Korea Investment & Securities, UBP seek private banking partnership
Korea Investment & Securities Co. (KIS), a unit of Korea Investment Holdings Co., said on Thursday it has discussed a strategic partnership with...
South Korean airlines bank on China routes for profit recovery
South Korean airlines are ramping up international routes, particularly to China, Japan and Southeast Asian countries, in a bid to boost profitabili...
BOK chief warns household debt near tipping point, keeps rates steady
Rhee Chang-yong, governor of the Bank of Korea (BOK), warned on Thursday that mounting household debt is now undermining both private consumption an...
Cohen & Steers names Andrew Shin to lead S.Korea institutional business
US-based investment firm Cohen & Steers Inc. has appointed Andrew Shin, a 20-year veteran of the institutional investment market, as vice presid...
Hanwha acquires Indonesian bank, first foreign banking venture by Korean insurer
Hanwha Life Insurance Co. has become the first South Korean insurance firm to advance into the overseas banking sector by securing a controlling sta...
NH, KB Securities, Kookmin Bank, Kim & Chang lead capital markets in H1
NH Investment & Securities Co. retained its lead in South Korea’s equity capital market (ECM) in the first half, riding a surge in large-s...
Fubon Bank expands Korea presence into banking
Fubon Bank, Taiwan’s largest bank, is poised to open its first office in Seoul in July, expanding its footprint in South Korea beyond insuranc...
KakaoBank rallies after winning Thai virtual banking license
Shares in KakaoBank Corp. soared as much as 17% to hit their highest level in nearly three years on Friday after the South Korean internet-only bank...
S.Korea’s CDMO giant Samsung Biologics to offer CRO services
Samsung Biologics Co., the world’s largest contract drugmaker, will enter the contract research organization (CRO) market by leveraging its va...
K-pop pilgrimage boosts Seoul ahead of BTS comeback
With the days numbered until all seven BTS members reunite as a group, a K-pop pilgrimage is revitalizing Seoul’s cultural and tourism sectors...
Hyundai Motor-backed Motional names AI veteran Laura Major as CEO
Motional Inc., the autonomous driving joint venture backed by Hyundai Motor Group, has appointed Laura Major, an artificial intelligence and robotic...
Korea’s stablecoin trade at $42 bn; BOK balks at non-bank stablecoin deals
South Korea’s central bank is cautious about non-banks and fintech firms issuing and handling stablecoins amid a global cryptocurrency rally, ...
SpaceX’s Starlink, Eutelsat’s OneWeb land in Korea for LEO satellite services
South Korea has officially cleared the way for low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite internet services, granting regulatory approval for SpaceX’s St...
BOK turns more dovish after 25 bp rate cut; 2025 growth outlook halved
The Bank of Korea (BOK) on Thursday cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point to 2.5%, citing growing concerns over faltering do...
Korean pension funds, insurers seek customized investment vehicles
South Korean institutional investors are increasingly interested in separately managed accounts (SMAs) that offer customized strategies, as well as ...
Morgan Stanley stalwart Cho bows out after over 10 years at the helm
The investment banking head of Morgan Stanley’s Seoul office is stepping down after overseeing a series of landmark deals over more than a dec...
Korean Air, Delta to buy 25% stake in Canada’s WestJet for $550 million
Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea’s largest full-service carrier, and its joint venture partner Delta Air Lines Inc. will acquire a 25% stake ...
S.Korea’s GEPS to commit $143 million to foreign mid-cap buyout funds
The Government Employees Pension Service (GEPS), one of South Korea’s top three public pension programs, will commit up to 200 billion won ($1...
KakaoBank posts record Q1 profit, eyes Thai expansion after Indonesia
KakaoBank Corp., a leading South Korean internet-only bank, posted its highest quarterly profit in the first quarter, defying a drop in interest inc...
Coupang’s Q1 revenue up; quarterly dip signals rising competition
Coupang Inc., South Korea’s largest e-commerce platform, extended its year-on-year sales growth with an 11.1% increase to post $7.9 billion in...
Woori Financial wins approval for Tongyang, ABL Life acquisition
Woori Financial Group Inc., South Korea’s fourth-largest financial services provider, has received conditional approval from the country&rsquo...
Kookmin Bank raises $700 mn in forex bonds amid strong demand
Kookmin Bank, a unit of KB Financial Group, raised $700 million in foreign exchange bonds on Tuesday, signaling a recovery in investor sentiment tow...
Hanwha Ocean shares sink after KDB's sale of 4.2% stake
Investors rushed to dump Hanwha Ocean Co. shares early Tuesday after its second-largest shareholder, Korea Development Bank, cashed in on a 4.2% sta...
Kyobo Life poised to buy Japan’s SBI Group-owned savings bank
Kyobo Life Insurance Co. is in the final stages of negotiation with Japanese financial group SBI Holdings Inc. to buy about a 50% stake in SBI Savin...
S.Korea’s medical tourism thrives on weak currency
Foreign visitors to South Korea jumped nearly 20% early this year, largely driven by a sharp depreciation in the country’s currency value agai...
LG CNS breaks into US smart city market
LG CNS Co., the information technology service unit of South Korea’s LG Group, has won its first public-sector smart city contracts in the US,...
US PE firm Miri Capital ups stake in Korea’s STIC Investments
US private equity firm Miri Capital Management LLC said on Tuesday it has raised its stake in STIC Investments Inc. to step up its shareholder activ...
Korean Air to finalize $32.7 bn deals with Boeing, GE Aerospace
Korean Air Lines Co., the country’s top full-service carrier, is set to soon finalize $32.7 billion deals with Boeing Co. and GE Aerospace for...
MBK chairman to leverage own funds to pay Homeplus suppliers
Michael ByungJu Kim, the co-founder, partner and chairman of Northeast Asia-focused private equity firm (PEF) MBK Partners Ltd., is expected to leve...
Shinhan Bank partners with Hyundai Mobis for loan services to suppliers
Hyundai Mobis Co., South Korea’s top auto parts maker, has partnered with the country’s biggest lender Shinhan Bank to help its partners...
