Press Releases - Financial Services Commission

Press Releases

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Jul 09, 2025

All KOSPI-listed Firms to be Subject to Mandatory Corporate Governance Disclosure Duty from 2026

The Financial Services Commission held the 13th regular meeting on July 9 and approved a partial revision to the Korea Exchange (KRX) disclosure rules expanding the duty of mandatory disclosure of corporate governance report to all KOSPI-listed firms from 2026. In a comply or explain approach, the disclosure of corporate governance report allows businesses to open up their compliance status on key corporate governance principles. It was first introduced in 2017 as a voluntary disclosure and has moved to a mandatory disclosure system with more and more companies becoming subject to the mandatory disclosure duty. With the revision of the KRX disclosure rules, this mandatory disclosure of corporate governance report will be expanded to all KOSPI-listed companies from 2026. This will increase the number of firms being subject to the mandatory corporate governance disclosure duty from 541 now (those with total assets worth KRW500 billion or more, as of end-2024) to 842 (all KOSPI-listed firms, as of end-2024). With the expansion of corporate governance disclosure duty, it is expected that there will be more voluntary efforts taken by businesses to make improvements to their governance structures. It is also expected to help boost transparency in corporate management practices. To facilitate a seamless transition, the KRX and the Korea Listed Companies Association plan to provide support through (a) preparatory guidance, (b) one-on-one consultation, (c) on-the-job training for compliance officers and executive officers, and (d) regional information sessions and workshops. The FSC and the KRX will continue to work to ensure a seamless transition in expanding the duty of mandatory disclosure of corporate governance report. * Please refer to the attached PDF for details.
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Jul 09, 2025

FSC Announces Designation of Seven Non-holding Financial Groups for 2025

The Financial Services Commission held the 13th regular meeting on July 9 and designated seven non-holding financial groups for 2025 pursuant to the Act on the Supervision of Financial Conglomerates (the Act hereinafter). The designated entities are Samsung, Hanwha, Mirae Asset, Kyobo, Hyundai Motor, DB and Daou Kiwoom groups. The designation and supervisory system on non-holding financial groups aims to effectively oversee and manage risk contagion or concentration in financial groups. With the implementation of the Act from June 2021, the FSC has been designating non-holding financial groups every year. The seven selected entities this year satisfied all designation criteria under the Act. The selected entities will be subject to the following rules. a) Select a financial business entity representing the entire group after considering the investment relationship, total size of asset, capital, and so on, and report their selection to the Financial Supervisory Service. b) Periodically inspect and evaluate group-wide risks and prepare and follow their own internal control and risk management policy, and transparently disclose material information needed to ensure consumer protection and report to the authorities. c) Draw up capital adequacy ratio reflecting risk-weighted capital based on the risk assessment conducted by the financial authorities. d) The financial authorities will carry out a periodic assessment (every three years) on the risk and risk management status of non-holding financial groups. It is expected that the designation of non-holding financial groups will help these companies to more effectively monitor and manage group-wide risks on their own. * Please refer to the attached PDF for details.
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Jul 09, 2025

Household Loans, June 2025

In June 2025, the outstanding balance of household loans across all financial sectors increased KRW6.5 trillion (preliminary), rising at a faster pace compared with the previous month (up KRW5.9 trillion). (By Type) Home-backed mortgage loans rose KRW6.2 trillion, growing at a faster pace compared with the previous month (up KRW5.6 trillion). Banks saw an expanded pace of growth in mortgage loans (up KRW4.1 trillion up KRW5.1 trillion), while nonbanks saw a somewhat slower pace of growth from the previous month (up KRW1.5 trillion up KRW1.1 trillion). Other types of loans went up KRW0.3 trillion, growing at a slightly slower pace compared with the previous month (up KRW0.4 trillion), with credit loans rising at a slower pace (up KRW0.8 trillion up KRW0.7 trillion). (By Sector) In June, household loans in the banking sector rose at a faster pace compared with the previous month (up KRW5.2 trillion up KRW6.2 trillion). Banks own mortgage loan products grew at an expanded pace (up KRW2.5 trillion up KRW3.8 trillion), while policy-based loans grew at a slightly slower pace (up KRW1.6 trillion up KRW1.3 trillion). Other types of loans in the banking sector rose at a similar pace compared with a month ago (up KRW1.1 trillion up KRW1.1 trillion). In the nonbanking sector, household loans increased KRW0.3 trillion, rising at a slower pace compared with the previous month (up KRW0.7 trillion). Mutual finance businesses (up KRW0.8 trillion up KRW1.1 trillion) saw an expanded pace of growth, while savings banks (up KRW0.3 trillion down KRW0.04 trillion) saw the growth trend shifting back down. Insurance companies (down KRW0.3 trillion down KRW0.2 trillion) saw a somewhat slower pace of decline, while specialized credit finance businesses (down KRW0.1 trillion down KRW0.6 trillion) saw a faster pace of decline compared with the previous month. (Assessment) The expanded pace of household loan growth in June can be seen as a consequence of increased housing transactions from Febr
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Jun 11, 2025

Household Loans, May 2025

In May 2025, the outstanding balance of household loans across all financial sectors rose KRW6.0 trillion (preliminary), growing at a faster pace compared with the previous month (up KRW5.3 trillion). (By Type) Home-backed mortgage loans increased KRW5.6 trillion, rising at a faster pace compared with a month ago (up KRW4.8 trillion). The faster pace of growth was seen in both the banking (up KRW3.7 trillion up KRW4.2 trillion) and nonbanking (up KRW1.1 trillion up KRW1.5 trillion) sectors. Other types of loans increased KRW0.4 trillion, rising at a slightly slower pace compared with the previous month (up KRW0.5 trillion), as credit loans expanded at a slower rate (up KRW1.2 trillion up KRW0.8 trillion). (By Sector) In May, household loans in the banking sector rose at a faster pace compared with the previous month (up KRW4.7 trillion up KRW5.2 trillion). Banks own mortgage loans grew at an expanded level (up KRW1.9 trillion up KRW2.5 trillion), while policy-based loans grew at a slightly slower pace (up KRW1.8 trillion up KRW1.6 trillion). Other types of loans in the banking sector rose at a similar pace compared with a month ago (up KRW1.0 trillion up KRW1.0 trillion). In the nonbanking sector, household loans edged up KRW0.8 trillion, rising at a faster pace compared with the previous month (up KRW0.5 trillion). Mutual finance businesses (up KRW0.3 trillion up KRW0.8 trillion) saw a faster pace of growth, while savings banks (up KRW0.4 trillion up KRW0.3 trillion) saw a slower pace of growth. Insurance companies (up KRW0.01 trillion down KRW0.3 trillion) saw household loan growth shifting back lower, while specialized credit finance businesses (down KRW0.1 trillion down KRW0.1 trillion) maintained the same level of decline compared with a month ago. (Assessment) The expanded pace of household loan growth in May can be seen as a consequence of the increase in housing transactions from February this year. As the volume of housing transactions continues to rise, it
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May 20, 2025

KoFIU Unveils H2 2024 Survey Result on Virtual Asset Service Providers

The Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (KoFIU) conducted a survey on 25 registered virtual asset service providers (VASPs) to assess the current state of the domestic virtual asset market and keep relevant statistics up to date. Survey Overview (Respondents) 25 VASPs(17 exchange service providers and 8 custody and wallet service providers) (Survey Method) Data collected from VASPs (Period Covered) July 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024 Key Survey Findings for H2 2024 The price increase in virtual assets and expansion of market size observed from the second half of 2023 in the domestic virtual asset market accelerated in the second half of 2024. Compared with the first half of the same year, average daily trading volume (up KRW1.3 trillion or 22%), total operating profits (up KRW160.2 billion or 28%), and the number of users eligible to trade (up 1.92 million or 25%) all went up. In particular, market capitalization (up KRW51.2 trillion or 91%) and total amount of deposits (up KRW5.7 trillion or 114%) rose significantly. However, during the same period, the coin-only exchange market experienced declines in average daily trading volume (down KRW 660 million or 81%), market capitalization (down KRW 27.6 billion or 19%), and total operating profits (down KRW 1.1 billion or 8%) due to significant concentration in the KRW-based exchange service providers and termination of business operation of certain coin-only exchange service providers. External transfers of virtual assets to the registered entities under the travel rule grew somewhat (up 4%), while those transferred to the whitelisted overseas entities and personal digital wallets saw a notable increase (up 38%). The total size of virtual assets in custody, wallet, and staking services (down KRW 12.3 trillion or 89%) and their number of users (down 196,000 or 99%) both declined significantly as more service providers terminated business operation and the base price of certain custody service providers went down. * Please re
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May 14, 2025

Household Loans, April 2025

In April 2025, the outstanding balance of household loans across all financial sectors rose KRW5.3 trillion (preliminary), growing at a faster pace compared with the previous month (up KRW0.7 trillion). (By Type) Home-backed mortgage loans increased KRW4.8 trillion, rising at a faster pace compared with a month ago (up KRW3.7 trillion). The pace of mortgage loan growth accelerated in the banking sector (up KRW2.5 trillion up KRW3.7 trillion), while slowing down somewhat in the nonbanking sector (up KRW1.2 trillion up KRW1.1 trillion). Other types of loans increased KRW0.5 trillion, shifting back up from the decline of KRW3.0 trillion in the previous month, as credit loans edged up KRW1.2 trillion from a month ago (down KRW1.2 trillion). (By Sector) In April, household loans in the banking sector rose at a faster pace compared with the previous month (up KRW1.7 trillion up KRW4.8 trillion). Banks own mortgage loans grew at an expanded level (up KRW0.7 trillion up KRW1.9 trillion) and policy-based loans also rose at a slightly faster pace (up KRW1.8 trillion up KRW1.9 trillion). Other types of loans in the banking sector turned back up from the decline in the previous month (down KRW0.9 trillion up KRW1.0 trillion) due to a rise in credit loans. In the nonbanking sector, household loans edged up KRW0.5 trillion, rising from the decline of KRW0.9 trillion a month ago. Savings banks (down KRW0.2 trillion up KRW0.4 trillion) and insurance companies (down KRW0.2 trillion up KRW0.1 trillion) saw household loans shifting back up, while specialized credit finance businesses (down KRW0.9 trillion down KRW0.1 trillion) saw a slower pace of decline. In the mutual finance sector (up KRW0.4 trillion up KRW0.2 trillion), the pace of growth slowed down somewhat compared with the previous month. (Assessment) The expanded pace of household loan growth in April can be attributable to the rise in housing transactions taking place between February and March, and the rise in credit loans
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Apr 23, 2025

FSC Chairman Visits Boston and New York to Strengthen Financial Cooperation

Chairman Kim Byoung Hwan of the Financial Services Commission visited Boston and New York, the United States on April 21-22. On April 21, Chairman Kim visited Bostons biotech cluster and held a meeting with the investment companies and Korean biotech firms operating in the U.S. to seek insights on ways to bring about regulatory improvements to promote Koreas biotech venture investment. On April 22, Chairman Kim visited New York and had meetings with Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman and Korean financial companies that have established business operations in New York. Visit to Boston Visit to KHIDIs U.S. Office On April 21, Chairman Kim visited the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI)s U.S. office in Boston to gain overall insights into the regions biotech cluster (Kendall Square, aka the most innovative square mile on the planet), which is the worlds largest biotech venture ecosystem hosting more than a thousand biotech companies, research institutions, hospitals, and universities. During his visit, Chairman Kim was also briefed about Korean biotech companies operating in the U.S. and the support made available by the KHIDI. Meeting with Venture Capital Investors Chairman Kim held a meeting with a group of Korean venture capitalists operating in Bostons biotech cluster to seek diverse opinions and gain insights on ways to cultivate a biotech venture investment ecosystem in Korea. At the meeting, Chairman Kim said that Koreas venture investment has declined after reaching a peak in 2021-2022, particularly in the biotech sector associated with high risks where long-term investments are required. Since investors may face difficulties in making an exit in the biotech industry, Chairman Kim said that there are concerns over a potential fall in the biotech venture ecosystem. In this regard, Chairman Kim sought diverse recommendations and opinions from participants that will help to foster a biotech venture ecosystem in Korea. Visit to AVEO Oncology Chairman
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Apr 14, 2025

FSC Proposes Legislative Changes to Improve Regulations on Financial Holding Companies

The Financial Services Commission issued a preliminary notice of legislative changes on April 14 regarding the Financial Holding Companies Act (the Act hereinafter) and its Enforcement Decree, with aims to facilitate synergetic effects within financial holding companies and unleash more agile responses amid changing external environments. Background Financial holding companies (aka financial conglomerates) have been continuously growing since the enactment of the Act in 2000, which sought to improve the competitiveness of financial companies through enlargement and concurrent business operations, while promoting the sound management of their subsidiaries. However, despite the quantitative growth achieved thus far, it has been pointed out that their growth in qualitative terms has remained inadequate due to investment regulations and ownership restrictions. Particularly with rapidly changing environments in the financial sector, such as digital transformation and the big blur phenomena, it has become increasingly crucial to seek regulatory reforms enabling financial holding companies to more agilely and effectively cope with these changes. In this regard, the FSC has held a series of taskforce meetings and seminars with relevant stakeholders and private sector experts to draw up plans to improve rules on financial holding companies. Some of the measures that require no revision to legislation and can be enforced through authoritative interpretationsuch as the shared use of office space, sharing of information for management purpose, and expanding the scope of financial holding companies business areasbe will take effect immediately. The measure which requires a legislative revisionraising the maximum level of investment financial holding companies can make in fintech businesseswill go through a relevant amendment process. Key Revision Details Easing Financial Holding Companies Fintech Investment Limit Pursuant to the current Act, financial holding companies are allow
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Apr 10, 2025

Household Loans, March 2025

In March 2025, the outstanding balance of household loans across all financial sectors edged up KRW0.4 trillion (preliminary), growing at a slower rate compared with the previous month (up KRW4.2 trillion). (By Type) Home mortgage loans increased KRW3.4 trillion, as the pace of growth decelerated in both the banking (up KRW3.4 trillion up KRW2.2 trillion) and nonbanking (up KRW1.5 trillion up KRW1.1 trillion) sectors from a month ago. Other types of loans dropped KRW3.0 trillion, declining at a faster rate compared with the previous month (down KRW0.7 trillion) as credit loans shifted back lower from a month ago (up KRW0.1 trillion down KRW1.2 trillion). (By Sector) Household loans in the banking sector (up KRW3.3 trillion up KRW1.4 trillion) grew at a slower rate, while shifting back lower in the nonbanking sector (up KRW0.9 trillion down KRW1.0 trillion). In the banking sector, policy-based loans rose at a slower rate compared with the previous month (up KRW2.8 trillion up KRW1.5 trillion), while banks own mortgage loans increased at a slightly faster rate (up KRW0.6 trillion up KRW0.7 trillion). Other types of loans including credit loans dropped at a faster rate from a month ago (down KRW0.2 trillion down KRW0.9 trillion). In the nonbanking sector, household loans grew at a slower rate in the mutual finance sector (up KRW0.8 trillion up KRW0.3 trillion), while declining at a faster rate in the savings banks sector (down KRW0.03 trillion down KRW0.2 trillion). Specialized credit finance businesses saw household loan growth turning back down (up KRW0.3 trillion down KRW0.9 trillion), while insurance companies saw a similar level of drop from the previous month (down KRW0.1 trillion down KRW0.1 trillion). (Assessment) The outstanding balance of household loans in March 2025 rose KRW0.4 trillion, edging up at a slower rate compared with the previous month (up KRW4.2 trillion), which shows a stable trend in the pace of growth. However, the high volume of housing mark
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Mar 27, 2025

FSC Introduces Plan to Facilitate Entrustment of Banking Services to Improve Consumer Access to Financial Services

The Financial Services Commission announced a plan to facilitate the entrustment of banking services to improve consumer access to financial services on March 27. Under the plan, the FSC plans to (a) establish a legislative ground for introducing bank agency services and (b) facilitate the use of jointly shared automated teller machines (ATMs) in the banking sector and the small-sum deposit and withdrawal services at convenience stores. With digital transformation rapidly taking place in the financial industry, the number of physical bank branches has been continuously declining.This declining trend has been evident not only in Korea but across the globe as it has become inevitable that online (non-face-to-face) work processes have picked up in a digital era. However, this declining trend in the number of bank branches may restrict financial access to digitally vulnerable consumer groups, such as the elderly. Thus, the proposed plan to facilitate the entrustment of banking services is expected to help address this problem and improve consumer access to financial services. Introducing Bank Agency Services Under the bank agency framework, third-party entities are authorized to provide intrinsic banking services specified under the Banking Act (deposit-taking, lending, money transfer, etc.). This allows consumers to conduct face-to-face banking businesses on-site at locations that are not bank branches. Bank agencies do not engage in all types of banking functions but instead only perform certain types of services requiring face-to-face interactions with customers on behalf of banks, such as consulting, receiving application forms, signing an agreement, etc. Other types of banking functions, such as the screening and approval of applications which require decision-making but no interaction with customers, are still directly performed by banks. Since bank agencies will perform intrinsic banking services, there will be entry restrictions, and only authorized entities wil
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Mar 21, 2025

Mobile Foreigner Residence Card to be Accepted for Opening Bank Account at Six Domestic Banks from March 21

The Financial Services Commission, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that foreigners residing in Korea with registered IDs will be able to open bank accounts and conduct financial transactions using mobile foreigner residence cards from March 21. From January 10 this year, the Ministry of Justice began to issue mobile foreigner residence cards to those who have registered their status of residence in Korea. A mobile foreigner residence card can be obtained if the foreigner with registered status is 14 years of age or older and owns a smartphone under his or her own name. After downloading mobile ID app on their smartphones, foreign residents can obtain mobile foreigner residence cards by tagging their plastic foreign resident ID cards (integrated circuit cards) on smartphones, or by scanning the QR code with the mobile ID app. To make sure that personal ID verification is conducted safely and conveniently, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety established a blockchain-based and integrated mobile ID system and has introduced mobile IDs for drivers license (Jan. 2022), veteran ID card (Aug. 2023), and foreign resident ID card (Jan. 2025) in coordination with related ministries. The financial sector and the financial authorities have also been making relevant changes to boost the convenience and safety of consumers in their transactions with financial companies. As such, from March 21, 2025, foreign residents will be able to open bank accounts and conduct financial transactions using their mobile foreigner residence cards from six domestic banks (Shinhan, Hana, iM, Busan, Jeonbuk, and Jeju). Under the revised Immigration Act, mobile foreigner residence card is recognized as an equally valid form of ID as the original plastic ID card. The financial authorities in close coordination with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the banking sector have since then made changes and upgraded relevant procedures and systems to
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Mar 12, 2025

Household Loans, February 2025

In February 2025, the outstanding balance of household loans across all financial sectors increased KRW4.3 trillion (preliminary), shifting back up from the drop of KRW0.9 trillion in the previous month. (By Type) Home mortgage loans increased KRW5.0 trillion, growing at a faster rate compared with the previous month (up KRW3.2 trillion). Mortgage loans expanded at a faster rate in the banking sector (up KRW1.7 trillion up KRW3.5 trillion), while growing at a similar level in the nonbanking sector (up KRW1.5 trillion up KRW1.5 trillion). Other types of loans dropped KRW0.6 trillion, declining at a slower rate compared with the previous month (down KRW4.1 trillion), as credit loans shifted back up from a month ago (down KRW1.5 trillion up KRW0.1 trillion). (By Sector) Household loans in the banking sector rose KRW3.3 trillion, turning back up from the decline of KRW0.5 trillion a month ago. Policy-based loans grew at a faster rate (up KRW2.2 trillion up KRW2.9 trillion), while banks own mortgage loans edged up from the decline in the previous month (down KRW0.6 trillion up KRW0.6 trillion). Other types of loans including credit loans declined at a slower rate compared with the previous month (down KRW2.1 trillion down KRW0.2 trillion). In the nonbanking sector, household loans rose KRW1.0 trillion, turning back up from the decline of KRW0.5 trillion a month ago. Mutual finance businesses (down KRW0.1 trillion up KRW0.8 trillion) and specialized credit finance businesses (down KRW0.1 trillion up KRW0.3 trillion) saw household loans shifting back up from the previous month. Savings banks saw a drop of KRW0.02 trillion from the growth of KRW0.2 trillion a month ago. Household loans in the insurance sector dropped at a slower rate compared with the previous month (down KRW0.5 trillion down KRW0.1 trillion). (Assessment) The outstanding balance of household loans across all financial sectors edged up somewhat considerably in February as financial companies have begun to i
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Mar 06, 2025

FSC Vice Chairman Visits Cambodia and Philippines to Promote Cooperation and Support Overseas Expansion of K-Finance

Vice Chairman Kim Soyoung of the Financial Services Commission traveled to Cambodia and the Philippines between March 3 and 7 in an effort to promote financial cooperation with these countries and support overseas expansion of K-Finance. Visit to Phnom Penh, Cambodia Visit to National Bank of Cambodia On March 4, Vice Chairman Kim visited the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) and met with Deputy Governor Yim Leat. Vice Chairman Kim also congratulated the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Korea Asset Management Corporation (KAMCO) and the NBC and showed a commitment to enhancing financial cooperation in the areas of banking regulation and strengthening the capacity for supervision. During the high-level meeting held between the two countries, the NBC requested sharing of policy experience and know-hows from the KAMCO and the Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC) in the areas of resolution of non-performing loans (NPLs) and deposit protection scheme. In response, Vice Chairman Kim said that Korea will strengthen policy support to enhance financial cooperation between the two countries by holding an annual international financial cooperation forum (organized by The Council on International Financial Cooperation) in Cambodia next year. In addition, Vice Chairman Kim also asked for cooperation and support from the NBC regarding the complex and time-consuming nature of NPL recovery process in Cambodia, the problem that has been consistently raised by the Korean financial companies operating in Cambodia. After the high-level meeting, an MOU was signed between the KAMCO and the NBC aimed at enhancing cooperation in the area of the resolution of NPLs through sharing of experience and know-hows. In this regard, Vice Chairman Kim spoke about the importance of promptly establishing effective measures to facilitate the resolution of NPLs in Cambodia, which have been growing rapidly in the banking sector amid a slowdown in the property sector. With thi
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Feb 18, 2025

Revised Rules under FSCMA Pave Way for Resumption of Short Sale Transactions on Schedule from March 31

The Financial Services Commission announced that the government approved the revision bill for the Enforcement Decree of the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act (FSCMA) at the cabinet meeting held on February 18. This revision is aimed at upgrading rules on short sale practices. Imposing a Limit on Institutional Investors Stock Repayment Period (Article 208-6) The stock repayment period for institutional investors, which shall be determined by an agreement from both lender and borrower, should not exceed 12 months in total with maximum repayment periods of 90 days for renewal each time. However, in the case of delisting of stocks or suspended trading on the final day of repayment, or when an account-to-account transfer is being restricted, the final day of repayment will be moved to three business days from the day in which the cause of the payment delay is lifted. Introducing Measures Intended to Prevent Naked Short Sale Activities (Article 208-7) Corporate entities that have plans to engage in short sales of listed stocks and securities companies that receive and place short sale orders will be obligated to comply with a set of naked short sale prevention measures. Corporate entities with a net short position balance of 0.01 percent of total issuance volume (excluding net short position balance of less than KRW100 million) or KRW1 billion or more as well as market makers and liquidity providers (institutional investors) will be subject to the following rules. First, they will be required to set up and operate electronic net short position balance management systems to facilitate item-by-item short position balance management and prevent naked short sale activities. Second, they will be required to prepare internal control standards, which should specify details about the role and responsibility of employees, short position balance management system, the recording and bookkeeping of short sale transactions details for at least five years, and the
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Feb 13, 2025

Transactions of Virtual Assets by Corporate Entities to be Allowed in Stages

Vice Chairman Kim Soyoung of the Financial Services Commission presided over the third meeting of the virtual asset committee on February 13 and held discussions with related ministry officials and private sector experts on the final policy measures aimed at allowing corporate transactions of virtual assets in the virtual asset market. At the meeting, the committee also discussed ways to bring about improvements to the best practice guidelines for listing virtual assets to help resolve the problem of listing competition among exchange service providers and reviewed the progress of regulatory reform regarding the introduction of security token offering (STO). A Roadmap for Allowing Corporate Participation in the Virtual Asset Market Background The transaction of virtual assets by corporate entities has been prohibited in principle following government regulations introduced in 2017. At the time, in comparison to transactions by individuals, the government was concerned that corporate transactions of virtual assets could pose significant threats of money laundering and market overheating. Thus, the government decided to ban corporate transactions of virtual assets to help ease the highly speculative market conditions, and as a routine practice, banks have been restricting the opening of real-name verified accounts for corporations intended for virtual asset transactions. However, with the implementation of the Virtual Asset User Protection Act from July 19, 2024, the legislative foundation has been established to provide protections for users. In addition, there have been changes in market environment with major countries around the world widely accepting corporate transactions of virtual assets and the demand for pursuing new blockchain-related business opportunities rising among domestic businesses. As such, there has been growing demand for permitting corporate entities to engage in virtual asset transactions in the domestic market. Against this backdrop, the virtu
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Feb 12, 2025

Household Loans, January 2025

In January 2025, the outstanding balance of household loans across all financial sectors declined KRW0.9 trillion (preliminary), turning back down from the growth of KRW2.0 trillion in the previous month. (By Type) Home mortgage loans increased KRW3.3 trillion, growing at a slightly slower rate from the previous month (up KRW3.4 trillion). Mortgage loans expanded at a faster rate in the banking sector (up KRW0.8 trillion up KRW1.7 trillion) but at a slower rate in the nonbanking sector (up KRW2.6 trillion up KRW1.6 trillion). Other types of loans fell KRW4.2 trillion, declining at a faster rate compared with the previous month (down KRW1.4 trillion), as the pace of decline expanded significantly in the nonbanking sector (down KRW0.3 trillion down KRW2.0 trillion). (By Sector) Household loans in the banking sector saw a similar level of decline from the previous month but shifted back down in the nonbanking sector. In January 2025, banks saw a drop of KRW0.4 trillion in household loans, showing a similar level of growth from a month ago (down KRW0.4 trillion). Government-backed policy loans increased at a slower rate (up KRW2.5 trillion up KRW2.3 trillion), while banks own mortgage loans declined at a slower rate (down KRW1.7 trillion down KRW0.6 trillion). Other types of loans including credit loans dropped at a faster rate compared with the previous month (down KRW1.1 trillion down KRW2.1 trillion). In the nonbanking sector, household loans fell KRW0.5 trillion, shifting back down from the growth of KRW2.4 trillion a month ago. Mutual finance businesses (up KRW2.2 trillion down KRW0.2 trillion) and insurance companies (up KRW0.3 trillion down KRW0.5 trillion) saw household loans edging down from increases in the previous month. Specialized credit finance businesses experienced a slower pace of decline (down KRW0.3 trillion down KRW0.01 trillion) and savings banks saw a faster rate of growth (up KRW0.1 trillion up KRW0.2 trillion). (Assessment) The outstanding balan
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Feb 05, 2025

FSC Grants Final Approval to Nextrade for Operation of ATS Scheduled to be Launched on March 4

The Financial Services Commission held a regular meeting on February 5 and granted final approval to Nextrade for operating an alternative trading system (ATS). The introduction of an ATS in domestic stock market will officially set off a multiple-exchange and competition-based stock trading system in Korea. As part of capital market reform efforts, the government first established legislative grounds for ATS in 2013 with aims to make capital market more accessible through diversification of stock market infrastructures and improvement in transaction convenience for investors. After granting preliminary approval to Nextrade in July 2023, the FSC and related organizations held a seminar on May 9, 2024 where the authorities introduced a set of measures on ATS operation and integrated market management and oversight plans. Based on diverse opinions discussed at this seminar, Nextrade took steps needed to prepare its organization and set up a trading operation and filed an application to the FSC on November 29, 2024 to obtain final approval for operating ATS. After having an external review conducted by a committee of private sector experts and going through a screening of qualifications by the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), the FSC decided to grant final approval to Nextrade for the operation of ATS. Expected Changes in Trading Experience with Nextrade Nextrade plans to begin operating from March 4, 2025. Nextrades launch is expected to bring about increased benefits to investors, such as extended trading hours, availability of more diverse order types, and reduction in transaction costs resulting from competition over fees. The market oversight and supervisory framework will also shift to an integrated system to ensure investor protections. I. A new stock trading experience Aside from regular trading hours, which will be identically operated by both the Korea Exchange (KRX) and Nextrade, the ATS will operate pre-market (between 08:00 and 08:50) and after-market
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Feb 03, 2025

Rule Changes Proposed to Establish Legal Grounds for Fractional Investment and Allow ATS to Trade ETFs

The Financial Services Commission issued a preliminary notice of rule changes on February 3 regarding the Enforcement Decree and Enforcement Rules of the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act (FSCMA) and subordinate regulations on financial investment businesses and the issuance and disclosure of securities. The rule changes being proposed address the following. First, there will be legal grounds established for fractional investment platforms issuing beneficiary certificates and securities lending intermediary platforms (both currently operate under the regulatory sandbox program). Second, trading exchange traded funds (ETFs) and exchange traded notes (ETNs) will be made possible via alternative trading system (ATS). Third, IPO bookrunners will be required to conduct due diligence and prohibited from accepting compensation outside the confines of the contract. Other rule changes include the followingmaking backdoor listing (where a larger sized non-listed firm determined by corporate value merges with a smaller sized listed firm) subject to listing review, allowing more types of foreign currency-denominated bonds (supranational bonds and Korean paper) to be included in the foreign currency repurchase agreements (repos) offered to investors, and raising the limit on retail investors over-the-counter (OTC) bond transactions in small scale, which are eligible for same-day transaction settlement (T+0), to KRW10 billion from KRW5 billion currently. The rule changes are put up for public comment until March 17 and expected to take effect from June 16 this year after going through a legislative review and a successive approval process. Establishing Legal Ground for Fractional Investment Fractional investment involves the sale of a share in underlying asset, such as real estate and intellectual property, after it has been securitized, and takes the form of public offering of securities. In general, it can take the form of issuing either non-monetary trust b
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Jan 15, 2025

Household Loans, December 2024

Household Loans in 2024 In 2024, the outstanding balance of household loans across all financial sectors went up KRW41.6 trillion (preliminary), growing at a faster rate compared with the end of the previous year (up 2.6 percent). * Change (in trillion KRW, y-o-y): +112.3 (2020), +107.5 (2021), -8.8 (2022), +10.1 (2023), +41.6 (2024P) (By Type) Mortgage loans increased at a faster rate compared with the previous year (up KRW45.1 trillion up KRW57.1) led by the banking sector. Other types of loans fell at a slower rate over the same period (down KRW35.0 trillion down KRW15.5). (By Sector) Household loans grew at a faster rate in the banking sector compared with the previous year (up KRW37.1 trillion up KRW46.2 trillion), while declining at a slower rate in the nonbanking sector (down KRW27.0 trillion down KRW4.6 trillion). Mortgage loan growth from banks stayed at a similar level from a year ago (up KRW51.6 trillion up KRW52.1 trillion). Other types of loans from banks continued to decline but at a slower rate compared with the previous year (down KRW14.5 trillion down KRW5.9 trillion). Household loans in the nonbanking sector rose in the specialized credit finance (up KRW3.2 trillion), savings banks (up KRW1.5 trillion), and insurance (up KRW0.5 trillion) sectors, but declined in the mutual finance (down KRW9.8 trillion) sector. Household Loans in December 2024 In December 2024, the outstanding balance of household loans across all financial sectors rose KRW2.0 trillion (preliminary), growing at a slower rate compared with the previous month (up KRW5.0 trillion). (By Type) In December, mortgage loans from banks rose at a slower rate compared with the previous month (up KRW4.0 trillion up KRW3.4 trillion). Other types of loans turned back down from the growth a month ago (up KRW1.0 trillion down KRW1.4 trillion). (By Sector) Household loans shifted back lower in the banking sector from the growth in the previous month (up KRW1.9 trillion down KRW0.4 trillion), but in
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Dec 17, 2024

Revised Rules on Credit Information Businesses to Lower Entry Barrier

The Financial Services Commission announced that a partial revision bill for the Credit Information Use and Protection Act has been approved by the government at the cabinet meeting held on December 17. The revision makes the entry barrier more reasonable for business credit rating service providers, improves the quality of business credit evaluation models by making them subject to a periodic review by an external verification committee, and incorporates into the law the current preliminary approval system for credit information businesses, which has been operating as part of a subordinate regulation. First, the revision bill abolishes the current investment requirement for financial companies toward business credit rating service providers. Currently, corporate entities that have secured at least 50 percent of investment from financial companies were allowed to apply for licenses to operate as business credit rating service providers. However, considering the need to promote the entry of more businesses that are equipped with various types of business data into the business credit rating service sector, stock companies established as prescribed under the Commercial Act will be newly authorized to operate as business credit rating service providers. Second, the revision bill will make business credit evaluation models subject to a periodic review by an external verification committee to regularly check their appropriateness and improve quality management. Under the current system, credit evaluation models for individuals and sole proprietors are subject to a periodic review performed by the verification committee operated by Korea Credit Information Services. However, an external review mechanism has been lacking for business credit evaluation models. Thus, this revision bill makes them subject to an external review, which will help to improve the quality management over credit evaluation models. Third, the revision bill brings into the law the current preliminary
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