Asian countries show high receptivity to smart payment

South Korea, China and Southeast Asian countries appear to be open to adopting new ways of payment involving devices such as smartphones, wearables and other connected devices for greater convenience, said global card payment company Visa on Thursday.International internet-based market research firm YouGov conducted a survey on 10,500 adults from 13 countries in the Asia-Pacific region to find out their receptivity to new payment technologies. Eighty-seven percent of the respondents from Korea s

June 15, 2017

[Herald Interview] AIIB chief puts quality ahead of quantity in projects

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, a China-backed multilateral development bank, aims to put the quality of projects ahead of quantity, the bank’s head said.Since launching with 57 signatory countries in January, 2016, the AIIB saw its members increase to 77 and the bank invest in 13 projects worth $2.1 billion as of the end of May. “We anticipate our 2017 investments to be between $2 and $2.5 billion, but our focus remains on quality projects not just quantity,” AIIB Pr

June 15, 2017

Seoul shares down in late morning on tech losses

South Korean stocks traded lower late Wednesday morning as institutions offloaded large-cap tech stocks in an apparent move to lock in profits, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 13.27 points, or 0.56 percent, to 2,359.06 as of 11:20 a.m. Most large caps traded mixed with tech shares bolstering the market.Market kingpin Samsung Electronics added 0.31 percent after opening higher. SK hynix, a major chipmaker, meanwhile, was up 1.35 percent.The local currency was tr

June 15, 2017

Banks' foreign currency deposits rises in May

Foreign currency deposits held by banks operating in South Korea rose in May as exporters increased their deposits of dollar-denominated earnings, central bank data showed Thursday.Outstanding foreign currency deposits held by local banks, domestic and foreign, reached $69.94 billion in May, up $2.55 billion from a month earlier, the Bank of Korea said in a statement. Broken down, foreign currency deposits held by domestic lenders came to $59.87 billion in May, up from 57.98 billion in April. Th

June 15, 2017

Seoul shares open tad higher on tech shares

South Korean stocks opened mildly higher Thursday, largely helped by bullish tech large caps, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index inched up 1.05 points, or 0.04 percent, to reach 2,373.69 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Large-cap stocks on the bourse were mixed across the board, with tech shares pushing up the market.Market behemoth Samsung Electronics gained 1.6 percent, and global chipmaker SK hynix advanced 1.35 percent.The local currency was trading at 1,11

June 15, 2017

Growth of household loans continues to slow down

The growth of household loans continued to surge at a slower pace in May compared to the previous year, data showed Wednesday.The volume of household loans increased by 10 trillion won ($8.9 billion) in May this year, according to data from the Financial Services Commission. In the same month last year, the volume had risen by 11.9 trillion won.Among household loans in May, those extended by commercial lenders and trust banks surged 6.3 trillion won. Loans by nonbanking lenders saw their increas

June 14, 2017

US business leaders call for creation of ‘Buy American Fund’

The US business lobby in South Korea floated the idea Wednesday that Asia's fourth-largest economy should create a "Buy American Fund" ahead of crucial summit talks between leaders set for later this month.President Moon Jae-in is scheduled to hold his first summit with US President Donald Trump in Washington, a meeting that could set the tone of bilateral relations going forward. The American Chamber of Commerce said if Moon announces a $10 billion "Buy American Fund” meant

June 14, 2017

Seoul stocks end lower as investors wait for US Fed meeting results

South Korean stocks ended mildly lower Wednesday as investors took a wait-and-see stance to check the results of the US Federal Reserve's policy rate-setting meeting, analysts said. The Korean won fell against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 2.06 points, or 0.09 percent, to close at 2,372.64. Trade volume was moderate at 386 million shares worth 6.63 trillion won ($5.89 billion), with losers slightly outnumbering gainers 418 to 407.Institutional investors and f

June 14, 2017

Credit card commission on small merchants to be cut from August

Financial authorities said Wednesday the credit card commission charged on small merchants will be cut from August to help ease the financial burdens of mom-and-pop stores. The commission rate for small merchants with annual revenue of 500 million won ($444,168) or less will be reduced by 0.64 percentage point to 1.3 percent, the Financial Services Commission said in a statement.  Currently, credit card firms charge small merchants with annual revenue of 300 million won or less a commission

June 14, 2017

Seoul shares down in late morning on institutional selling

South Korean stocks traded lower late Wednesday morning as institutions offloaded large-cap stocks in an apparent move to lock in profits, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 5.26 points, or 0.22 percent, to 2,069.44 as of 11:20 a.m.The Seoul index had opened higher on Wall Street gains. On Tuesday (local time), the S&P 500 increased 2.45 percent to finish at a record-high and the Dow Jones industrial average was up 0.44 percent. The Nasdaq Composite Index also

June 14, 2017

Foreign holdings of Korean stocks hit new high in May

Foreign investors remained net buyers of South Korean stocks for the sixth straight month in May, with their holdings of local stocks hitting a new high, data showed Wednesday. Offshore investors were also net buyers of South Korean bonds in the past five months, according to the data by the Financial Supervisory Service.  Foreign investors snapped up a net 2.1 trillion won ($1.8 billion) worth of South Korean stocks last month. Foreigners held a total of 581.2 trillion won worth of South K

June 14, 2017

Markets shake off signs of tightening

South Korea‘s stock markets rebounded while sovereign bond yields fell Tuesday, despite possible monetary tightening in the United States and Korea. The benchmark indexes of Korean stock markets -- the Korea Composite Stock Price Index and Korean Securities Dealers Automated Quotations -- closed after rising 0.71 percent and 0.66 percent, respectively, Tuesday.The five-year treasury yield dropped to 1.865 percent from 1.917 percent Monday. Ten-year yields edged down to 2.177 percent from 2

June 13, 2017

Seoul stocks end higher despite US slump

South Korean stocks rebounded on Tuesday as institutional buyers scooped up tech shares such as market kingpin Samsung Electronics and panel maker LG Display, despite overnight Wall Street losses due to a slide in tech shares, analysts said. The Korean won fell against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index advanced 16.83 points, or 0.71 percent, to close at 2,347.38. Trade volume was moderate at 316 million shares worth 5.56 trillion won ($5.1 billion), with gainers far o

June 13, 2017

Dollar-won exchange volatility narrows in May

The dollar-won volatility eased in May from a month earlier in line with a more stable global financial market, central bank data showed Tuesday.The session-over-session changes in the dollar-won exchange rates averaged 0.41 percent in May, compared to 0.43 in April, the Bank of Korea said in a statement.  "The won rose against the dollar in May due to bullish local stock markets and political uncertainty in the United States," the statement said.On Friday, South Korean stocks clo

June 13, 2017

Govt. may tighten control on auto, indemnity medical insurance premiums

Insurers are likely to face difficulty in raising premiums on auto and indemnity medical insurance as the government of President Moon Jae-in is considering a plan to tighten controls on products, officials said Tuesday. The move, which appears to be aimed at easing financial burdens of low-income people, is expected to take shape as Moon appoints a new head of the Financial Services Commission, the nation's top financial regulator. Ruling party officials have raised the idea of tightening price

June 13, 2017

US rate hike unlikely to have big impact on local bond market: experts

A looming US rate hike this week appears unlikely to exert a negative impact on South Korea's bond market, experts here said Tuesday.The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to raise its key rate by a quarter of a percentage point to a target range of 1 to 1.25 percent. In March, the Fed also raised its key rate by a quarter of a percentage point. Experts said the local bond market may become more sensitive to the rate change in the short-term, though the bond market is unlikely to suffer any m

June 13, 2017

Korean shares up late morning despite Wall Street losses

South Korean shares advanced late Tuesday morning, despite the overnight decline on Wall Street, as institutions' buying offset a selling binge by foreign and retail investors.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 11.08 points, or 0.47 percent, to 2,368.87 as of 11:20 a.m.Most large caps traded mixed, with market kingpin Samsung Electronics rising 0.13 percent and global chipmaker SK hynix losing 0.17 percent. Naver, the operator of the country's top Internet portal, added 0.11 pe

June 13, 2017

Brokerages shutter unprofitable overseas branches

South Korean securities companies have considerably reduced the number of their overseas branches over the past six years due mainly to their unprofitability, data showed Tuesday.Thirteen local brokerages had a combined 57 overseas branches as of the end of March, compared with 89 branches six years earlier, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service and the Korea Financial Investment Association. Mirae Asset Daewoo Securities Co. had the most overseas branches with 14, followe

June 13, 2017

US rate hike likely to have little impact on S. Korea's bond market

An anticipated interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve is likely to have little impact on South Korean bonds because the market has already priced in the change, analysts said Tuesday. This week, the Fed is almost certain to increase its key interest rate for the third time in six months, with an additional rate hike eyed in September.  Although the Fed has tightened its monetary policy, analysts expected the Bank of Korea to keep its benchmark interest rate at a record low at least till

June 13, 2017

Global equity funds log net inflow into Korea for 5th month

Global equity funds continued to post net inflows into the South Korean market last week on its recovering economy and improving corporate earnings, industry data showed Tuesday.Four international funds investing in South Korea allocated a combined $210 million for the South Korean equity market in the week to Friday, marking the fifth consecutive month of net inflow, according to the data by Mirae Asset Daewoo Securities Co. and global fund tracker Emerging Portfolio Fund Research. The global e

June 13, 2017