SEOUL, May 23 (Korea Bizwire) — South Koreans’ overseas card spending fell by the largest margin in three years in the first quarter from three months earlier due mainly to a decline in overseas direct purchases, data showed Friday. The amount of money spent overseas by South Koreans with credit and debit cards came to [...]
SEOUL, May 22 (Korea Bizwire) – In an unusual move underscoring the strategic importance of South Korea’s digital currency initiatives, Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong has personally visited the heads of the country’s major commercial banks, urging their active participation in two key central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot projects. According to industry sources, Rhee [...]
SEOUL, May 21 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean stocks finished nearly 1 percent higher Wednesday to snap a two-day fall, as investors bolstered bio, heavy industry and other blue chips despite overnight losses on Wall Street. The local currency gained against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) gained 23.78 points, [...]
SEOUL, May 20 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea and the European Union (EU) agreed Tuesday on the need to boost cooperation in responding to growing cyberthreats worldwide, including North Korea’s cryptocurrency theft, to ensure a safe and open cyberspace order, Seoul’s foreign ministry said. The two sides shared the understanding during their bilateral policy dialogue [...]
SEOUL, May 20 (Korea Bizwire) — Internet-only K-Bank is again seeking to go public after previously delaying or nixing its initial public offering (IPO) plans on three occasions, industry sources said Tuesday. In October, the company said it would postpone its IPO till early this year, citing low demand from investors. In January, the bank [...]
SEOUL, May 20 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s household credit reached a record high in the first quarter, though its growth slowed due to lending regulations and a decline in credit loans, central bank data showed Tuesday. Outstanding household credit had stood at 1,928.7 trillion won (US$1.39 trillion) as of end-March, up 2.8 trillion won [...]
SEOUL, May 20 (Korea Bizwire) — The country’s financial regulator said Tuesday that tighter rules on household loans will come into effect from July as planned amid still higher debt levels. According to the Financial Services Commission (FSC), tighter debt-service-ratio (DSR) rules will be applied to virtually all kinds of household debts, and the stress [...]
SEOUL, May 20 (Korea Bizwire) — The value of South Korea’s virtual asset market nearly doubled in the second half of last year from six months earlier, on rising prices of cryptocurrencies, data showed Tuesday. The market capitalization of the virtual asset market had come to 107.7 trillion won (US$77.6 billion) as of end-2024, up [...]
SEOUL, May 20 (Korea Bizwire) — A growing wave of carve-out mergers and acquisitions (M&A)—in which large corporations sell off non-core business units—is reshaping the South Korean dealmaking landscape, with private equity (PE) firms emerging as key players. According to a recent report by the Korea Capital Market Institute, domestic conglomerates are accelerating portfolio streamlining in response [...]
SEOUL, May 16 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean stocks finished a tad higher Friday as investors scooped up food and defense shares amid eased tariff woes. The local currency rose to its highest level in six months against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) gained 5.51 points, or 0.21 percent, [...]