NY-based Fintech Company DarcMatter Expands into South Korea

DarcMatter, a financial technology startup headquartered in New York City, is opening its second overseas office in Seoul, South Korea. DarcMatter is an alternative investment platform that allows global investors to directly access U.S. private investment opportunities such as hedge funds, private equity funds, and venture capital funds, in an efficient and transparent manner.

Founded in 2014, DarcMatter, launched its first overseas branch in China and selected South Korea as the second expansion market, considering the country’s appetite for technology innovation, coupled with the growing interest from major Korean financial services institutions that are interested in exploring how to integrate fintech more easily into their businesses. In addition, Korean investors and money managers are increasingly looking to invest in alternative investments abroad. Korea Investment Corporation, the National Pension Service, and Korea Post, are just some of the latest money managers who are actively sourcing alternative investment opportunities abroad to further diversify their investment portfolios. In particular, institutions like Korea Investment Corporation plan to double their money allocation to alternative investments over the next 10 years to diversify their portfolio, which has been predominantly composed of stocks and bonds.

Sang H. Lee, DarcMatter’s CEO and founder, says, “As investors in South Korea and Asia as a whole continue to consider additional allocations to alternative investments, the region presents a great opportunity for DarcMatter to utilize and adapt its fintech experience and expertise to provide efficient solutions for interested investors. DarcMatter is excited to use its technology to seamlessly provide Asian investors with access to investment opportunities abroad, and the launch of our Korean entity in Seoul is a testament to this.”

Sophisticated investors in the U.S. and Europe have been investing in alternative investments for portfolio diversification purposes for quite some time now. In the United States, DarcMatter works with over 800 investors including high-net-worth individuals, financial advisors, family offices, and institutional investors. With more than US$5 billion in AUM live on the platform, fund managers from hedge funds, private equity funds, and venture capital funds are working with DarcMatter to not only access U.S. investors, but to access investors worldwide.