Kakao Pay Securities eyes global push with tokenized stocks

Kakao Pay Securities is teaming up with US-based Dinari and Ondo Finance to explore offering tokenized Korean stocks to overseas investors, potentially opening a new channel into the country’s equity market. The brokerage signed memorandums of understanding with Dinari on Tuesday and Ondo Finance on Monday. The agreements cover sourcing Korean-listed shares, distributing them overseas and developing systems to issue and manage blockchain-based tokens linked to the stocks. Commercial launches rem

2026-09-29 14:28:59:00

China’s global ambitions, tech rivalry with US raise stakes for Korea

China’s rise is reshaping the global power structure, economic order and technological landscape as Beijing seeks a larger global role under President Xi Jinping, bringing it into deeper strategic competition with the US, according to experts. Kim Heung-kyu, president of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, made the assessment in a keynote speech titled “South Korea’s Choice in an Era of US-China Strategic Competition” at a seminar hosted by the China Capital Market Society at the Korea Financ

2026-09-26 16:00:00:00

FSS, brokerages seek measures as debt-fueled investing rises

The Financial Supervisory Service is stepping up efforts to curb a rise in debt-financed investing, calling for stronger consumer protection measures at brokerage firms. The measures include restricting trading on credit by minors and requiring elderly investors to go through additional confirmation procedures. The FSS announced the plans Thursday at a public briefing on its financial consumer protection efforts held at its headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. Lee Se-hoon, a senior deputy governor at

2026-09-18 17:43:13:00

Global ETF issuers chase Korea’s leverage-hungry investors

Global leveraged exchange-traded fund managers are stepping up their push into South Korea, drawn by retail investors whose appetite for high-risk US-listed products has made them a significant source of assets. Russell Tencer, president of Tradr ETFs, visited Seoul on Thursday to meet Korean investors and promote the firm’s lineup. His trip marked the second visit by a foreign manager specializing in leveraged ETFs since Korea allowed single-stock leveraged funds to begin trading in late May. T

2026-09-17 15:24:46:00

COVID-19 drug controversy clouds justice minister nominee's confirmation

Justice Minister nominee Rep. Kim Seung-won is facing scrutiny over his ties to Genencell, a biotech company whose COVID-19 treatment claims were factors in a Financial Supervisory Service investigation into alleged stock-price manipulation. Kim is accused of passing on a request to drug authorities to approve clinical trials for a Genencell drug in October 2021. It is also alleged that the subsequent approval was used in stock price manipulation. An FSS report obtained by lawmakers yesterday su

2026-09-16 17:44:09:00

KRX’s extended trading debut draws W1.8tr

The Korea Exchange’s new after-hours market drew more than 1.8 trillion won ($1.3 billion) in turnover on its first day Monday, but thin trading also fueled sharp swings among smaller stocks. The four-hour session, which allows continuous trading from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., recorded 1,637 volatility interruptions — more than four times the 400 triggered during regular trading. Total turnover reached 1.82 trillion won, with 72.24 million shares changing hands, according to the KRX. Kospi-listed stocks

2026-09-15 15:49:04:00

KRX to extend trading hours from Monday

The Korea Exchange, South Korea's main bourse operator, will launch a real-time after hours market Monday, extending trading until 8 p.m. and opening most Kospi and Kosdaq stocks to evening trading in a move aimed at widening investor access. Under the new system, investors will be able to trade until 8 p.m., following the regular trading session from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. With Korea's alternative stock trading platform Nextrade's 8 a.m. premarket included, the trading hours will extend to 12 hour

2026-09-13 14:40:52:00

Why SpaceX changed Korea’s Anthropic IPO playbook

Mirae Asset Securities’ unexpected zero allocation in SpaceX’s June initial public offering is shaping how Korean financial firms approach the next major US listing: artificial intelligence vanguard Anthropic. As the US company moves toward an IPO, Korean asset managers and brokerages are taking a cautious approach, industry sources said Thursday. Rather than trying to secure shares before the listing, most plan to buy the stock on the open market afterward. At least six Korean asset managers ar

2026-09-10 19:08:03:00

‘Slow and steady’ will win Korea’s race for global capital

South Korea’s capital market needs consistent reforms, greater stability and broader sources of growth to attract global investors for the long term, market experts said at The Korea Herald’s HIT Forum in Seoul on Tuesday. Held under the theme “What Will Make Global Capital Stay?” the panel brought together Alexander Treves, managing director at JPMorgan Asset Management; Frank Benzimra, head of Asia equity strategy at Societe Generale; Park Jeong-woo, Nomura’s senior economist for Korea and Tai

2026-09-09 15:54:45:00

Korea as a ‘must-have’ market: JPMorgan exec

South Korea’s capital market must evolve from a “nice-to-have” option into a “must-have” destination for global investors, with faster progress on corporate governance and shareholder returns needed to narrow the Korea discount, according to Alexander Treves, managing director at JPMorgan Asset Management. “If Korea does not continue to improve, in particular in terms of corporate governance, it risks being just a nice-to-have investment destination for global investors,” Treves said at The Kore

2026-09-09 14:45:03:00