Financial Services Commission
Scope
Date
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IPOs
KakaoBank becomes Korea's most valuable lender
KakaoBank Corp. became South Korea’s first listed internet-only bank and the country's most valuable lender upon its trading debut on Aug. 6...
Aug 06, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
Naver Financial, SoftBank invest $25 mn in blockchain startup TBCASoft
South Korea-based Naver Financial, the fintech arm of online giant Naver Corp., has invested $20 million in a Series B funding round for the US-base...
Aug 05, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Banking & Finance
Korea’s major banking groups post record-high earnings in H1
South Korea’s major banking groups have posted the highest-ever net profit figures in the first half of this year. Shinhan Financial Group rep...
Jul 27, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
KDB seeks to sell $2.3 bn CBs in HMM to lay groundwork for stake sale
The state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) is seeking to sell 2.6 trillion won ($2.3 billion) in perpetual convertible bonds issued by HMM Co., th...
Jul 19, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Robotics
Woowa Brothers launches last-mile indoor food delivery robot in Seoul
Woowa Brothers Corp., South Korea’s top food delivery app operator, has launched a last-mile indoor robot food delivery service, as people inc...
Jul 13, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Central banking
Fed’s Powell, BOK chief to meet during G20 gathering
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Bank of Korea (BOK) Governor Lee Ju-yeol will meet during a Group of 20 (G20) gathering of finance ministe...
Jul 09, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Pension funds
NPS bets big on property development as asset prices soar
The National Pension Service (NPS) has been increasing its appetite for office buildings in the development stage as part of an effort to snatch up ...
Jul 09, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
Grocery delivery platform Oasis valuation tops $650 mn; eyes US expansion
South Korea-based grocery delivery platform Oasis Corp., referred to as Oasis Market, has attracted 50 billion won ($44 million) from global private...
Jul 07, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Pension funds
Govt pension fund makes first foray into overseas infrastructure
South Korea's Government Employees Pension Service (GEPS) has awarded a combined $105 million mandates to Goldman Sachs, Macquarie and Paris-based A...
Jul 06, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Future mobility
LG invests $88 mn in Kakao Mobility as both seek new growth opportunities
LG Corp., the holding company of South Korea’s fourth-largest conglomerate LG Group, is investing 100 billion won ($88 million) in Kakao Mobil...
Jul 02, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Sovereign wealth funds
KIC aims to boost alternatives to 25% by 2027
The Korea Investment Corporation (KIC) will gradually increase alternative investments such as venture capital, private equity and debt, and infrast...
Jul 01, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean games
Why Google is getting heat from game companies on recent commission cuts
Global IT giant Google is facing strong backlash from South Korean game companies angry with having to pay a 30% commission on in-app purchases whil...
Jun 29, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Artificial intelligence
NH Financial to buy $20 mn stake in Japan's solar farm
South Korea's NongHyup Financial Group, or NH Financial Group, has acquired a stake in a solar power plant in Japan from Korea Electric Power Corp. ...
Jun 28, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Krafton hiccup: Financial regulator concerned over high IPO share price
South Korean game developer Krafton Inc.'s road to an initial public offering is getting rocky with the country's financial regulator expressing con...
Jun 25, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Pre-IPOs
Korea’s leading e-book startups eye IPO in 2022
South Korea’s leading e-book platforms are targeting to go public next year. The country’s subscription-based e-book service provider Mi...
Jun 25, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Life & Arts
Art auction sales in Korea soar to highest point since 2008 financial crisis
South Korea’s art market is facing the biggest boom since the global financial crisis, drawing wealthy investors and art enthusiasts alike. Se...
Jun 23, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Retail
LX Group’s Pantos to enter e-commerce market with fulfillment service
Pantos Co., the logistics unit of South Korea’s newly established LX Group, is entering the global e-commerce market by launching a worldwide ...
Jun 22, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Banking & Finance
Singapore emerges as new financial hub for S.Korean banks
South Korea’s major banks are rushing to Singapore as the city-state is emerging as a new financial hub in Southeast Asia, replacing the tradi...
Jun 18, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
Service marketplace Soomgo raises nearly $30 mn in Series C round
South Korea-based Brave Mobile Inc., the operator of service matching platform Soomgo, has secured 32 billion won ($28.6 million) in a Series C fund...
Jun 14, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Banking & Finance
Hana Financial partners with Line to launch digital bank in Indonesia
Naver Corp.’s Japan-based messaging app affiliate Line Corp. is rapidly expanding its digital banking business in Asian countries outside Kore...
Jun 13, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
Delivery service provider Barogo wraps up $72 mn Series C round
Logistics IT platform service Barogo has successfully wrapped up an 80 billion won ($72 million) Series C round, far above the company's initial tar...
Jun 10, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Lotte Rental kicks off $360 mn IPO process, seeks $1.8 bn valuation
South Korea’s leading rental car company Lotte Rental Co. has kicked off an initial public offering process to raise some 400 billion won ($36...
May 31, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Fintech
KakaoBank’s skyrocketing valuation fuels debate on financial reform
There have been near-endless debates regarding the “proper valuation” of KakaoBank, South Korea’s largest internet-only bank that ...
May 25, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Asset management
Woori Financial takes over Franklin Templeton’s retail fund business
Woori Financial Group has been selected to acquire Franklin Templeton Investments’ retail fund business in South Korea, less than a month sinc...
May 14, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
Laundry service Wash Swat wraps up $16 mn Series B round
South Korea-based laundry service startup Wash Swat Inc. has secured 17.5 billion won ($16 million) in Series B round funding, bringing the company'...
May 03, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Future mobility
Hyundai Motor pilots EV mobility service for pets
Hyundai Motor Group will pilot an urban mobility service for pets in Seoul, using a specially designed Ray EV model by Kia Corp. The group said on A...
Apr 26, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Venture capital
GS Galtex to partner with Kakao for mobility services
South Korea's GS Caltex Corp., aiming to become a logistics platform, will invest around 30 billion won ($26 million) in Kakao Mobility Corp. to str...
Mar 31, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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ESG
BOK tells institutions to cut exposure in high carbon sectors
The Bank of Korea has asked the country’s financial institutions to reduce exposure in economic sectors that generate high levels of carbon em...
Mar 25, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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SK Group's financial story: Measure, divest and focus
Last month, South Korea's third-largest conglomerate SK Group agreed to sell its 21-year-old baseball club SK Wyverns to the country’s leading...
Mar 09, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Future mobility
Kakao forays into pet taxi service; buys Pet Me Up
South Korea-based Kakao Mobility Corp., a subsidiary of mobile giant Kakao Corp., has acquired the country's leading pet taxi service, Pet Me Up, in...
Mar 09, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)