SEOUL, June 30 (Korea Bizwire) — As smartphones and online platforms become the dominant gateway to financial services, a new academic study has found that digital transaction literacy is the most crucial skill for sound personal financial management—outweighing traditional financial knowledge or attitudes. According to research by Professor Yang Se-jung’s team at Sangmyung University, published [...]
SEOUL, June 30 (Korea Bizwire) — The Bank of Korea (BOK) has put the second phase of its central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot program on hold, signaling mounting pressure from commercial banks and a shifting digital finance landscape increasingly shaped by stablecoin developments. The abrupt pause, disclosed in a virtual meeting with participating banks [...]
SEOUL, June 27 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean stocks fell for the second-straight session Friday as investors continued to cash in recent gains. The local currency fell against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) dropped 23.62 points, or 0.77 percent, to close at 3,055.94. Trade volume was moderate at 377.4 [...]
SEOUL, June 27 (Korea Bizwire) — The financial authorities’ latest measures to restrict ballooning household debt are expected to help cool down the overheated housing market in Seoul’s sought-out areas, experts said Friday. The Financial Services Commission (FSC) announced earlier in the day that all local lenders will be forced to sharply lower their household [...]
SEOUL, June 27 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean venture companies are showing signs of renewed optimism, with overall business sentiment rebounding for the first time in a year, according to data released Thursday by the Korea Venture Business Association. The Venture Business Survey Index (BSI) for the second quarter rose to 89.8, marking an 11.2-point [...]
SEOUL, June 26 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s central bank said Thursday it will sell up to 7.2 trillion won (US$5.31 billion) worth of monetary stabilization bonds (MSBs) in July. The planned issuance represents a 600 billion-won increase from a month earlier, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). As policy tools devised to absorb [...]
SEOUL, June 26 (Korea Bizwire) — Naver Pay, a mobile payment service operated by internet giant Naver Corp., said Thursday it is ready to take a leading role in South Korea’s potential won-based stablecoin market, leveraging its extensive digital finance and wallet infrastructure. “There have been active discussions over the past two weeks, but the [...]
SEOUL, June 26 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s financial investment in the United States surged to an all-time high in 2024, as domestic investors increasingly turned to U.S. stocks and production facilities amid a shifting global economic landscape, data from the Bank of Korea showed Thursday. According to the central bank’s provisional international investment balance sheet, [...]
SEOUL, June 26 (Korea Bizwire) — Nearly two-thirds of South Korea’s self-employed small business owners say their economic conditions have worsened this year, fueling renewed calls for a freeze or even a cut to the minimum wage, according to a new survey that underscores deepening financial pressures on the country’s smallest enterprises. The survey, released [...]
SEOUL, June 26 (Korea Bizwire) — In a year defined by economic uncertainty and global industry shifts, Hyundai Motor Group stood out as South Korea’s most impactful corporate force—fueling growth across sectors and surpassing all other conglomerates in total economic contribution. According to data released Thursday by corporate tracker CEO Score, the automotive giant generated [...]