinGecko, marking a sharp return of activity at South Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange.
Data Snapshot
| Metric | Current | Previous | Change | Period | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upbit 24-hour trading volume increase | 273% | — | 273% surge | past 24 hours | August 21, 2026 | The Block |
| Upbit 24-hour trading volume | around $1.84 billion worth of crypto transactions | — | — | past 24 hours | August 21, 2026 | The Block |
| XRP trading volume on Upbit | $418.9 million worth of trades | — | — | past 24 hours | August 21, 2026 | The Block |
| Bithumb 24-hour trading volume increase | 132.9% rise | — | 132.9% rise | past 24 hours | August 21, 2026 | The Block |
| Bithumb 24-hour trading volume | $934.9 million | — | — | past 24 hours | August 21, 2026 | The Block |
XRP leads Upbit trading
XRP was the most-traded cryptocurrency on Upbit during the reported 24-hour period, accounting for $418.9 million worth of trades, The Block reported. That made XRP the largest identified component of the exchange’s burst in turnover.
What the available data show is the scale of trading and XRP’s position in it—not a specific catalyst for the move. The 24-hour exchange-volume figure covers transactions completed on the venue, but by itself cannot show whether activity was driven by buying, selling or both.
Upbit’s daily total of around $1.84 billion was its highest since mid-March, putting the latest reading beyond a routine day-to-day change in exchange activity. The 273% increase and the concentration of reported trading in XRP offer the clearest available markers of the session.
Bithumb volume also rises
The increase was not confined to Upbit. Bithumb recorded a 132.9% rise in 24-hour trading volume to $934.9 million over the same reported period, according to The Block.
That parallel move indicates that trading activity increased at two South Korean exchanges at once, rather than appearing solely in Upbit’s venue data. Upbit remains the country’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, making its higher volume reading particularly consequential for the local market snapshot.
The two percentage changes describe each platform’s reported 24-hour volume movement, not relative market share or identical trading patterns. The absolute figures show Upbit at around $1.84 billion and Bithumb at $934.9 million.
Dunamu’s weaker first-half backdrop
First-half 2026 operating revenue at Dunamu, Upbit’s parent company, declined amid weaker virtual-asset-market activity, according to ChosunBiz. Upbit’s 24-hour trading volume has since reached its strongest daily level since mid-March 2026.
The developments are not directly comparable: they measure different things over different periods, and the volume spike should not be treated as a reversal of Dunamu’s revenue trend.
