Samsung Biologics secures W3.2tr via new shares issued

Contract manufacturing giant Samsung Biologics has raised 3.2 trillion won ($2.6 billion) through issuing new shares, allowing the company to secure capital needed for the buyout of Samsung Bioepis’ stake and construction of its fourth plant, officials said Monday. According to the firm’s regulatory filing, some 2 trillion won out of the 3.2 trillion won will be used for buying out Biogen’s stake in Samsung Bioepis and cover expenses of building its fourth manufacturing plant

April 11, 2022

Ssangbangwool submits letter of intent to buy debt-ridden SsangYong Motor

　Ssangbangwool Group, a South Korean underwear company, said Friday it has submitted a letter of intent (LOI) to buy the debt-ridden automaker SsangYong Motor. 　 　Ssangbangwool‘s bid came as a deal to buy SsangYong Motor by local electric bus and truck maker Edison Motors Co. collapsed late last month after its failure to meet the deadline to make the full payment for the proposed takeover. 　 　Ssangbangwool said it has submitted the LOI for the SsangYong takeover and selected accounting f

April 8, 2022

Financial watchdog steps up scrutiny over SsangYong Motor deal

South Korea’s financial watchdog warned potential bidders for the debt-ridden SsangYong Motor on Thursday that authorities would pay close attention to possible signs of stock manipulation along the way. The warning follows after Mirae Corp. -- a local semiconductor equipment manufacturer and affiliate of the nation’s leading underwear maker Ssangbangwool -- sold over 6.47 million of its shares in entertainment company IOK, a SBW subsidiary, for 1.24 billion won ($10.1 million) on M

April 8, 2022

Seoul stocks open higher as investors digest Fed's tightening plan

South Korean shares opened higher Friday, as investors digested the US central bank's hawkish comments on monetary tightening. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) rose 12.84 points, or 0.48 percent, to reach 2,708.70 as of 9:15 a.m. Overnight, the US stock market mostly rebounded as investors assessed the Federal Reserve's minutes of its March meeting, which hinted at more aggressive monetary tightening than had been originally expected. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Av

April 8, 2022

Seoul stocks open lower as Fed's minutes signal bolder rate hikes

South Korean shares opened lower Thursday, tracking overnight falls on Wall Street, as the US central bank hinted at faster rate hikes to curb inflation. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 18.66 points, or 0.68 percent, to reach 2,716.37 as of 9:15 a.m. Overnight, the US stock market tumbled, after the Federal Reserve's minutes of its March meeting showed that the officials are considering raising rates by a half-percentage point, rather than the usual quarter-point, an

April 7, 2022

Seoul shares down on rate hike, Ukraine woes

South Korean stocks ended lower Wednesday, as the US central bank's more hawkish stance on rate hikes sparked worries about a global economic slowdown amid uncertainties surrounding Ukraine and China's growth. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 24.17 points, or 0.88 percent, to close at 2,735.03 points. Trading volume was moderate at around 1.29 billion shares worth some 10.85 trillion won (US$8.90 billion), with losers outnumbering ga

April 6, 2022

Hyundai Motor invests in Netmarble’s virtual human projects

Metaverse Entertainment, a subsidiary of Netmarble F&C, has attracted 2 billion won ($1.6 million) in investment from Hyundai Motor Group’s tech fund Zer01ne, according to Netmarble on Wednesday. Netmarble F&C is a development arm of the nation’s top mobile game developer. Netmarble said the latest funding was based on the auto giant’s tech fund’s valuation of the metaverse company at 100 billion won. With the investment, Netmarble said virtual humans being

April 6, 2022

S. Korean banks eye trust fund market amid aging society

South Korean banks are eager to branch out into the trust fund market here, as the country’s demographic shift to an aging society has accelerated demand for it. While it is common in the US and other countries to establish a trust fund for inheritance and keep assets within the family with minimal legal issues, a majority of Korean families still prefer passing on assets through wills. But today, more Koreans are seeking to manage their assets through trust funds, which gives grantors mo

April 6, 2022

Seoul stocks open lower on Fed's hawkish stance, supply disruption woes

South Korean shares opened lower Wednesday, tracking overnight falls on Wall Street, as a key US Fed member hinted at more aggressive monetary tightening. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) had lost 16.52 points, or 0.60 percent, to reach 2,742.68 as of 9:15 a.m. Overnight, the US stock market tumbled, after Federal Reserve Gov. Lael Brainard said the Fed would begin rapidly reducing its balance sheet in May and is preparing for "stronger" actions to bring down inf

April 6, 2022

Kakao unveils ‘stock as gift’ service

Kakaopay Securities, the stock brokerage arm of Korea‘s mobile payment platform KakaoPay, said Tuesday it will launch a new service in June through which one can buy stocks as gifts with its payment platform that has over 37 million subscribers. “Users can give both domestic and foreign stocks to friends and family with a gift card featuring Kakao Friends characters,” said Kakaopay Securities co-CEO Lee Seung-hyo during an online press conference. Users receive the stock gift

April 5, 2022

Foreign reserves down in March on fall in dollar-converted asset value, dollar selling to ease volatility

South Korea's foreign reserves shrank in March due to a decline in the dollar-converted value of its assets and unloading of dollars aimed at curbing the local currency's steep descent, central bank data showed Tuesday. The country's foreign reserves stood at $457.81 billion as of end-March, down $3.96 billion from the previous month, according to the data provided by the Bank of Korea (BOK). The BOK attributed the decline to a fall in the dollar-converted value of its asset holdings and "m

April 5, 2022

Seoul stocks open nearly flat despite overnight US gains

South Korean shares opened nearly flat Tuesday despite overnight rallies on Wall Street as investors remain wary of lingering concerns over the US central bank's monetary tightening and the Ukraine crisis. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) had added 0.47 point, or 0.02 percent, to reach 2,758.37 as of 9:15 a.m. Overnight, the US stock market finished higher on strong gains of tech shares. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3 percent, and the Nasdaq composite advanced 1

April 5, 2022

Quantit wins Asian Private Banker Technology Award

South Korean fintech company Quantit said Monday it has received the best disruptive solution award at Technology Award 2021 hosted by Asian Private Banker. The firm was recognized for its robo-adviser service, dubbed RABIT, which uses artificial intelligence to offer investment strategies that reduce volatility in the high-risk cryptocurrency market. The service allows for a relatively safe investment in digital assets because it doesn’t require any transfer of assets to the robo-advis

April 4, 2022

Mirae Asset’s Canadian subsidiary’s asset under management exceeds W20tr

Mirae Asset Global Investment’s Canadian subsidiary Horizons ETFs’ assets under management have exceeded 20 trillion won ($16.4 billion), showing more than a sixfold increase in the last decade. On Monday, the Korean asset manager said Horizons ETFs’ assets under management had reached $18.1 billion, or 22.2 trillion won. The figure has increased more than sixfold since Mirae Asset acquired Horizons ETFs in 2011, when it was managing assets of 3.6 trillion won. Horizons ETFs

April 4, 2022

Seoul stocks open lower amid uncertainty over Ukraine crisis

South Korean stocks opened lower Monday as investors unloaded large-cap shares, including tech issues, amid lingering uncertainties over the Ukraine crisis and inflation. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 11.51 points, or 0.42 percent, to trade at 2,728.34 points as of 9:15 a.m. Investors took to the sidelines as the ongoing crisis surrounding Ukraine has deepened concerns over soaring energy prices and inflation. Moscow said Sunday that it attacked and destroyed key energy fa

April 4, 2022

Equity, bond funds remain sluggish over fears of rate hikes

South Korean equity and bond funds have disappointed investors in the first three months of the year, with many seeing noticeable losses in profitability, data showed Sunday. Equity funds with over 1 billion won ($819,000) in assets saw an average 7.89 percent loss in profitability since the beginning of the year as of Sunday, data provided by local financial market FnGuide showed. Korean index funds, which closely tracks local stock market indexes saw an 8.59 percent profitability loss in the

April 3, 2022

Kyobo Life Insurance hits snag over options contract row

Kyobo Life Insurance, Korea’s third-largest insurance company by assets, said Friday that a private equity firm-led consortium is threatening to derail its efforts to go public. The consortium is compelling the insurance company to honor an options contract that Kyobo says could undermine its CEO, the largest shareholder. The consortium -- led by equity firm Affinity Equity Partners -- signed a put option agreement with Kyobo Life Insurance CEO Shin Chang-jae in 2012.

April 1, 2022

Underwear maker shares jump on bid to acquire SsangYong Motor

Shares of underwear maker Ssangbangwool rose about 29 percent Friday, as the company announced its bid to acquire SsangYong Motor, a debt-ridden carmaker whose recent takeover by a local electric carmaker fell apart. The company’s shares closed at 1,010 won ($0.83), up 29 percent from Thursday’s closing on the benchmark Kospi board. Ssangbangwool’s key subsidiary Kanglim, which trades on the junior Kosdaq, saw its shares rise by 30 percent. Kanglim manufactures special vehicle

April 1, 2022

Seoul stocks open lower on Ukraine, inflation risks

South Korean stocks opened lower Friday amid still ongoing tensions surrounding Ukraine and rising inflation risks. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 21.6 points, or 0.78 percent, to trade at 2,736.05 points as of 9:15 a.m. Stocks dropped as Russia's attack on the Ukrainian city of Mariupol fueled pessimism about the two country's peace talks. Most large caps traded lower in Seoul. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics lost 0.72 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix declined 0

April 1, 2022

Seoul stocks up for 3rd day amid Ukraine crisis

South Korean shares extended their winning streak to a third session Thursday amid the geopolitical uncertainties in Ukraine. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 10.91 points, or 0.4 percent, to close at 2,757.65 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 1 billion shares worth some 9.6 trillion won ($7.9 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 607 to 240. Institutions bought a net 191 billion won, while foreigners sold 17

March 31, 2022