17 Korean startup founders named Forbes' young innovators

Founders and leaders of 17 rising startups in South Korea were picked as young innovator by the Forbes in a survey that listed 300 successful entrepreneurs under age 30, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups said Wednesday. The list of startups includes SelectStar, Codeit, Carpenstreet, Sleek, TableManager, Devotionfoods, Happy Moonday, Glorang, The Carbon Studio, ReDwit, Classum, Juni Essentials, Neubility and Sentbe. SelectStar, which provide AI-backed data collection and annotation service, was

April 21, 2021

Concerns rising as more young Koreans dip their toes into crypto market

Six out of 10 new crypto investors in the first three months of the year were in their 20s and 30s, a report showed Wednesday, raising concerns that the surging market volatility could pose risks for young amateur investors. The number of newly opened accounts on the nation’s top four crypto trading platforms -- Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone and Korbit -- came in at 2.5 million between January and March, according to the report released by Rep. Kwon Eun-hee of the opposition People Power Part

April 21, 2021

Seoul stocks snap 7-day winning streak on valuation pressure

South Korean stocks snapped their seven-day winning streak to plunge 1.5 percent on Wednesday, as investors attempted to cash in recent gains. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 49.04 points, or 1.52 percent, to close at 3,171.66. Trading volume was moderate at about 1.7 billion shares worth some 16.7 trillion won ($14.9 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 597 to 277. Foreigners sold a net 1.43 trillion won, while ret

April 21, 2021

Korea’s coal power plants to lose profitability before lifetimes end: study

No coal power plants will be profitable in South Korea before the end of their expected lifetimes -- 30 years on average -- indicating coal power plants face a dismal financial future, a study showed Wednesday. An increase in renewable energy penetration in Korea and the newly introduced greenhouse gas emission cap system here are expected to trigger a significant decrease of coal power plant capacity factors, according to a report dubbed “End in sight: How South Korea can force coal off

April 21, 2021

Seoul stocks open lower on valuation pressure

South Korean stocks opened lower Wednesday after the benchmark stock index closed at an all-time high the previous session, increasing the valuation pressure. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 23.07 points, or 0.72 percent, to 3,197.63 points. The Kospi quickly fell through the 3,200-point mark with the opening bell as foreign and individual investors sold stocks to lock in gains. The stock index gained for the past six days until Tuesday amid expectations of a global econo

April 21, 2021

[Herald Interview] From fractional share trading to insurance - Kakao Pay gears up to go beyond payment services

When Ryu Young-joon, CEO of Kakao Pay, the fintech arm of mobile giant Kakao, took charge of the business in 2015, competitiveness of South Korea’s fintech industry was lagging behind other countries worldwide, close to the bottom. Citing the World Economic Forum’s 2015 Global Competitiveness Report published in 2015, Ryu said the country ranked 87th out of 140 countries in a category that measured development of the financial market and its capacity in embracing new technology.

April 20, 2021

Kospi hits fresh high on foreign, institutional buying

South Korea’s benchmark Kospi hit a fresh high at Tuesday’s closing, with foreign and institutional investors returning to the market on hopes of strong corporate earnings in the first quarter. The Kospi closed at 3,220.70, breaking its previous record and ending a three-month adjustment. It was only the second time the Kospi had closed above the 3,200-point threshold. The index closed at 3,208.99 points Jan. 25. Despite increased market valuation pressure, foreigners and instituti

April 20, 2021

Crypto volatility surges on tightening measures, negative news

Volatility in the local cryptocurrency market continued Tuesday, with most digital coins including Bitcoin suffering sellouts as authorities strengthen measures against suspicious trading. The extreme volatility sent Bitcoin’s value from a record high of 82 million won ($73,722) April 13 to 67 million won Tuesday, falling below 70 million won for the first time since April 7. It recovered earlier losses in the afternoon, bouncing back up to reach 69 million won. A market index developed

April 20, 2021

Multiple-home owners give away flats to family as new tax rules loom

Multiple-home owners in one of Seoul’s most expensive districts have been scrambling to give away their apartments to family members or relatives as gifts before toughened tax rules come into force in June, according to data released by the state-run Korea Appraisal Board on Tuesday. The number of apartment transfers among family members in Gangnam-gu, a southern Seoul district, hit a monthly record high of 812 in March, 6.3 times higher than 129 marked in the previous month, the data

April 20, 2021

Shinhan launches all-around mobile payment solution

South Korea’s Shinhan Financial Group on Tuesday launched a mobile payment solution, as traditional banking groups seek to bolster their digital capabilities in competition against rising fintech firms. The payment solution, Shinhan Pay, provides Shinhan Card subscribers with easy-to-use payment services and money transfers at several offline stores. For Shinhan Bank users, Shinhan Pay allows them to easily subscribe and activate mobile debit cards linked to their bank accounts. Shin

April 20, 2021

KOSPI soars to all-time high on recovery hopes

The South Korean benchmark stock index refreshed its all-time high Tuesday, extending its winning streak to a seventh session amid speculations of a global economic rebound and strong corporate earnings in the first quarter. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 21.86 points, or 0.68 percent, to close at 3,220.7 points, the highest finish since the closing of 3,208.99 points on Jan. 25. Trading volume was moderate at about 1.3

April 20, 2021

Shinhan Bank partners Kakao Mobility to support taxi drivers

Shinhan Bank said Tuesday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Kakao Mobility to financially support the taxi-hailing company’s employees and cooperate on developing new business models.  Under the deal, Shinhan Bank will provide loan programs offering favorable interest rates to taxi drivers and employess of nine taxi compnies operated by TJ Partners. The company is a subsidiary of Kakao Mobility, an affiliate of the country’s dominant mobile messenger operator,

April 20, 2021

Chiefs of 50 biz groups receive W1.8tr in dividends in 2020

Dividends paid to the chiefs of South Korea's top 50 business groups jumped 37.1 percent last year from a year earlier as major companies delivered more returns to shareholders, industry data showed Tuesday. A total of 39 heads of the nation's 50 conglomerates received a combined 1.8 trillion won ($1.6 billion) in 2020, according to the data by the local research firm Korea CXO Institute. Dividends to late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee amounted to 862.6 billion won last year, which acco

April 20, 2021

Korean asset managers rush to ramp up green drive

South Korea’s asset management companies are beefing up their drive to take environmental, social and governance factors into account, by endorsing an international climate initiative and by creating an internal body to monitor the green investing process. On Tuesday, three Seoul-based asset management firms -- KB Asset Management, Samsung Asset Management and its subsidiary Samsung Active Asset Management -- announced that they have joined a cohort of some 2,000 organizations from 7

April 20, 2021

Seoul stocks open higher on earnings hope

South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday on investors' hopes of strong corporate earnings in the January-March quarter amid speculation of a global economic rebound. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 5.86 points, or 0.18 percent, to 3,204.7 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks got off to a strong start despite increased valuation pressure from the six-day winning streak, as brokerages projected strong quarterly performances by local big-name companies.

April 20, 2021

[Top Bankers] Hard-nosed dealmaker at the crossroads as SsangYong stares down the barrel

This is a part of a series of interviews and analyses of South Korea’s top bankers, policymakers and investors leading the financial industry here. This is the fourth installment. -- Ed. Korea Development Bank Chairman Lee Dong-gull, the first KDB chief in 26 years to serve a second term, has sought to change the public image of the state-run investment bank as an inconsiderate spender of unlimited amounts of public money to indebted companies. Since assuming office in 2017, Lee, 68, ha

April 19, 2021

PDI to host summit on private credit investing opportunities in Asia

Private Debt Investor, a publication dedicated to the global private debt investing scene, said Monday it plans to hold a virtual event this week on exploring opportunities and challenges in private debt investing across the Asia-Pacific region. The PDI APAC Summit Virtual Experience 2021 will be held from Wednesday to Thursday. The inaugural two-day virtual event will feature investors Aware Super, Allianz Investment Management, NGS Super, International Finance Corp. and Japan Post Bank,

April 19, 2021

FSC to launch stock lending system for individual short sellers

The nation’s top financial regulator said Monday it will launch a new stock loan system for retail investors to have better access to stock borrowing for short selling.  Short selling is a trading technique where investors sell borrowed stocks on the belief that share prices will fall in the near future. Short sellers profit if they buy the stocks back for less than they sold them for. Under the new system, a total of 17 local brokerages, including Korea Investment & Securitie

April 19, 2021

Gamevil buys stake in local crypto exchange firm Coinone

Game developer Gamevil said Monday that it has acquired a 13 percent stake in local cryptocurrency exchange Coinone. It spent some 31.19 billion won ($27.9 million) to acquire the 8,474 shares of the crypto exchange. “The acquisition is aimed at finding new business opportunities in the crypto and blockchain sectors,” said the company in a regulatory filing. With the investment, Gamevil will work together with Coinone to develop solutions that prevent hacking attempts and handle a

April 19, 2021

Authorities vow to crack down on illegal crypto transactions

The South Korean government said Monday that it will tighten up regulations to trace illegal cryptocurrency transactions and cases of fraud amid growing concerns over a speculative bubble in the virtual coin market. The announcement was made after a meeting among top government officials and economy-related ministers on Friday to discuss issues related to the highly volatile cryptocurrency market and alleged crypto crimes. As part of the government’s efforts, the state watchdog Financ

April 19, 2021