Stock and crypto interest jumps 96% in South Korea

South Korea has recorded a 95.7% year-over-year increase in online interest in stocks and crypto, placing it first among more than 45 countries examined in a September 2026 retail investment study.

Coin Insider analyzed Google Trends data from 2025 and 2026 to compare how often people searched for ways to invest in stocks and cryptocurrencies. The study assessed more than 45 countries and compared a recent 13-week period with the same period one year earlier.

Researchers also examined four-week search changes to see whether interest had continued after the longer measurement period. Stock market capitalization and gross national savings, both expressed as a percentage of gross domestic product, were added to provide economic context.

Search activity measures public interest rather than completed purchases, account openings, or trading volume. The findings, therefore, indicate where people are researching investments at a faster pace, but they do not show that every search led to money entering stocks or crypto.

South Korea’s investment interest has nearly doubled

South Korea took first place after its search interest climbed 95.7% over 13 weeks compared with the corresponding period in 2025. During the latest four weeks covered by the research, searches remained 51% higher year over year.

A stock market capitalization equal to 147.2% of GDP also placed South Korea among the countries in the study with a large domestic equity market relative to its economy. Coin Insider reported gross savings equal to 35.6% of GDP, giving households and businesses a substantial pool of funds that could potentially reach financial assets.

Recent activity in the country has also shown how strongly local investors respond to fast-moving market opportunities. On Sep. 14, crypto.news reported on leverage risks identified by the Bank of Korea after trading in products linked to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix increased.

According to the central bank’s September monetary policy report, the two chipmakers accounted for nearly half of the Kospi’s market capitalization. Hong Kong-listed leveraged products tied to the companies expanded more than twentyfold during the first half of 2026, adding another route through which overseas trading could affect South Korean markets.

South Korean authorities had already proposed restricting an individual investor’s exposure to leveraged single-stock exchange-traded funds to 20% of investment assets. The plan followed sharp price moves in technology shares and concerns that daily rebalancing by leveraged funds could add to market swings.

Interest in digital assets has developed alongside the country’s active equity culture. In September, a group representing local crypto investors requested a tax delay as South Korea prepared to introduce taxation of virtual-asset gains.

The request sought a two-year postponement, showing how tax policy has become a direct issue for the country’s retail crypto community. Regulatory and tax debates were not included among Coin Insider’s ranking factors, which relied on search trends, stock market size, and savings data.

Singapore and Spain have sustained the rise

Singapore ranked second after investment searches rose 66% over the 13-week period. Search interest during the most recent four weeks stayed 39% above the level recorded one year earlier.

Coin Insider connected the country’s capacity to invest with gross savings equal to 40% of GDP, the highest rate among the leading countries described in the report. Singapore’s stock market capitalization stood at 136% of GDP, indicating that listed shares already form a large part of its financial system.

Spain followed in third place with an increase of about 61% from the same 13-week period in 2025. Unlike a brief spike that fades quickly, the latest four-week reading remained almost 60% higher on an annual basis.

Within Spain, stock market capitalization equaled 68% of GDP, while gross savings stood at 24%. Coin Insider said the combination left some residents with funds available for investments instead of keeping all their savings in bank deposits.

Mobile trading services have also made it easier for residents of different countries to reach assets outside their home markets. Depending on local rules and platform restrictions, users can research domestic shares, foreign stocks, exchange-traded funds, and cryptocurrencies through the same phone or computer.

Tokenized products have added another route in some markets, although ownership rights and availability vary by jurisdiction. Kraken, for example, recently introduced yield-bearing xStocks vaults for eligible customers holding tokenized versions of SPY, QQQ, and Nvidia exposure.

Inflation and limited local markets have supported interest

Argentina placed fourth as searches related to stocks and crypto increased by roughly 50% from a year earlier. Coin Insider linked the rise to the country’s history of high inflation and repeated losses in the purchasing power of its local currency.

For Argentine residents, the report said stocks and crypto can serve as alternatives when people seek to preserve value outside cash holdings. Gross savings equaled 13% of GDP, the lowest rate among the five countries detailed in the study.

Bangladesh completed the top five with a 49% increase over the longer comparison period. Its latest four-week reading moved much faster, rising 130% from the same period one year earlier.

The country’s stock market capitalization amounted to only 6% of GDP, far below the ratios reported for South Korea, Singapore and Spain. With gross savings at 35% of GDP, Coin Insider suggested that some residents may be researching foreign equities, including Nasdaq-listed companies, as well as cryptocurrencies.

Access to foreign markets is not automatic, however. Local financial rules, capital controls, identity checks, tax requirements, and the services offered by individual platforms can determine which assets a resident can legally buy.

U.S. investment searches have risen by about 30%

Across North America, search interest in stocks and crypto increased by around 30% in both the United States and Canada, according to the study. While the rate trailed all five leading countries, the U.S. result came from a market where retail investors already have access to large securities exchanges, regulated brokerage accounts and U.S.-listed spot crypto exchange-traded funds.

American investors can gain exposure to Bitcoin and Ether through exchange-traded products without holding the assets directly, while brokerage apps provide access to individual shares, options and funds. Crypto platforms operate under a separate mix of federal and state requirements, so product access can differ by location.

A Coin Insider financial analyst attributed the international rise in retail interest partly to mobile services that have reduced the cost and difficulty of entering markets.

“Investing has never been easier than it is today,” the analyst said. “Now, user-friendly mobile apps have completely opened up the markets, allowing anyone to start investing without needing years of experience.”

Referring to access outside established financial centers, the analyst added that international platforms can connect users in countries such as Bangladesh and Spain with global assets. Coin Insider said easier access has helped retail investors account for a larger part of stock market activity than in the past.