For Korean brokerages, investors, metaverse is new growth engine

South Korean brokerage firms and asset management companies are keeping a close eye on a new virtual world convergence of cutting-edge technologies, amid market expectations of the emerging sector propelling greater growth. The metaverse -- a combination of “meta” and “universe” -- refers to a virtual world shared by people in the real world. It has rapidly emerged as a major trend for companies around the world. According to industry watchers Tuesday, two Seoul-based

July 6, 2021

Wealthy S. Koreans expect summer stock market rally: survey

More than half of South Koreans whose financial assets exceed 1 billion won ($893,000) believe that the local stock market may rally this summer on hopes of an economic rebound, a recent survey showed Tuesday.  According to the survey conducted by Samsung Securities, some 64 percent of the company’s 782 high net worth customers, said they look forward to a summer rally in the stock market. Among them, 68 percent forecast the country’s key stock index Kospi would hover around

July 6, 2021

Jungheung looks to advance Daewoo E&C’s property development prowess

Jungheung Group said Tuesday it would advance the real estate development prowess of Daewoo Engineering & Construction, as the conglomerate aims to complete the acquisition of the South Korea‘s sixth-largest construction company within this year. Once the proposed acquisition is complete, the Gwangju-based builder dedicated to housing construction, civil engineering and real estate development, will help Daewoo E&C diversify its business portfolio by strengthening the pillar of r

July 6, 2021

80 listed firms change their names in H1

A total of 80 listed companies in South Korea changed names in the first half of the year largely as part of efforts to burnish their corporate image, data showed Tuesday. Twenty-seven companies listed on the main Kospi market renamed themselves in the January-June period, with 53 firms registered with the tech-laden Kosdaq market changing names, according to the data from the Korea Securities Depository. The total number was up 45.5 percent, or 25 corporations, from the same period a year ear

July 6, 2021

Seoul stocks open higher on tech, auto gains

South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday amid strong advances by large tech and auto caps. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) rose 11.06 points, or 0.34 percent, to trade at 3,304.22 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks got off to a solid start on expectations of improved corporate earnings. Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are scheduled to report their quarterly earnings guidance Wednesday. Market kingpin Samsung Electronics rose 0.5 percent, and LG Electro

July 6, 2021

Tesla, Apple, AMC most bought foreign stocks among Koreans in H1

Tesla, Apple and AMC Entertainment were the most-bought foreign stocks among South Koreans in the first half of the year, data showed Monday. US electric vehicle maker Tesla drew buy orders of $9.6 billion from Korea-domiciled investors during the January-June period, topping the list of the most actively traded foreign stocks, according to data from the Korea Securities Depository. The same stocks worth $7.9 billion were sold by Korean traders over the cited period. Korean investors‘ p

July 5, 2021

Koreans still prefer real estate investment: data

South Koreans’ preference for nonfinancial assets such as real estate is still high compared to other major economies, but their investment in stocks has increased during the pandemic, data showed Monday. As of end-2019, the proportion of financial assets in the wealth of Koreans was 35.6 percent, significantly lower than those in the US (71.9 percent), Japan (62.1 percent), UK (54.8 percent) and Australia (43 percent), according to data compiled by Korea Financial Investment Association.

July 5, 2021

Seoul stocks rebound on earnings hope; Kosdaq sets record for 3rd day

South Korean stocks rebounded Monday after a two-day slump, largely on speculations of solid corporate earnings in the second quarter. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 11.43 points, or 0.35 percent, to close at 3,293.21 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 839 million shares worth around 14.3 trillion won ($12.6 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 460 to 372. Foreigners bought a net 1 billion won, while ret

July 5, 2021

Local builder Jungheung picked as preferred bidder for Daewoo E&C deal

KDB Investment, a controlling shareholder of Daewoo Engineering & Construction have picked Jungheung Group, a local construction company, as a preferred bidder for acquiring the country‘s sixth-largest builder, the proposed seller said Monday. The announcement sets the stage for Jungheung to further negotiate with KDB Investment, which holds 210.9 million common shares, or a 50.75 percent stake, in Daewoo E&C. The Jungheung-led consortium outbid the investor group of builder DS

July 5, 2021

Korean maker of COVID-19 test kits seeks W647b via IPO

SD Biosensor, a manufacturer of COVID-19 test kits in South Korea, said Monday that it was ready to make its market debut on the nation’s benchmark Kospi this month with a lowered initial public offering price range, amid scrutiny from the financial regulator over an original valuation deemed excessive. The in-vitro diagnostic firm’s IPO price has been set within the range of 45,000 won to 52,000 won ($39.90-$46), having been lowered by 32 percent to 39 percent from the previous ta

July 5, 2021

Korean banks boost cybersecurity to back digitalization

South Korean banks are adopting unprecedented measures to boost cybersecurity in a bid to better compete with local fintech firms. Woori Bank said Monday it became the first lender here to adopt the security orchestration, automation and response technology, or SOAR. SOAR is an advanced set of technologies that enables organizations to automatically collect and file security data. The latest technology would help upgrade its cybersecurity platform from the previous monitoring-focused system

July 5, 2021

Shinhan Card to launch ‘BTS card’

Shinhan Card said Monday it plans to launch private label credit card featuring South Korean boyband BTS and other celebrities later this year, exclusively for K-pop fans. In partnership with Weverse Company, a fan community platform created by Hybe, the entertainment agency behind BTS, Shinhan will launch PLCCs that offer benefits and rewards to cardholders who buy albums or concert goods via Weverse Shop. A PLCC is a credit card branded jointly by two business entities that are intended to

July 5, 2021

Seoul stocks open higher on tech, bio gains

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday, led by gains in tech and bio shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 10.16 points, or 0.31 percent, to trade at 3,291.94 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks got off to a solid start on speculations of improved corporate earnings. Tech large caps Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are scheduled to report their quarterly earnings guidance this week. Concerns about the recent spread of the new coronavirus and its

July 5, 2021

How do Korean asset owners brace for inflation?

As global central banks talk of tapering the huge liquidity provisions they made to cope with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, South Korean asset owners are rethinking their current asset allocation strategies. The 14th Institutional Investor Week Korea, a virtual conference hosted by Hong Kong-based publication AsianInvestor from June 21-25, invited discussions of how Korean institutional investors were preparing for the possibility of increased inflation and interest rate hikes. Histo

July 4, 2021

Kakao Pay sets IPO schedule

Kakao Pay set the date for its initial public offering for the first week of August, immediately trailing the much anticipated listings of Krafton and KakaoBank. On Friday, Kakao Pay said it had submitted its IPO application to the country’s stock operator, Korea Exchange. The financial technology arm of mobile giant Kakao said it seeks to raise up to 1.6 trillion won ($1.4 billion) when it goes public Aug. 4-5. Kakao Pay’s listing will immediately follow the mega IPO of game m

July 4, 2021

Visang Tax, Pharos Consulting to help taxpayers get back overpaid taxes

Visang Tax and Pharos Consulting signed a memorandum of understanding to work together to help taxpayers protect their rights by checking whether they have overpaid taxes, at a ceremony held in Seoul on Thursday. The agreement involves a measure called “claim for reassessment” and the two firms plan to run a one-stop service in which clients from conglomerates, small and medium-sized enterprises and small businesses reassess their tax payment to check whether there are any errors i

July 4, 2021

FSC to decide on major Samsung Life’s shareholders

South Korea’s top financial regulator will give a ruling on whether the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s two daughters -- Hotel Shilla CEO Lee Boo-jin and Samsung Welfare Foundation chief Lee Seo-hyun -- are qualified to become major shareholders of Samsung Life Insurance. This decision is expected to go in their favor, paving their way to become the company’s largest shareholders, industry sources said on Sunday. The policymaking Financial Services Commission is sl

July 4, 2021

[Contribution] Banks’ role as ‘catalyst for change’ to support transition to net zero economy

South Korea has been a great experience for our family since relocating here with HSBC in late 2018. Our daughter who recently turned four is happily growing up.  For those who know me, I’ve always been a big believer that one can learn a lot from kids. From the endless creativity and ever more sophisticated negotiating skills to little things they learn from school, the thought-provoking interactions often provide valuable reflections on life and how we should think about future g

July 4, 2021

[Weekender] With an eye on the future, financial firms don VR goggles

The emergence of the “MZ generation” -- those born in the 1980s and ‘90s -- has brought significant change in South Korea’s financial landscape, pushing its conservative players to navigate uncharted territory in the technological era. Financial institutions are embracing the technological shift from physical space to digital sphere with big-name bankers experiencing the virtual world via VR headsets and holding executive meetings in “metaverse” online setti

July 3, 2021

Seoul stocks tipped to rebound next week amid earnings hope

South Korean stocks are likely to rebound next week, as optimism for strong corporate earnings is expected to buffer growing virus concerns, analysts said Saturday. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index closed at 3,281.78 points on Friday, down 0.64 percent from a week ago. The KOSDAQ closed the week at a 52-week high for the second consecutive day at 1,038.18 points. The country's virus situation is getting worse, with the daily caseload continuing to increase amid woes over sprea

July 3, 2021