In a bid to secure funds for home purchases, South Korean retail investors – known as ‘ants’ – are increasingly turning towards higher-risk assets. Over the past five years, their usage of margin trading has tripled, with these individuals holding up to 40% of their positions in U.S.-based leveraged and inverse exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Local exchanges reveal that altcoin transactions account for over 80% of trading activity. This shift follows government regulations on mortgages and rentals that have caused a decline of approximately 4 trillion Korean won from banks. Regulatory authorities are issuing warnings about the risks associated with leverage and market volatility, following the recent collapse of TerraUSD and LUNA which led to substantial financial losses for many individual investors.