8 in 10 young Koreans invest in stocks, crypto to buy home: data

Eight out of 10 young Koreans are currently investing in stocks, funds, cryptocurrencies and other assets, and their main purpose behind making such investments is to buy a home, a survey showed Thursday. According to the survey conducted by insurance agency Rich Planner Consulting Co. on 1,000 Koreans in their 20s and 30s, 88.2 percent of them answered they are investing in stocks. Nearly 35 percent said they are trading cryptocurrency. For the purpose of investment, 42.2 percent of young in

Oct. 21, 2021

Shinhan Bank opens Hungary office

Shinhan Bank said Thursday it has opened an office in Hungary, becoming the first South Korean commercial lender to enter the central European country. The flagship lender under the nation’s No. 1 banking group by assets said it was granted the license to operate by the Hungarian National Bank in September and opened the office Tuesday. It also marked Shinhan’s latest overseas market entry since the launch of its subsidiary in Mexico in 2018. The new office is expected to bolste

Oct. 21, 2021

New law to foster Koreans’ private credit deals

South Korean private fund managers are poised to take advantage of revised rules and dedicate themselves to the domestic nonbank lending business with legal clarity. Starting Thursday, when amendments to the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act went into effect, private funds comprising no more than 100 backers are entitled to carry on private credit strategies in Korea. Under the new rules, any Korea-domiciled private fund may extend nonbank loans to corporations. Direct loan

Oct. 21, 2021

Investors hope for jackpots from crypto exchanges' official market entry

With four crypto exchanges having nearly passed market authorities’ high bar for official registrations, investors are turning their eyes to the four entities already enjoying soaring profits and making steps for their respective market debuts. The four -- Upbit, Korbit, Coinone and Bithumb -- were able to apply for registration by undertaking the long list of anti-money laundering and security measures required by financial authorities. As of Tuesday, Upbit and Korbit have received appr

Oct. 21, 2021

Seoul stocks open slightly higher on tech, auto gains

South Korean stocks opened slightly higher Thursday, led by advances in techs and autos. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 4.82 points, or 0.16 percent, to 3,017.95 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.43 percent to 35,609 points and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite slipped 0.05 percent to 15,121 points. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics edged up 0.14 percent to 70,400 won, while LG Chem shed 2.62 percent to

Oct. 21, 2021

BlackRock becomes 3rd-largest shareholder of Hanwha Solutions

US-based investment manager BlackRock has become the third-largest shareholder of energy services company Hanwha Solutions, a filing showed Wednesday. BlackRock’s 11 affiliated entities were holding a combined 5.08 percent stake in Hanwha Solutions -- which is dedicated to petrochemicals, advanced materials and solar energy -- as of Friday, according to the disclosure filed with the Financial Supervisory Service. Solely on Friday, BlackRock had invested 65.4 billion won ($55.6 million)

Oct. 20, 2021

Seoul stocks retreat on institutional selling

South Korean stocks retreated Wednesday, led by strong institutional sell-offs. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 15.91 points, or 0.53 percent, to close at 3,013.13 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 668 million shares worth some 11 trillion won ($9.4 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 521 to 337. Institutions sold a net 208 billion won, while retail investors bought 284 billion won. Foreigners offloaded

Oct. 20, 2021

Only 15% of Kospi firms pursue ESG management: survey

Despite industrywide efforts to promote sustainable corporate management through environmental, social and governance aspects, many South Korean companies appear to be struggling to integrate the values into their businesses, a survey suggested Wednesday. Only 123 companies, or 15 percent of all Kospi-listed firms, have established committees to deal with ESG issues, according to the survey conducted by CEO Score, a local corporate tracker. Most of the ESG management committees included chief

Oct. 20, 2021

Analysts upbeat over Kakao Pay’s valuation

South Korean mobile payment app operator Kakao Pay embarked on a two-day book building process targeting institutional investors Wednesday, following delays due to local authorities’ requests. The result will determine at which price a share of Kakao Pay, the Ant Group-backed financial technology firm, would be offered, as well as the proceeds Kakao Pay will be able to attract through the initial public offering, ahead of its proposed market debut on Nov. 3. Korean analysts are valuing

Oct. 20, 2021

KB Kookmin acquires remaining stake in Cambodia’s Prasac Microfinance

South Korea’s KB Kookmin Bank said Wednesday that it has acquired the remaining stake in Prasac Microfinance Institution, to wholly own Cambodia’s largest microfinance deposit-taking firm. KB Kookmin had acquired 70 percent stake in Prasac Microfinance for $603.4 million from Sri Lanka-based nonbanking lender LOLC Holdings in April 2020, becoming the majority and largest shareholder of the institution. The price of the 30 percent stake which KB Kookmin recently acquired has yet t

Oct. 20, 2021

Number of retail investors' overseas stock accounts soars 74% in H1

The number of overseas stock accounts held by South Korean retail investors jumped 74 percent in the first half of the year from six months earlier amid their brisk investment in foreign shares, data showed Wednesday. Local individual investors held about 3.31 million overseas stock accounts as of end-June, up from some 1.89 million at the end of last year, according to the data submitted to the National Assembly for an annual parliamentary audit by the Financial Supervisory Service. The numbe

Oct. 20, 2021

Seoul stocks open higher on US gains

South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) rose 5.66 points, or 0.19 percent, to 3,034.7 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite added 0.71 percent to 15,129 points on hopes of strong corporate earnings, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.56 percent to 35,457 points. South Korea's new virus cases stayed below 2,000 for the 12th consecutive day Wedn

Oct. 20, 2021

Seoul halves recommended agency fees to relieve housing price burden

Legally suggested brokerage fees were lowered around 50 percent starting Tuesday, over implementation of the related law revised to reduce burden on soaring housing prices. For those selling or buying a house worth more than 1 billion won, real estate agents can receive commissions up to 5 million won, 4 million won down from up to 9 million won, according to new guidelines. For “jeonse” and monthly rent contracts worth also over 1 billion won, agents can demand brokerage fees up to

Oct. 19, 2021

Seoul stocks rebound on easing virus woes, stabilizing currency market

South Korean stocks rebounded Tuesday on easing concerns about the new coronavirus and the volatility in the currency market. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 22.36 points, or 0.74 percent, to close at 3,029.04 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 833 million shares worth some 10 trillion won ($8.5 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 449 to 381. Foreigners bought a net 146 billion won, while retail investors

Oct. 19, 2021

Falling Samsung shares: what it means to S. Korean investors

A 39-year-old investor in Seoul, surnamed Choi, had a strong belief that the share value of Samsung Electronics would soon reach 100,000 won ($84.80). Despite its continuous fall, recently to below 70,000 won, Choi has no plan to sell shares of the nation’s largest conglomerate and the world’s largest chipmaker. Instead, he sees the falling price as an investment opportunity. “I believe in Samsung Electronics. Although it appeared to go into free fall from some 90,000 won-leve

Oct. 19, 2021

[News Focus] Seoul housing prices climb 7% since May

SEJONG -- Housing prices in Seoul have continued to renew their all-time highs this year, in addition to a surge over the past few years since the mid-2010s. Many apartment complexes in the capital have recorded a 100-150 percent increase in price between 2016 and 2020. According to KB Kookmin Bank and Naver.com, the average trading price of homes in Seoul reached 39.33 million won ($33,100) per 3.3 square meters as of Oct. 15. This posted a 7.3 percent increase in just five months from&n

Oct. 19, 2021

VR, AR videos to be registered as intellectual property in S. Korea

Virtual reality and augmented reality videos alongside designs on streets, walls and human bodies will be eligible to be registered as intellectual property in South Korea from Thursday, the nation’s IP office said Tuesday. According to the Korean Intellectual Patent Office, the newly revised law would protect digitally produced designs with various purposes including communication, medical and security. Previously, such designs were able to be filed as IP when they formed part of items.

Oct. 19, 2021

Seoul stocks open higher on US tech gains, easing virus woes

South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday, tracking overnight advances on Wall Street and eased concerns over the pandemic. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 25.48 points, or 0.85 percent, to 3,032.16 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks got off to a strong start on overnight gains on Wall Street and easing virus woes. Overnight, the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite added 0.84 percent to 15,022 points as investors monitor the inflation factors, while the Dow Jones

Oct. 19, 2021

Kakao Bank, Dell heads discuss future finance platform

Kakao Bank CEO Yoon Ho-young and Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell Technology, discussed further cooperation between the two companies and ways to improve competitiveness in the midst of the digital transformation, officials in Seoul said Monday. Dell provides server, network and data storage services to Korea’s largest internet-only bank. The online meeting between the two was held last month to seek cooperation in cloud and big data solutions, Kakao said, without elaborating on w

Oct. 18, 2021

Chaebol families borrow almost W5tr against stocks

Stock-secured borrowing by the families of South Korea’s conglomerate founders amounted to almost 5 trillion won ($4.3 billion), led by managerial transfers and business restructuring, data showed Monday.  According to local market analysis company Leaders Index, as of October the nation’s 29 family-controlled conglomerates had received a combined 4.82 trillion won worth of loans backed by stocks in the groups’ affiliates, up 92 percent from 2.5 trillion in the first half

Oct. 18, 2021