Big Bet
Scope
Date
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Fintech
Naver, techfins poised to spark Korean loan market's Big Bang
South Korea's online giant Naver Corp. is preparing to join a government-initiated fintech platform, on which individual borrowers can directly sear...
Jun 16, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Central bank
Bank of Korea governor sends stronger signal to raise rates this year
South Korea’s central bank governor on Friday flagged a tighter monetary policy for the second time in less than a month, fueling expectations...
Jun 11, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Fintech
KDB bets big on fintech platform Toss ahead of 2023 IPO
The Korea Development Bank (KDB) has decided to invest 80 billion won ($72 million) in the fintech startup Toss via a rights offering. This marks th...
Jun 04, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Beauty & Cosmetics
Korean medical cosmetics firms make big rebound in Q1
South Korean medical cosmetics companies that underwent a tough year in 2020 are posting rejuvenated earning results thanks to s rise in demand in E...
May 24, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
STIC Ventures invests $2 mn in Vietnamese logistics startup EcoTruck
South Korea-based venture capital firm STIC Ventures has recently invested $2 million in a Vietnamese logistics startup EcoTruck, a move aimed at bo...
May 24, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
Fashion platform Ably looks to raise over $20 mn
South Korea-based Ably Corporation, the operator of fashion platform Ably, is seeking to raise around 40 billion won ($35.3 million), attracting a p...
May 20, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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ASK 2021 Interview
Sculptor Capital bets on non-traditional real estate
Non-traditional real estate assets such as cell towers, parking lots and marinas will likely provide significant investment opportunities to debt in...
May 20, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Hydrogen economy
Eight of top 10 Korean conglomerates betting on hydrogen
There was a time when virtually all major South Korean firms were racing to make something big and heavy. Power plants, offshore oil and gas constru...
May 12, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
Big data firm FiscalNote eyes SPAC listing in US; valuation could top $1 bn
FiscalNote, a Washington D.C.-based tech firm that uses artificial intelligence and big data to track, predict and analyze regulation and legislatio...
Apr 26, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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COVID-19
Korean PEFs raise bets on pandemic-hit aircraft sector
The aviation industry, one of the hardest-hit sectors by the global pandemic, is now whetting the appetite of South Korean private equity firms whic...
Apr 22, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Overseas derivatives
Brokerage firms enjoy rising bets on global derivatives
South Korean brokerage houses enjoyed a bumper year in 2020 with a record fee income from global derivatives trading, driven by retail investors' ve...
Apr 14, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Economy
KOTRA to lead trade digitalization with AI, big data
South Korea’s state-funded Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) is undergoing a full-scale digital transformation to expedite inter...
Mar 31, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Electronics
S.Korea’s top flexible PCB maker wins big in 5G and EVs
BH Co. is South Korea’s leading manufacturer of flexible printed circuit board (FPCB), an essential component of smartphones, from camera to O...
Mar 10, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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IT & Tech
Samsung creates big data center under direct CEO control
Samsung Electronics Co. has launched a Big Data Center in a move to improve the use of big data in the development, marketing and sales of smartphon...
Feb 18, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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K-pop
Big Hit, Naver to join with Universal Music to take K-pop platform global
Big Hit Entertainment Co., the label behind K-pop sensation BTS, and portal giant Naver Corp. are set to team up with Universal Music Group, the wor...
Feb 04, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Partnerships
Naver, Big Hit, YG join forces to conquer K-pop fan community market
The K-pop fan community scene is set to heat up even further as South Korea platform giant Naver Corp. joins forces with BTS label Big Hit Entertain...
Jan 28, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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ESG
Korea requires major companies to disclose ESG activities from 2025
Big companies listed on South Korea’s major stock market will be required to disclose their business activities related to environmental, soci...
Jan 14, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Year-end review
Korea’s retail investors go West, eye golden ticket for big money
For South Korean stock investors, 2020 may go down in history as the year of The Great Quest for big money, and at the end of their journey they fou...
Dec 31, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Pension funds
Ontario Teachers invests in Korean fried chicken brand valued at $1.7 bn
The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP) has agreed to invest 300 billion won ($275 million) in South Korea’s leading fried chicken brand B...
Dec 16, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Survey
Bank CEOs in Korea pick big tech as top 2021 challenge
Chief executives of banks operating in South Korea have picked the emergence of big technology companies and fintech startups in the credit market a...
Dec 08, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Korean IPOs lose steam as Big Hit shares plummet
Big Hit Entertainment Co., the South Korean entertainment agency behind global sensation BTS, saw its shares drop by as much as 22% on Oct.16, the sec...
Oct 16, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
BTS label Big Hit trims gains after strong debut
Big Hit Entertainment Co., the label behind K-pop boyband sensation BTS, nearly halved its initial gains by the close of its first day of trading Oct....
Oct 15, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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ESG
Hyosung’s recycled yarn from PET bottles lures fashion brands
Hyosung TNC Corp. is experimenting with something that may seem strange in the eyes of some: making recycled yarn from discarded PET bottles, in a pro...
Oct 13, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Big Hit scores second-highest IPO subscription ever at $50.4 bn
Big Hit Entertainment Co., the label behind global boy band sensation BTS, pulled in 58.4 trillion won ($50.4 billion) with shares oversubscribed by 6...
Oct 06, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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BTS label Big Hit prices IPO at top end of range at $115
Big Hit Entertainment Co. has priced its public share offering at the top end of its proposed range at 135,000 won ($115), with bids outnumbering offe...
Sep 28, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Tech, Media & Telecom
Foreign cloud service providers led by Amazon, MS play big in Korea
Global cloud service providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) are taking a greater share of South Korea’s serverless computing market, where ...
Sep 25, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPO
BTS' Big Hit focuses on sustainable fandom-based business model
Big Hit Entertainment Co., behind the K-pop idols BTS, is switching its focus to online concerts, merchandise and character businesses from offline pe...
Sep 22, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPO
BTS label Big Hit’s caginess upsets investors ahead of IPO bookbuilding
Big Hit Entertainment Co., home to the seven-member boy band BTS, is set to hold its first official IPO-related conference for South Korean institutio...
Sep 21, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Markets
S. Korea’s big companies rattled by retail investors’ growing influence
South Korea’s big companies such as Samsung, LG and Hyundai often make shareholder-friendly moves to accommodate institutional investors, who fl...
Sep 18, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Tech
Korea’s big data companies eye IPOs as investors flush with cash
Tech investors are set to be deluged with initial public offerings as South Korea’s big data companies are pushing to list their shares amid a d...
Sep 15, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)