Woori Finance Research Institute

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...

Woori Financial wins approval for Tongyang, ABL Life acquisition

Woori Financial Group Inc., South Korea’s fourth-largest financial services provider, has received conditional approval from the country&rsquo...

Earnings S.Korea’s top 4 financial holding firms cheer upbeat Q1 results

South Korea’s top four financial holding companies – Shinhan, KB, Hana and Woori – reported stellar earnings for the first quarter...

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...

Korean stock market NPS pours $3.9 bn to buttress Korean stock market

South Korea’s National Pension Service, the country’s largest institutional investor, has come to the rescue of the domestic stock marke...

Asset management Strong momentum in non-US markets, digital real estate: Principal AM CEO

It is time to shift focus toward non-US markets after years of stellar performance of US assets driven by the robust world’s No. 1 economy, sa...

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-...

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...

Pension funds South Korea’s pension fund NPS risks massive loss from Homeplus fiasco

South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS), the nation’s biggest institutional investor, could lose more than 1 trillion won ($692 mil...

Automobiles Hyundai Motor sets up AI research arm CoMo China

Hyundai Motor Co. in December established CoMo China in Shanghai to spearhead artificial intelligence research and development in its push for softw...

Business & Politics Woori Financial CEO Yim Jong-yong should stay for governance: FSS chief

Woori Financial Group Chief Executive and Chairman Yim Jong-yong should keep his post through to the end of his term and lead the banking group&rsqu...

Earnings Korean financial holding firms log record-high profits in 2024

South Korea’s top four financial holding firms are estimated to have posted their highest-ever profits in 2024, driven by hefty interest incom...

Economy Korean exports snap 15 months of gains in Jan despite higher chip sales

South Korea’s exports dropped in January on-year for the first time in 16 months due to more holiday days in the month, although overseas sale...

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 ...

Deals IMM PE exits Woori Financial with double-digit return

IMM Private Equity has divested its remaining 1.38% stake in Woori Financial Group for 166.4 billion won ($115 million), exiting the South Korean fi...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

Aerospace & Defense LIG Nex1, Electroninks to team up for component materials

South Korea's LIG Nex1 Co. said Tuesday it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the US-based Electroninks Inc. to research and develop ne...

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...

Pension funds NPS enjoys 9.2% return as of Q3 on bullish US stocks

The National Pension Service (NPS), South Korea’s largest institutional investor, reported a preliminary 9.18% return from investments, equiva...

Bio & Pharma President of Latvia visits S.Korea's Daan Cancer Lab

Daan Cancer Laboratory under Severance Hospital said on Thursday it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Latvian government to streng...

Banking & Finance Woori Bank to arrange $3.7 bn for Qatar desalination, power plant

South Korea's Woori Bank said on Tuesday it will arrange the Qatar Ras Abu Fontas desalination and power plant project, estimated to cost $3.7 billi...

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 ...

Private equity US private equity giant Apollo opens Seoul office for APAC expansion

Apollo Global Management Inc., a US private equity powerhouse, said on Monday it has opened an office in Seoul to expand its business in the Asia Pa...

Economy State-run think tank KDI slashes GDP forecast, urges BOK to cut rates

The Korea Development Institute (KDI), South Korea’s state-run think tank, has slashed its forecasts for the country’s economic growth f...