Financial stability is a prerequisite to innovation and inclusive finance policies. FSC maintains close market monitoring for any signs of market volatility and works to ensure stability in the financial markets. There are risk factors originating from abroad and from within. FSC focuses on making our economy more resilient from external shocks, such as a disruption in the global supply chain, and supporting Korea’s material, component and equipment industries to help boost their global competitiveness. Internally, FSC is closely monitoring the trends in household debt and seeking reforms to corporate restructuring in order to prevent domestic risk factors from turning into systemic risks. Policies aimed at increasing financial stability also include enhancing fairness in the financial markets by introducing a comprehensive legal framework for the supervision of financial conglomerates, improving market discipline and promoting transparency in corporate disclosure and accounting practices.
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Mar 31, 2020
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Mar 30, 2020
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Mar 25, 2020
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Mar 24, 2020
- Measures to Stabilize Financial Markets
- The government unveiled the financial market stabilization measures on March 24 to help provide sufficient liquidity to businesses and deploy market stability tools to absorb shocks in the financial markets amid the spread of COVID-19.In order to address financing difficulties and help restore stability in the financial markets, the measures will increase the financing support package from KRW50 trillion to more than KRW100 trillion. This includes financing support through policy banks in the amount of KRW58.3 trillion and KRW41.8 trillion funds to help restore stability in the country’s bond market, stock market and short-term money markets.FINANCIAL MARKET CONDITIONSThe concern over a global economic slowdown due to the spread of COVID-19 has brought market volatility in the global financial markets, thus limiting corporate financing channels. From the beginning of March, stock prices in major economies plunged and the won-dollar exchange rate spiked due to a strong dollar.Amid rising uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19, market anxiety has expanded to the corporate bond market and short-term money markets.Unlike the past financial crises, the downturn in the financial markets today started from the real economy — an abrupt slowdown in consumption, production and investment, a breakdown in global supply chains, and a drop in global trade.Due to the decline in domestic demand, a contraction in the real economy and financial market anxieties, it remains difficult to accurately predict the ripple effects of the current economic slowdown caused by COVID-19. Thus, preemptive and bold responses are required to bring stability to the markets.KEY MEASURESI. FINANCING SUPPORT FOR BUSINESSES: KRW58.3 TRILLIONA total of KRW 29.2 trillion in financing support for SMEs and small merchants will be provided.► KRW12.0 trillion in emergency financing support for small merchants► KRW5.5 trillion in special guarantees for SMEs and small merchants► KRW3.0 trillion in full
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Mar 23, 2020
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Mar 22, 2020
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Mar 20, 2020
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Mar 19, 2020
- Government Announces Additional Financial Support for SMEs and Small Merchants
- The government unveiled on March 19, 2020 additional financial support measures aimed at helping the SMEs and small merchants better cope with the burden of economic slowdown amid the COVID-19 outbreak. This is part of the KRW50 trillion package program announced by the government today to better deal with the impact of the outbreak.COVID-19 FINANCIAL SUPPORTThe government unveiled financial support programs1 targeted at the SMEs and small merchants directly hit by the COVID-19 outbreak. The measures including i) extensions on the existing loans and guarantees, ii) new loans and special credit guarantees, and iii) discounts on interest rates and fees, deferment of payments, export-import financing are currently being implemented.Since the first round of financial support was announced on February 7, about KRW6.4 trillion (81,000 individual cases) was provided to mostly small merchants (68,000 cases, 84%). About 19,000 of them were restaurant businesses and 14,000 retail businesses. About 35,000 cases consisted of loan and guarantee extensions whereas newly issued loans and guarantees made up 46,000 cases. In order to continue to provide a sufficient level of financial support, the government has prepared a KRW12 trillion supplementary budget.ADDITIONAL MEASURESI. EXPANDING FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR SMES AND SMALL MERCHANTS HIT BY COVID-19► MATURITY EXTENSION: A minimum of six-month extension on existing loans and guarantees will be provided by all banking and non-banking sectors, including savings banks, insurance companies and credit card companies. The extension will also be applied to deferred payment products and guaranteed loans.► DEFERMENT OF INTEREST PAYMENT: All financial institutions and microfinance institutions will offer a six-month deferment on interest payments for products with maturity date of September 30 or thereafter. The government will review measures to support financial institutions if they face liquidity problems.► FULL GUARANTEES FOR SMALL
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Mar 17, 2020
- Revision Act on Crypto Assets Passes at Cabinet Meeting
- The revision to the Act on Reporting and Using Specified Financial Transaction Information was approved at a cabinet meeting on March 17, 2020. This revision act will place Korea’s legal framework on crypto assets more in line with international standards set forth by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and strengthen its AML/CFT regime.BACKGROUNDAmid growing concerns about the use of crypto assets in money laundering and other illegal activities, the FATF and the G20 worked on a revision to the international standards and urged each country to adopt the revision. The Korean government introduced a revision bill in November last year to reflect this change, and following the passage of the revision act by the National Assembly on March 5 this year, the government approved the revision act at a cabinet meeting today.KEY FEATURESI. REQUIREMENTS FOR CRYPTO ASSET BUSINESS OPERATORSCrypto-asset business operators will be a) required to report their transactions to the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (KoFIU), b) subject to basic AML requirements (e.g. customer due diligence, suspicious transaction reporting, etc.), and c) bound to follow additional obligations such as keeping separate transaction details for users.II. REQUIREMENTS FOR FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONSFinancial institutions dealing with crypto-asset business operators will be required to conduct customer due diligence on crypto-asset business operators and check whether they report their business tow KoFIU and maintain customer deposits in a separate account.If crypto-asset business operators fail to report to the KoFIU or are deemed as high-risk for money laundering, financial institutions are obliged to refuse (or terminate) such transactions. III. SUPERVISION INSPECTIONThe KoFIU will oversee the supervision and may delegate the authority of inspection to the Financial Supervisory Service.The revision bill will take effect one year after promulgation, and the current crypto-asset business operators will be g
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Mar 13, 2020
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Mar 12, 2020
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Mar 12, 2020
- Vice Chairman Holds Meeting to Assess Progress of COVID-19 Financing Support
- FSC Vice Chairman Sohn Byungdoo convened a meeting on March 12, 2020 to assess the implementation of the financing support for the SMEs and small merchants hit by the COVID-19 outbreak.PROGRESSBetween February 7 and March 10, a total of KRW4.6346 trillion (60,813 individual cases) in loans and guarantees as well as loan and guarantee extensions were provided to the SMEs, small merchants and self-employed business owners whose businesses have been hit by the spread of COVID-19► Financing by type: KRW 2.0633 trillion (32,309 cases) in new loans, KRW 2.406 trillion (25,393 cases) in maturity extensions and deferred payments, and KRW 165.3 billion (3,111 cases) in export-import credit finance, discounted interest rates and late fees and deferment of interest payment► Financing by industry: KRW703.9 billion to wholesale businesses, KRW499.8 billion to restaurant businesses and KRW485.3 billion to retail businesses► Financing by provider: KRW2.7892 trillion (42,693 cases) by policy banks, KRW1.8454 trillion (18,120 cases) by private financial institutions FURTHER PLANSThe FSC will work to maintain stability in the financial system amid the spread of COVID-19. As for call centers, the group training will be refrained. While continuing to improve the business continuity plans, the government will encourage financial institutions to draw up additional response plans to help contain the spread of COVID-19.* Please refer to the attached PDF for details.
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Mar 10, 2020
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Mar 10, 2020
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Mar 05, 2020
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Mar 03, 2020
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Feb 28, 2020
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Feb 28, 2020
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Feb 27, 2020
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Feb 21, 2020
- Government to Closely Monitor Business Needs amid COVID-19 Outbreak
- FSC Vice Chairman Sohn Byungdoo convened a meeting on February 21, 2020 to assess the implementation of the financing support intended to help SMEs and small merchants amid the COVID-19 outbreak.PROGRESSBetween February 7 and 18, a total of KRW322.8 billion (5,683 individual cases) in loans and guarantees as well as loan and guarantee extensions were provided to the SMEs, small merchants and self-employed business owners whose businesses have been hit by the spread of COVID-19.► SME financing by policy banks: KRW16.2 billion in new loans, KRW31.96 billion in loan extensions, KRW25.48 billion in new guarantees and KRW62.1 billion in guarantee extensions► Small merchant financing by policy banks: KRW1.34 billion in new loans, KRW1.53 billion in new guarantees and KRW91.6 in guarantee extensions► Local banks provided KRW86.45 billion (179 cases) in total: KRW17.14 billion in new loans and KRW42.88 billion in maturity extensions and deferred payments► For small businesses, credit card companies also provided about KRW4.47 billion in discounted interest rates and late fees, and about KRW380 million in deferred payment plans.FURTHER PLANSThe government will continue to review how the COVID-19 financing support measures are being provided to the businesses in need and ensure a prompt delivery to the affected companies.While closely monitoring the business needs, the government will draw up additional measures when necessary.* Please refer to the attached PDF for details.