Shinhan completes review of stablecoin cross-border transfer technology

South Korea’s Shinhan Bank said Tuesday it has completed its review of its cross-border wiring and transfer technology for stablecoins, but remained cautious on its actual adoption. Stablecoins are a form of cryptocurrency designed to have a stable value tied to traditional government-backed currencies, or to a commodity such as gold, to dodge the volatilities that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have. “With the stablecoin transactions growing overseas, including JP Morgan&rsqu

Nov. 30, 2021

Seoul stocks open higher on eased omicron woes

South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday as investors attempted to buy oversold stocks amid the potential impact of the omicron coronavirus variant. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 28 points, or 0.96 percent, to 2,937.32 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The new variant has not been detected in South Korea, which has been battling a recent surge of coronavirus cases. Global stock markets rebounded Monday, partly recouping their losses made last Friday amid inv

Nov. 30, 2021

Seoul stocks down for 5th day amid virus woes

South Korean stocks ended down for the fifth straight session on Monday as investors remained worried over the impact of the emergence of the omicron variant of the coronavirus on the global economy. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) retreated 27.12 points, or 0.92 percent, to close at 2,909.32 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 832 million shares worth some 12.9 trillion won (US$10.8 billion), with losers outnumbering

Nov. 29, 2021

[Law Talk] Recent internal control issues facing foreign financial companies

Globally, internal control is a hot issue for financial companies on several fronts, including environmental, social and governance -- or ESG -- issues as well as cybersecurity. This is because internal control is the process implemented by companies to ensure compliance with the law and the reliability of its information and financial reporting, therefore it is an area of law that must adapt to the changing legal and business environments. Accordingly, as the world focuses on a sustainable futu

Nov. 29, 2021

Seoul stocks open lower on virus worries

South Korean stocks opened lower Monday, largely as investors wondered how the omicron variant of the coronavirus would affect the global economic reopening. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 21.9 points, or 0.75 percent, to 2,914.54 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. South Korea reported 3,309 new COVID-19 cases Monday, none of which have been confirmed as an infection from the omicron variant. Most sectors traded lower, except vaccine-related bio and medic

Nov. 29, 2021

Seoul stocks tipped to be in tight range next week on COVID-19, inflation woes

South Korean stocks are likely to continue fluctuating in a tight range next week amid concerns about a rise in new coronavirus cases and the rising inflation pressure. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index closed at 2,936.44 points Friday, down 1.16 percent from 2,971.02 points a week ago. After a technical rebound on Monday, the key stock index lost for a fourth consecutive day Friday amid woes over rising inflation and a sharp spike in new virus cases. Investors took to the sid

Nov. 27, 2021

AMAXG Group advertises its metaverse, NTF vision on the Time Square in NY

South Korean blockchain research company AMAXG has put up an ad on the Time Square billboard in New York, sharing its vision on metaverse and nonfungible tokens. The ad says, “AMAXG Group is in full support of technological innovation of metaverse in Korea.” AMAXG Group has recently announced it will expand its BizAuto Platform, a group of metaverse services platforms, consisting of three platforms -- BIZA-UVIT, BIZA-Metaversity and BIZA-CarnegieMall. It plans to add BIZA-Motors,

Nov. 26, 2021

[Newsmaker] Home prices in Banpo poised to top W100m per ‘pyeong’

SEJONG -- Banpo-dong, Seoul, is likely to see the average trading price of homes exceed 100 million won ($83,800) per “pyeong” in the coming months. Apgujeong-dong, Seoul is poised to follow suit. In the nation, a pyeong is a basic unit used for real estate prices, equal to 3.3 square meters. These two districts in the capital’s Gangnam-gu, located just south of Han River, are the priciest in South Korea. According to Naver.com and KB Kookmin Bank, Banpo-dong’s home pr

Nov. 26, 2021

Banks' mortgage rates rise to 3-year high in October

Banks' average interest rate on mortgage loans rose to the highest level in about three years, central bank data showed Friday, as the government has tightened lending rules to rein in soaring household debt. According to the data by the Bank of Korea (BOK), banks' mortgage loan rate averaged 3.26 percent in October, up 0.25 percentage point from a month earlier. This marked the highest since November 2018, when the corresponding rate was 3.28 percent. Banks' unsecured loan rate also rose 0.4

Nov. 26, 2021

Seoul stocks open lower amid renewed virus concerns

South Korean stocks opened lower Friday, largely as investors worry over the escalating coronavirus situation. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 3.02 points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,977.25 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. The Kospi started off weak amid losses on the chemical and tech heavyweights. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics edged down 0.14 percent, No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix traded flat, and internet portal operator Naver lost 1.13 percent. Pharmac

Nov. 26, 2021

Dunamu completes first NFT sales

Dunamu, the operator of cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, said Wednesday that it sold its first NFT art: two paintings by the famous Korean pop artist Jang Koal. The first art piece, “Mirage Cat 3,” started its bidding price from 0.0416 bitcoins, worth 2.8 million won ($2,350), and was sold on Wednesday on the Upbit NFT Beta platform to a bidder who had offered 3.5098 bitcoins, or about 240 million won, the company said. The nonfungible token, digital counterparts of real-world asse

Nov. 25, 2021

Jobs for 30-somethings cut for 7 consecutive quarter

SEJONG -- The number of paid jobs for South Koreans in their 30s has declined for a seventh consecutive quarter. This could indicate a lack of job security for the core working age bracket, despite recent improvement in hiring indexes for other age groups. Statistics Korea said Thursday that the tally for salaried jobs increased by 681,000 on-year for all age groups in the second quarter. By age, the figure decreased only among those aged between 30-39. Those in their 60s and older topped the

Nov. 25, 2021

Seoul stocks down for 3rd day on hawkish Fed, BOK's rate hike

South Korean stocks closed lower to extend their losing streak to a third day Thursday as the country's central bank raised its key policy rate to fight inflation and household debt. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) retreated 14.02 points, or 0.47 percent, to close at 2,980.27 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 587 million shares worth some 9.3 trillion won ($7.8 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 642 to 228. Foreigners and institutions offloaded a ne

Nov. 25, 2021

Seoul stocks open lower on profit-taking

South Korean stocks opened lower Thursday as investors attempted to cash in gains from the recent rally. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 7.35 points, or 0.25 percent, to 2,986.94 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. The KOSPI got off to a lackluster start, apparently on the back of losses in tech heavyweights. Top cap Samsung Electronics fell 0.53 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix lost 0.42 percent. Leading chemical firm LG Chem shed 1.2 percent and

Nov. 25, 2021

[Newsmaker] Over 1 million face comprehensive real estate tax

SEJONG -- The tally of those subject to the comprehensive real estate holding tax -- individuals or corporations -- exceeded 1 million this year for the first time since the nation introduced the tax in June 2005. According to the National Tax Service, almost 1.03 million individuals and corporations are supposed to pay comprehensive real estate taxes in 2021. The figure consists of 947,000 homeowners and 79,600 landowners. This shows that the number of comprehensive real estate holding tax ta

Nov. 24, 2021

Seoul stocks down ahead of BOK meeting

South Korean stocks closed slightly lower Wednesday as investors took to the sidelines ahead of the central bank's monetary policy meeting. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) slipped 3.04 points, or 0.1 percent, to close at 2,994.29 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 540 million shares worth some 10.7 trillion won ($9 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 477 to 373. Institutions sold a net 592 billion won, while f

Nov. 24, 2021

Seoul stocks open higher on tech, financial advance

South Korean stocks opened higher Wednesday on advances in tech and financial shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) added 16.47 points, or 0.55 percent, to 3,013.8 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Bank and insurance shares went up amid expectations the Bank of Korea might raise the key interest rate Thursday. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics gained 0.53 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix increased 0.84 percent. Internet portal operator Naver slippe

Nov. 24, 2021

Dunamu launches beta service for NFT platform

Dunamu, the operator of cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, said Tuesday that it has launched a new trading platform for nonfungible tokens, further expanding its footprint in the virtual asset space. NFTs are blockchain-based digital counterparts of real-world assets, mostly in the areas of visual arts or music. The blockchain company opened its Upbit NFT Beta service on Upbit’s website, where its users can sell and purchase NFTs at auction. Using the “Drops” function, users ca

Nov. 23, 2021

Dutch asset manager bets on market rebound

Companies across the globe will see their earnings return to pre-pandemic levels next year and European equity markets in particular could offer good investment opportunities, Dutch insurer NN Group’s asset management arm said Tuesday. Marco Willner, head of investment strategy at NN Investment Partners, said inflation fears, along with supply disruptions and a potential energy crisis triggered by the pandemic, still pose challenges, but inflation is transitory and the global economy has

Nov. 23, 2021

JB Financial gets ‘A+’ ESG rating from KCGS for 2nd straight year

South Korea’s JB Financial Group received an overall “A plus” rating for the firm’s environmental, sustainable and governance values by the nation’s leading proxy advisory institution for the second consecutive year. JB Financial said Monday it has received the second highest level of a seven-tier ESG rating from the Korea Corporate Governance Service, citing the firm’s recent progress in adopting ESG values in management. This year, KCGS’ ESG rating

Nov. 23, 2021