Next Finance Initiative
Scope
Date
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Petrochemicals
Lotte to resume $4.4 bn Indonesia petrochemical project next year
Lotte Group plans to resume a $4.4 billion petrochemical project in Indonesia next year as it aims to expand the business in Southeast Asia where de...
Aug 01, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Hydrogen economy
California to deploy 30 Hyundai hydrogen trucks for public projects
Hyundai Motor Co.’s XCIENT hydrogen fuel cell trucks will be running the roads of California as part of two publicly funded projects to improv...
Jul 27, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Alternative investments
Kookmin Bank to co-finance $840 mn US solar project
Kookmin Bank, South Korea's largest lender, will provide a $100 million loan to finance a solar power project led by US-based investment firm ECP as...
Jul 22, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Biotech
IMB Dx eyes platform to detect stage 1 cancer with single draw of blood
IMB Dx Inc., a South Korean biotechnology startup focusing on diagnostic devices, plans to develop a platform that can detect early-stage cancer wit...
Jul 22, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Cryptocurrencies
Kakao’s Ground X to work on Korea central bank digital currency initiative
Kakao Corp.’s blockchain arm Ground X was selected as a simulator for the Bank of Korea-led central bank digital currency (CBDC) project, beat...
Jul 20, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Aerospace & Defense
SpaceX to launch S.Korea’s next-generation satellite
Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) have joined hands to develop next-generation mid-sized satellite projectiles, suggesti...
Jul 19, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Pre-IPOs
Masayoshi Son's top pick Yanolja eyes 2023 Nasdaq listing
South Korea's largest travel platform Yanolja has raised 2 trillion won ($1.7 billion) from the Masayoshi Son-led SoftBank Vision Fund II, marking t...
Jul 15, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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M&As
Affinity, GS Retail likely to acquire Korean delivery platform Yogiyo
A consortium led by global investment firm Affinity Equity Partners is the most likely candidate to acquire South Korea’s second-largest food ...
Jul 15, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Corporate investment
LG Chem to invest $8.7 bn in battery material, renewable, bio sectors
LG Chem Ltd., South Korea’s top chemical maker, said on Wednesday it will invest 10 trillion won ($8.7 billion) in the battery material, renew...
Jul 14, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Blockchain
Samsung Next ramps up investment in NFT ventures
Samsung Electronics Co. is betting big on non-fungible token (NFT) companies through its venture capital unit Samsung Next, headquartered in Mountai...
Jul 14, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Corporate bonds
Korea Investment raises $600 mn in first foreign currency bond issue
Korea Investment & Securities Co. raised $600 million in its first foreign currency bonds at lower-than-planned interest rates on strong demand....
Jul 13, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Corporate bonds
KOGAS, Hyundai Motor Turkish unit issue foreign currency bonds at narrower spreads
Korea Gas Corp. (KOGAS) and Hyundai Motor Co.’s Turkish unit sold foreign currency corporate bonds at narrower spreads than their initial targ...
Jul 07, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Petrochemicals
Lotte Chemical to double LPG use as petchem makers diversify feedstock
South Korean Lotte Chemical Corp. plans to double liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) use for ethylene production by next year as the domestic industry ru...
Jul 06, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
Impressivo to bridge fitness and healthcare industry via sensing technology
San Francisco-based startup Impressivo is seeking partnerships in the fitness and healthcare sector as the company aims to bridge the fitness and he...
Jun 30, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Cloud computing
Edge computing revolution to fuel Korea’s growth over the next decade
Korea’s leading firms across multiple industries, from consumer electronics to agricultural equipment, are widening the use of edge computing ...
Jun 30, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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ESG
SK Chairman vows to achieve carbon neutrality ahead of 2050 UN target
SK Group has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality prior to 2050, the year set by the United Nations (UN) to reach net-zero carbon emissions globally...
Jun 23, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Hydrogen economy
Hyosung, Linde kick off building world’s largest liquid hydrogen plant
Hyosung Group has once again made a key step forward in achieving its long-term ambition to become South Korea’s corporate leader in the hydro...
Jun 21, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Culture & Trends
Naver's Line makes remote working the new norm; who will be next?
South Korea-based Line Plus Corp. is set to become the country's first large business group to allow employees to work from home permanently. T...
Jun 18, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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ESG
Korea’s coal power companies squeezed for financing amid ESG fever
South Korea’s coal power companies are facing tighter scrutiny for debt financing as they are increasingly shunned by financial investors amid...
Jun 18, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Markets
Kakao becomes 3rd most valuable company in Korea
Kakao Corp. is now the third most valuable company in Korea, after Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc.Kakao’s market cap on June 15 surp...
Jun 15, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Hydrogen economy
Hyundai, SK, POSCO, Hyosung agree to launch Korea’s hydrogen council
Hyundai Motor Group and three other South Korean conglomerates have agreed to launch an industry-wide consultative body on hydrogen, underscoring an...
Jun 10, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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ESG investing
Korean insurers finance Carlyle's $2 bn deal with ESG debt
South Korean life insurers have made an environmental, social and governance (ESG)-themed investment in The Carlyle Group's €2 billion ($2.4 bi...
Jun 08, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Rights offerings
Hanwha Systems’ $1 bn rights offer oversubscribed; investors to book gains
South Korea’s Hanwha Systems Co. is set for a successful rights offering as the defense and air mobility unit of Hanwha Group has garnered str...
Jun 07, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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ASK 2021 Interview
Goldman Sachs zeros in on midmarket, ESG infrastructure deals
Goldman Sachs Asset Management focuses on middle-market, value-add strategy for infrastructure deals, targeting the sectors undergoing a digital tra...
Jun 03, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
SM Entertainment emerges as next flashpoint for Kakao, Naver rivalry
As SM Entertainment Co., the label behind the global K-pop phenomenon, is up for grabs in the M&A market, the battle heats up between the countr...
Jun 01, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Pre-IPOs
Masayoshi Son-led SoftBank to invest $2 bn in Yanolja
Vision Fund, led by billionaire SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son, has decided to invest around $2 billion in South Korea's largest travel platform Yan...
May 26, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Webtoons
Kakao Japan secures over $500 mn from Anchor Equity; valuation tops $7 bn
Kakao Corp.’s Japanese unit is set to secure 600 billion won ($530 million) from South Korea-based private equity firm Anchor Equity Partners....
May 20, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Digital currency
Naver joins Korean central bank's digital currency initiative
South Korea’s platform giant Naver Corp. is taking the leap into the digital currency platform market with its plans to participate in the Ban...
May 14, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean chipmakers
Samsung to invest $151 bn in foundry by 2030, up 28.5% from initial plan
Samsung Electronics Co. will invest 171 trillion won ($151 billion) by 2030 to take over the global foundry leadership from its archrival TSMC. The ...
May 13, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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ESG
Hanwha Group secures $4.4 bn from KDB to finance ESG business
South Korea’s Hanwha Group has clinched a 5 trillion won ($4.4 billion) commitment from the state-run Korea Development Bank over the next fiv...
May 12, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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