Credit Finance Association

Debt financing Korea Securities Finance eyes its 1st foreign bond sale in 2026

Korea Securities Finance Corp. (KSF) is preparing to issue its first foreign currency-denominated bonds in 2026 to provide low-cost funding to domes...

Mergers & Acquisitions Kyobo Life poised to buy Japan’s SBI Group-owned savings bank

Kyobo Life Insurance Co. is in the final stages of negotiation with Japanese financial group SBI Holdings Inc. to buy about a 50% stake in SBI Savin...

Banking & Finance Shinhan to lead financing for battery storage project in Japan

Shinhan Financial Group will lead 4.9 billion yen ($35 million) in financing for a large-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) construction pro...

Economy S&P reaffirms South Korea’s AA credit rating with stable outlook

S&P Global Ratings has reaffirmed South Korea’s sovereign credit rating at AA with a stable outlook, citing the country’s resilient ...

Mergers & Acquisitions VIG taps KDB financing to buy 40% stake in Kakao Mobility

South Korea’s private equity firm VIG Partners’ buyout of minority stakes in Kakao Mobility Corp., the nation’s most popular taxi-...

Energy OCI to build $265 mn solar cell plant in Texas, expects $80 mn tax credit

South Korean solar cell company OCI Holdings Co. said on Thursday it will build a solar cell manufacturing plant in Texas through its US subsidiary ...

Private equity Red flags raised even before Homeplus crisis: Sales fall, credit ratings cut

Even before South Korea’s second-largest hypermarket chain Homeplus Co. was put under court receivership due to its worsening financial woes, ...

Pension funds NPS to buy stake in Australia’s Metrics to expand alternative investments

South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS), the world’s third-largest pension fund, has agreed to buy a stake in Australian asset mana...

Sovereign bonds S.Korea courts active funds for $140 bn treasury issuance

South Korea’s finance ministry will hold its largest-ever investor relations (IR) event for global institutional investors at the end of this ...

Regulations Parliament passes bill to expand boards’ fiduciary duties

South Korea's National Assembly on Thursday passed an amendment to the Commercial Act to expand boards of directors’ fiduciary duties to minor...

Private equity Glenwood Credit stresses role as reliable financial partner: CEO Lee

Many companies, big and small, sell or buy affiliated units to raise funds or narrow their focus during economic downturns, and to fund expansion or...

IPOs Doosan Skoda Power eyes Czech IPO, aims to raise $111 million

Doosan Skoda Power, the Czech-based power plant equipment-making unit of South Korea’s Doosan Enerbility Co., plans to list its shares on the ...

ESG Korea Investment Holdings’ MSCI ESG rating upgraded to A

Korea Investment Holdings Co. said on Thursday it was upgraded by three notches from B to A in the MSCI ESG rating this year.The MSCI ESG rating is ...

Private debt Real estate debt outshines corporate credit: Savills IM

Private credit has been among the top picks for alternative investors over the past few years. During the period of high interest rates, corporate l...

Leadership & Management Hyundai's Chung urges guarding against pessimism in ‘perfect storm’

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chairman Chung Euisun on Monday urged executives and employees to guard against pessimism amid a “perfect storm&...

Business & Politics Korea’s new acting president assures economy resilient, security tight

South Korea’s new Acting President Choi Sang-mok said on Friday he is confident that the country’s economy is resilient and its national...

Banking & Finance Lotte Card Card to launch loans for affiliates in Vietnam

South Korea's Lotte Card said on Monday it will launch loans for affiliates in Vietnam.Lotte Finance Vietnam, the Vietnamese corporation of Lotte Ca...

Debt financing Korea debt financing faces woes as $34 bn in corporate bonds mature in H1

South Korea’s financial markets will see nearly 50 trillion won ($34 billion) in corporate bonds mature in the first half of next year —...

Corporate bonds Korea Inc. to face refunding risks with record corporate bond maturities

South Korean companies are expected to face refunding risks thanks to record corporate bond maturities in the first half of 2025, as fundraising con...

Business & Politics South Korea’s sovereign credit rating stable: S&P, Moody's, Fitch

South Korea’s sovereign ratings remain stable despite the political turmoil caused by the short-lived martial law declaration of President Yoo...

Energy Korea’s OCI, US partner CPS Energy sign 20-year energy storage deal

South Korean solar cell company OCI Holdings Co. said on Tuesday it has signed a deal with US power supplier CPS Energy to jointly build a 120-megaw...

Economy South Korea’s economic system remains resilient: finance minister

The South Korean economy is solid, and the government will take “bold and swift’’ actions if needed to stabilize Asia’s four...

Economy Korea’s credit fundamentals remain firm amid political crisis: Fitch

South Korea’s credit rating remained unscathed by the political turmoil caused by the short-lived martial law declaration of President Yoon Su...

Real estate GIC to pick preferred bidder in $1.1 bn Seoul landmark building sale

Singapore’s GIC Private Ltd., the world’s sixth-largest sovereign wealth fund, is set to select a preferred bidder for the sale of a lan...

Mergers & Acquisitions MBK kicks off Lotte Card sale for about $1.4 bn in 2nd bid

Lotte Card Co. is expected to be up for grabs in the first half of next year amid a second sale attempt by its largest shareholder MBK Partners, a N...

Real estate Korean funds offer rescue financing for global offices

South Korean institutional investors are offering rescue financing for overseas office buildings, which their local peers have yet to exit, as they ...

Corporate bonds Korea Inc. rushes to booming local corporate bond market

South Korean companies are rushing to raise money in the local corporate bond market, which is unusually buoyant at year's end amid expectations of ...

Automobiles Hyundai, Kia gets triple A credit rating from S.Korean agencies

Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. said on Monday they received AAA ratings, with Stable outlooks for both companies, from Korea Ratings Corp., Nice In...

Corporate bonds S&P upgrades SK Innovation credit rating to BBB-

Global credit rating agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) announced on Friday that it upgraded SK Innovation Co.'s long-term credit rating from a ...

Corporate bonds Korean brokerages flock to debt market with securities bonds on bull run

South Korea’s leading brokerage houses are flocking to the debt market as bonds issued by securities companies are in growing demand, industry...