SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — The Internet-only Kakao Bank has succeeded in starting big, gaining over 1 million clients in just five days following its launch, but how the initial clients are using the service suggests there is room for improvement, industry watchers said Tuesday. Kakao Bank outdid four-months-old K-Bank, the country’s first Internet-only [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of people in South Korea with financial assets worth more than 1 billion won (US$892,295) rose 14.8 percent on year to 242,000 last year, thanks to the robust stock market, a report showed Tuesday. According to the annual survey by KB Financial Group Inc.’s research institute, people [...]
SEOUL, Jul. 31 (Korea Bizwire) — A local think tank said Monday that it has revised up South Korea’s growth forecast for this year on the back of increased exports amid the global economic recovery. The Korea Institute of Finance adjusted the country’s gross domestic product growth to 3 percent, up 0.2 percentage point from [...]
SEOUL, July 31 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s leading conglomerates had some 116 trillion won (US$103.29 billion) in cash or cashable assets as of the end of March this year, an increase of 54 percent from five years ago, data showed Monday, a sign that the companies remain hesitant about investing. Seventy-two companies were analyzed [...]
SEOUL, Jul. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — Kakao Bank, South Korea’s second Internet-only bank, said Friday it attracted over 300,000 accounts during the bank’s first day of operations, far outpacing the growth of its competitor and traditional banks. Kakao Bank, led by Kakao Corp., operator of Korea’s dominant messaging app KakaoTalk, started operations Thursday, in the [...]
SEOUL, Jul. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean conglomerate Samsung’s startup supporting venture ‘Samsung Next’ has for the first time invested in a South Korean startup since its establishment five years ago. The latest beneficiary of Samsung’s investment scheme is Mobidoo, a small startup company with fewer than ten employees that specializes in payment solutions and mobile [...]
SEOUL, Jul. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s second Internet-only bank, Kakao Bank, is set to begin operations Thursday, in the latest move by the government to reinvigorate the nation’s banking sector suffering from weaker growth. The planned launch of Kakao Bank, led by Kakao Corp., operator of Korea’s dominant messaging app KakaoTalk, came after [...]
SEOUL, Jul. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s rapidly aging population is likely to reduce the nation’s overseas equities investment as seniors will likely move to sell assets due to falling living standards, researchers at the Bank of Korea (BOK) said Wednesday. As the global financial markets become more interconnected, older people will have a [...]
SEOUL, Jul. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — On July 25, Statistics Korea released its findings on the labor market for the elderly (ages 55 to 79). Titled “Results of Supplementary Research on the Elderly Labor Market for May, 2017”, the report contains extensive insight into the elderly population’s general work history, pensions, and attitudes towards work [...]
SEJONG, July 26 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s ratio of tax burden to its gross domestic product (GDP) will likely reach fresh record highs this year and next on a potential tax hike and rapidly rising government spending, government data showed Wednesday. According to the finance ministry, the government is expected to collect more than 250 trillion won (US$223 [...]