Kakao Pay’s Kospi debut likely to come in August: watchers

Kakao Pay, the payment services unit of mobile giant Kakao, could make its market debut in August, the same month its sister company KakaoBank goes public, industry watchers suggested Tuesday. The company received approval on its application for a preliminary qualification examination for listing from the Korea Exchange on Monday, also the same day KakaoBank, a banking arm of the messenger giant, made its August IPO official. After discussing the timeline with its lead underwriters Samsung Sec

June 29, 2021

Hybe shares plunge almost 8% after a block deal

Shares of Hybe, the South Korean entertainment agency behind the hugely popular boy band BTS, plummeted more than 7 percent on Tuesday after a major investor, STIC Investment, unloaded its holdings via a block deal. Before closing down 7.37 percent to 289,000 won ($256), Hybe’s shares dropped by as much as 8.17 percent to 286,500 won on Tuesday. South Korea’s leading private equity fund STIC Investment sold 2.86 million shares, or 7.57 percent of the total shares in Hybe, a regu

June 29, 2021

Seoul stocks open lower on virus concerns

South Korean stocks opened lower Tuesday as concerns of new coronavirus variants weakened investors' appetite for risky assets. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 7.55 points, or 0.23 percent, to trade at 3,294.34 points as of 9:15 a.m. The KOSPI got off to a muted start, taking a cue from new travel bans against the new COVID-19 variants in many parts of the world. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics retreated 0.49 percent, while No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix added 0

June 29, 2021

KakaoBank to raise up to W2.5tr in August IPO

KakaoBank, the country’s second internet-only lender, said on Monday that it would raise up to 2.5 trillion won ($2.2 million) in its initial public offering. The banking arm of mobile giant Kakao Corp. will offer a total of 65.45 million new shares at an indicative range between 33,000 won and 39,000 won per share through its upcoming debut on August 5, the IPO application filed with the Korea Exchange showed. The offering prices put the company’s market capitalization somewhere

June 28, 2021

KDB, K-Growth to hit W4tr target for New Deal funds

The Korea Development Bank and Korea Growth Investment Corp. (K-Growth) said Monday they had selected 12 external managers to create a fresh 750 billion-won ($664 million) fund by the end of 2021 to support South Korea’s New Deal policy. With the announcement, the two institutions approached their year-end fundraising target of a total of 4 trillion won in commmitments for the policy fund this year, out of the total 20 trillion-won target for 2021 to 2025, in the plan first unveiled in S

June 28, 2021

[Best Brand] NH NongHyup Bank woos millennials, Gen Z with mobile products

In line with the digitalization of its services, South Korea’s NH NongHyup Bank is rolling out mobile loans and other products for its millennial and Generation Z customers seeking quick access to cash. Millennial and Gen Z customers can now borrow up to 3 million won ($2,639.68), regardless of their creditworthiness and income, by applying with the lender’s NH Smart Banking and All-One Bank apps. Approval is based on a credit rating that is calculated based on the applicant&rsquo

June 28, 2021

[Best Brand] Shinhan Card launches hotel credit card on post-COVID hopes

Shinhan Card in March announced a launch of a co-branded hotel credit card product Marriott Bonvoy The BEST Shinhan Card, offered by Visa. The card allows cardholders to accelerate the number of Marriott Bonvoy points they earn, which can be redeemed for free nights at more than 7,600 hotels under Marriott International’s 30 brands including JW Marriott, Sheraton and Courtyard, across 133 countries including Korea. The idea of a hotel credit card during the pandemic stemmed from the an

June 28, 2021

Seoul stocks snap 4-day winning streak amid valuation pressure, virus woes

South Korean stocks closed nearly flat Monday, snapping a four-day winning streak amid increased valuation pressure and virus concerns, after the key stock index closed at an all-time high the previous session. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) inched down 0.95 points, or 0.03 percent, to close at 3,301.89 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 1.4 billion shares worth some 13.5 trillion won ($11.9 billion), with gainers ou

June 28, 2021

Presidential hopefuls woo retail investors, vow to help Kospi reach 5,000 points

Two presidential candidates of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea chose the Korea Exchange as a rare location to make a political announcement Monday, saying they will open up a new era of the nation’s benchmark Kospi, and help it reach 5,000 points -- about 50 percent higher than the current index. In an apparent gesture to woo retail investors, Chung Sye-kyun, formerly prime minister under the Moon Jae-in administration, and three-term lawmaker Lee Kwang-jae visited the stock trading

June 28, 2021

Crypto exchanges with ‘too many’ coins likely to be denied real-name accounts

Cryptocurrency exchanges in South Korea considered to have “too many” coins on their trading platforms are apparently at risk of being denied access to personal bank accounts here, a report showed Monday. In a document acquired by a lawmaker here, a risk assessment guideline to be used by commercial lenders here classifies exchanges with “a high number and frequency of virtual money transactions” as high risk. The guideline was drawn up in April by the Korea Federation

June 28, 2021

More than half of Koreans unaware of inflation impact on home prices

More than half of adults in South Korea tend not to review the effects of inflation on real estate prices when making housing transactions, a phenomenon known as the “money illusion,” according to a report from the Bank of Korea. Money illusion is a term coined by the American economist Irving Fisher in the late 1920s to describe people’s tendency to view their wealth and income in nominal dollar terms, wrongly believing that they have a fixed value, rather than recognize thei

June 28, 2021

Seoul stocks open nearly flat amid valuation pressure

South Korean stocks opened nearly flat Monday on increased valuation pressure after the key stock index closed at an all-time high the previous session. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) edged up 1.45 points, or 0.04 percent, to trade at 3,304.29 points as of 9:15 a.m. The Kospi finished the previous session at a record high of 3,302.84 points, fueled by a massive infrastructure package in the United States. In Seoul, market bellwether Samsung Electronics inched up 0.12

June 28, 2021

KakaoBank to join first-ever credit rating agency specialized for mom-and-pop stores

KaKakaoBank, South Korea’s leading mobile-only bank, said Sunday that it would join forces with industry partners to launch a credit scoring service specialized in mom-and-pop stores as a means to expand loans for low credit holders. The lender will be a major shareholder in a new credit-scoring company, with a 33 percent stake. Korea Credit Data -- provider of Cash Note, business management software for small and medium-sized businesses that has 800,000 users -- will own 43 percent.

June 27, 2021

S. Korean stocks log higher return than real estate, gold investments in H1

On expectations of a quick economic recovery from the pandemic, South Korean stock markets continued their rally during the first half of this year to hand investors higher returns than relatively low-risk investing products such as real estate and gold. The main bourse Kospi marked the eighth consecutive on-month rise and surged past 3,000 points for the first time in January. The index topped the 3,300 point-mark for the first time in June and set a record high closing of 3,302.84 Friday. Th

June 27, 2021

Banks ask not to be held accountable for crypto fraud

Banks in South Korea have asked the financial authorities not to hold them responsible for money laundering or other fraud involving digital coins, at a time when they are under pressure to screen the digital exchanges for authenticity amid high volatility. The banks apparently remain reluctant to issue real-name accounts for local cryptocurrency exchanges’ virtual asset customers. A recent amendment to the Act on Reporting and Using Specified Financial Transaction Information requires t

June 27, 2021

Kospi ends at fresh high on recovery hopes

South Korea's stock market reached an all-time high for the second consecutive day Friday, in sync with a global stock rally that stemmed from hopes of a quick economic rebound and a massive US stimulus package. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) rose 16.74 points, or 0.51 percent, to close at 3,302.84 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 1.2 billion shares worth some 18.4 trillion won ($16.3 billion), with gainers outnumb

June 25, 2021

Banks’ dividend cap to be lifted from July

South Korea’s top financial regulator said Friday it will lift the current 20 percent dividend cap imposed on local lenders and financial holding firms on July 1, raising the possibility of interim dividends in the second quarter.  The decision came as most of Korea’s major banks and financial holding companies were found to have maintained financial soundness amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. They passed the authority’s latest stress test, conducted between May and

June 25, 2021

Kospi hits 3,300 points on US infrastructure plan

South Korea‘s first-tier stock bourse index Kospi hit an all-time high Friday to close at over 3,300 points, maintaining a winning streak for the fourth consecutive day. This is the first time the composite benchmark index representing the Korea Exchange’s main board exceeded 3,300 points since its birth in 1980. The Kospi closed at 3,302.84 points on Friday, up 0.5 percent from the previous day. Its 808 listed companies‘ combined market cap stood at 2,311.6 trillion won ($2

June 25, 2021

Kospi hits record high on hopes of economic recovery

Fueled by hopes of a fast economic recovery, South Korea’s benchmark Kospi topped the 3,280-point mark for the first time at Thursday’s closing. It also hit a new high during intraday trading, attempting to touch the 3,300-point threshold. Extending its winning streak to a third consecutive session, the Kospi gained 0.3 percent to close at 3,286.10, replacing the previous closing high of 3,278.68 set June 16. The key stock index once touched as high as 3,292.27 in the morning trade

June 24, 2021

FSC allows provincial banks to start MyData business

South Korea’s top financial regulator said Thursday that it had granted approval to two regional banks -- Jeonbuk Bank and Daegu Bank -- to offer MyData services. It was a move to foster the burgeoning data-driven business segment, whereby the country’s major commercial banks have already begun procedures to launch related services.  The policymaking Financial Services Commission granted preliminary MyData licenses to six financial firms, officials said. The others are KB Cap

June 24, 2021