More than 110 billion won out of LIME Asset Management’s 1.6 trillion won PEF investment that has yet to be redeemed has been found to be tied up in real estate project financing in Cambodia. RAUM Investment, a company closely related to LIME Asset Management, made an investment in a Cambodian resor

Shinhan Bank Vietnam announced on Jan. 16 that S&P granted a long-term credit rating of BB.At present, Vietnamese banks’ credit ratings range from BB- to B+ and Shinhan Bank Vietnam has the highest S&P credit rating in the banking sector of the country, whose sovereign credit rating is also BB. The

The Korea Financial Investment Association announced on Jan. 16 that foreign investors accounted for 38.9 percent of the aggregate value of the KOSPI stock market on Jan. 14, 585.98 trillion won out of 1,506.53 trillion won to be specific. The ratio is the highest since Aug. 8, 2006, when it reached

KB Financial Group and three private equity funds (PEF) have participated in the preliminary tender for the financially-sound Prudential Life Insurance, which is estimated to be worth about two trillion won (US$1.72 billion).Woori Financial Group has not joined the preliminary tender, but it can for

Global cryptocurrency exchange Binance announced on Jan. 16 that it has invested in Korean startup BXB to enter the Korean cryptocurrency market.BXB is a startup that issues stablecoins. A stablecoin is a new class of cryptocurrency backed by a reserve asset to offer price stability."We are currentl

The Korea Securities Depository (KSD) announced on Jan. 15 that the annual fund profit dividends increased by 16.1 percent to 21,177.3 billion won last year.Specifically, public fund dividends increased 4.51 percent to 3,519.6 billion won and private fund dividends increased 18.7 percent to 17,657.7

Listed companies are expressing concerns over the recently revised enforcement decrees of the Commercial Act and the Capital Markets Act, which are scheduled to take effect next month.According to the former decree, the term of an outside director in a listed company cannot exceed six years and it i

Korean companies went through many difficulties in 2019. As the 2019 earnings announcement season approaches, much attention is being paid to whether companies designated as issues for administration will be delisted.Companies that recorded operating losses over the last five business years are subj

Overseas investment funds, which invest in overseas stocks, bonds and real estate, have surpassed 180 trillion won (about US$155 billion), accounting for about 30 percent of all investment funds. Private equity-type overseas investment funds mainly targeting wealthy people have grown rapidly.The amo

The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) announced on Jan. 13 that it has imposed sanctions on the Seoul branches of BNP Paribas Bank, Deutsche Bank, J.P. Morgan Chase Bank and Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank for their violation of laws and regulations related to forward exchange, currency swap and foreign

Upbit, a South Korean cryptocurrency exchange that suffered a theft of 58 billion won (about US$50 million) in Ethereum at the end of November 2019, has resumed its Ethereum deposit and withdrawal services.Upbit resumed its deposit and withdrawal services on Ethereum on Jan. 13, following the normal

The Korea Financial Investment Association announced on Jan. 12 that the annual turnover ratio of government bonds in the over-the-counter bond market fell 27 percentage points to 312.64 percent in 2019. It is lower than the 403.8 percent level recorded during the global financial crisis of 2008.The

South Koreans’ offline credit card payment in Japan and credit card payment in Japanese online shopping malls totaled 355.47 billion won in the second half of last year. The amount fell 30.4 percent from the same period of the previous year in the wake of their boycott of Japanese products that star

Shinhan Financial Group and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) raised a fund of US$200 million for better global alternative investment. Established in 1976, KKR managed various assets worth a total of US$194.7 billion as of December 2018 and is currently running 21 offices in 16 countries located in fou

The size of foreign investment funds available in South Korea increased from 135.94 trillion won to 183.69 trillion won in 2019 alone and more than doubled in three years. The net asset value of the funds was more than 190.87 trillion won at the end of last year.Such a rapid growth has to do with la

The financial authorities of South Korea announced on Jan. 8 that the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service are running a market monitoring team with regard to financial uncertainties related to the conflict between the United States and Iran.According to the financial

Lee Dae-hoon, president of NH Nonghyup Bank, started his first on-site management in 2020 with a video call with the heads of the bank’s global offices on Jan. 3.The video call connected Lee simultaneously with employees of the bank’s offices in New York of the United States, Hanoi of Vietnam and Be

As the South Korean market for easy payment services has grown close to three times in two years, the service providers are now moving to expand their businesses to overseas markets.They are planning to enable travelers to use their easy payment services without exchanging money, especially in Asian

Domestic stock funds posted an average return of 9.07 percent in 2019, when the average return of foreign stock funds amounted to 25.8 percent and the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 7.67 percent.Last year, Mirae Asset Global Investments stood out in the foreign stock fund market. The

The Ministry of Economy and Finance conducted a public tender for three-year treasury bonds on Jan. 6 and the bonds worth a total of 2.2 trillion won were sold at a weighted average rate of 1.26 percent. Bidders came up with 6.48 trillion won.The bidding finished at one basis point higher than the b