FSC promotes fintech and innovation in financial services. In order to encourage convergence and collaboration between finance and information technology, FSC launched the financial regulatory sandbox scheme in April 2019, through which more than one hundred ‘innovative financial services’ have been designated. The regulatory sandbox program allows fintechs and start-ups to test out their ideas without worrying about the regulatory impediments. In addition, Korea’s open banking system was fully launched in December 2019, opening up payment networks to both banks and fintechs through a joint network. By creating a financial data exchange platform, fostering MyData industry and opening up extensive sets of public financial data stored at major public institutions, FSC is also working to create an environment where big data and AI can play a larger role in finance. Policies intended to promote innovation also include providing tailored support to the Korean fintech firms to help them grow and scale up as global unicorns by easing regulations, expanding investment and providing assistance for overseas business expansion.
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Apr 30, 2026
- FSC-MSS and Five Financial Holding Groups Sign MOU to Promote Startup and Venture Investment Ecosystem
- The Financial Services Commission and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on promoting a transition to productive finance, expanding venture investments, and enhancing cooperation for the Startup for All project with five financial holding groups and related industry organizations on April 30. The MOU will facilitate the provision of funding support by five financial holding groups for the startup and venture investment ecosystem, accelerating the transition to productive finance and helping to create conditions where anyone with an innovative business idea can make an attempt to launch a startup. The MOU signing ceremony was held with participation by Minister Han Seong-sook of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Chairman Lee Eog-weon of the Financial Services Commission, the CEOs of five financial holding groups and the heads of related industry organizations. The following are key details of the MOU. First, to help promote venture investments in the private sector, the five financial holding groups will create a venture fund worth KRW800 billion in total until 2029, starting with an input of KRW400 billion this year. In particular, Hana Financial Group will provide a leading role as it pledged to provide a total of KRW400 billion (KRW100 billion every year) to lead the venture investment effort. In this regard, the government plans to provide incentives (e.g. extra tax exemption) to promote participation from the private sector. In addition, the five financial holding groups will work to strengthen investment and cooperation with policy-based funds. The five financial holding groups will make joint contributions together with policy-based funds to create a growth fund (LP) in the amount of KRW100 billion and a regional growth fund in the amount of KRW20 billion to facilitate the supply of venture capital in the startup ecosystem. The five financial holding groups will also provide relevant support through their overseas off
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Apr 29, 2026
- FSC Chairman Meets with Fintech Businesses and Announces Plan to Upgrade Fintech Support Programs
- The Financial Services Commission organized a gathering event for fintech businesses, financial companies, investment firms, policy financial institutions, and related industry associations on April 29 to facilitate collaboration and investment and open up new opportunities for fintech startups. At the beginning of the event, FSC Chairman Lee Eog-weon delivered opening remarks. A Summary of Opening Remarks by FSC Chairman Over the past ten years, fintech businesses have led innovation in Koreas financial industry. However, the financial industry now stands once again at a critical juncture as the advancement of AI technology presents new challenges not only in terms of the speed of the change it brings but also in how it changes and restructures the way financial services work. In this regard, AI transformation (AX) is not a choice but a reality that should be embraced actively in the financial sector, and fintech businesses should be at the forefront of the innovation and challenge to propel the financial industrys move toward AI transformation (AX). To facilitate this, the FSC plans to upgrade fintech support programs by first making the provision of support more effective and targeted (e.g. AI, data, regional enterprises, young entrepreneurs, etc.) Additionally, the FSC will seek bold reforms in regulations to establish a legal ground for stablecoins and seek regulatory improvements on the use of data to help to remove obstacles in developing new and innovative services. Building bridges between individuals and between different ideas is a key to innovation. The FSC will continue to work to build bridges between financial companies, investors, and fintech businesses to promote investments in innovative fintech businesses. Upgrading Fintech Support Programs First, the provision of fintech support will be made more selective and targeted for regional startups and young entrepreneurs and in the areas of AI transformation (AX). To boost the effectiveness in the provi
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Apr 16, 2026
- Capital Regulations and Requirements to be Improved for Banks and Insurers to Promote Productive Finance
- Chairman Lee Eog-weon of the Financial Services Commission presided over the fifth meeting on propelling a transition to productive finance with officials from the Financial Supervisory Service, the banking and insurance sectors, and related industry groups on April 16. At todays meeting, officials discussed ways to improve upon the capital regulations and requirements for banks and insurers to help strengthen their capital capacity aimed at productive finance. With the participation of private sector experts, officials also discussed the impact of the Middle East situation on domestic industries and went over the progress of financial assistance measures made available from the financial industry. A Summary of Opening Remarks by FSC Chairman The situation in the Middle East is raising concerns about an expanded level of volatility in financial markets. With many businesses undergoing the challenges of rising costs and financing difficulties, it is very much appreciated that the financial sector has made available KRW53 trillion-plus in financial assistance programs. As the situation in the Middle East may continue to go on for a while, it is important to provide support more proactively. In this regard, the FSC will work to maintain financial market stability and make certain that the risks originating from the Middle East do not translate into a financial market contraction or a drag in the real economy. Moreover, in order to be adequately prepared for a potential shift in global supply chains and a restructuring of industries in a post-war period, the FSC will continue to push forward with our productive finance initiatives to promote energy transitions and the growth of strategic industries. The measures to improve upon the capital regulations and requirements for banks and insurers, which are being announced today, will free up their productive finance capacity by up to KRW98.7 trillion (KRW74.5 trillion for banks and KRW24.2 trillion for insurers). As such, th
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Apr 14, 2026
- High-tech Industry Investment Worth KRW50 Trillion-plus Planned for Five Years through National Growth Fund
- The Financial Services Commission announced that the private-public joint strategic committee on National Growth Fund (NGF) held its second committee meeting on April 14. At todays committee meeting, officials announced a second batch of investment megaprojects sought by the NGF and discussed specific investment plans that are aimed at strengthening the foundation of high-tech industries and their ecosystems. The second batch of megaprojects has been drawn up based on the significant impact each industrial project can have on high-tech industrial ecosystems and considering the need to promote the growth of regional economies. In this regard, under the second batch of megaprojects, the NGF will provide investment and/or lending support for the following high-tech strategic projects(a) next generation biotech and vaccines, (b) OLED display facility, (c) future mobility and defense, (d) sovereign artificial intelligence, (e) energy infrastructure development, and (f) Saemangeum development project (robotics, hydrogen, AI and energy). NGF Investment Plans for High-tech Industries The FSC plans to inject investments worth KRW50 trillion-plus for the next five years in the form of direct and/or indirect investment and lending support for the development of high-tech industries and their value chains to foster the creation of strong and innovative industrial bases. a) KRW35 trillion in indirect investment via private-public joint investment fund A private-public joint investment fund in the amount of KRW35 trillion will be operated through 20 different types of feeder funds to help close the loophole in investment blind spots across various industries. This will facilitate a bold injection of investment support in the areas that have been previously overlooked by policy-based funds in the past. With the establishment of a scale-up fund and an ultra-long-term (minimum 10 years) technology investment fund, large-scale growth capital and long-term investment will be provided
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Mar 05, 2026
- Revised Rules on BDCs for Promoting Investment in Venture Businesses to Take Effect from March 17
- The Financial Services Commission announced that the legislative and regulatory revisionsprocessintended to establish rules on business development companies (BDCs)has been completedon March5. Under the auspices of the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act (FSCMA), the revised rules to the Enforcement Decree of the FSCMA, the supervisory regulations on financial investment business, and the KOSDAQ market regulations of the Korea Exchange (KRX) will take effect from March 17, 2026, along with the revised FSCMA. Key Revision Details Rules regarding the operation of BDCs BDCs will be required to invest at least 60 percent of total assets in their primary investment targets, such as unlisted startups or venture businesses, venture investment associations, and KONEX-listed or KOSDAQ-listed businesses. In order to promote reinvestments in the venture investment market after the recovery of initial investment, BDCs will be allowed to invest in venture associations and the KOSDAQ-listed companies that have market capitalization of up to KRW200 billion (which constitutes about 75 percent of all KOSDAQ-listed companies). However, to help prevent the potential of concentration toward certain sectors, only up to 30 percent of investments made in venture associations and KOSDAQ-listed companies each will be counted toward the calculation of the minimum investment requirement of 60 percent. Investments can take the form of either purchasing shares or lending money. Share purchases will be limited to stocks and equity-linked bonds (convertible bonds, exchangeable bonds, and bonds with warrants). The proportion of money lending to the total amount of investments on primary investment targets should be limited to maximum 40 percent. In addition, the establishment of internal control mechanisms is required to ensure the appropriateness of money lending and the assessment and management of credit risks. BDCs will be required to invest at least 10 percent of total asset
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Mar 04, 2026
- FSC Launches Private-public Joint Consultative Body on Security Token and Holds Kick-off Meeting
- The Financial Services Commission launched a private-public joint consultative body on security token and held a kick-off meeting on March 4. The amended legislation on security token (revisions to the Act on Electronic Registration of Stocks and Bonds and the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act), which was approved by the National Assembly in January this year, is scheduled to take effect from February 4, 2027, after making updates to subordinate statutes and setting up relevant infrastructures. In this regard, the joint consultative body on security token will play a crucial role in designing an overall framework of rules and infrastructures on security token. A Summary of Remarks by FSC Chairman When considering the development of blockchain technology, security tokens should not be taken as a one-off trend but a significant pillar reinforcing the structural convergence of capital markets. In this regard, three key policy directions on security token are proposed. First, there should be an innovative digital finance ecosystem equipped with both diversity and scalability. With the emergence of non-traditional types of securities, which allow investors to invest in particular types of underlying assets and/or projects based on individual interests, such as music, art, livestock, and real estate, capital markets horizon has been expanded. With the use of blockchain-based smart contracts, security tokens are expected to more efficiently serve the demand of various types of atypical securities rights tailored for different individual needs. To facilitate the introduction of diverse and innovative types of security tokens, the joint consultative body will work on establishing relevant rules on the issuance, circulation, and disclosure of security tokens. Second, there should be an investor protection framework tailored to the specific characteristics of blockchain technology. Security tokens are by their intrinsic quality securities, and investor prot
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Feb 12, 2026
- FSC Announces Measures to Strengthen Delisting Rules to Facilitate Effective Removal of Unviable Companies
- The Financial Services Commission and the Korea Exchange announced plans to strengthen delisting rules intended to facilitate the exit of unviable companies in a more swift and strict manner. Background The government has been making necessary upgrades to the KOSDAQ market to transform it into an engine of productive finance and a platform for growth for innovative companies. In December last year, the government introduced measures to boost confidence and innovation in the KOSDAQ market consisting of the following key policy initiatives(a) strengthening the independence, autonomy, and competitiveness of the KOSDAQ market division, (b) redesigning the listing/delisting system to make the KODSAQ market more dynamic with easy entry and exit, (c) fostering stable conditions for institutional investors to enter the market, and (d) strengthening protection for investors to bolster market confidence. An upgrade to the delisting rules being introduced today is aimed at boosting dynamism in the KOSDAQ market by facilitating a seamless entry of innovative companies and ensuring a swift and strict removal of unviable companies. In this regard, the KOSDAQ delisting process has been made more efficient last year with the streamlining of the delisting review process from the three-tier review system with two years of improvement period previously to the two-tier review system with one and a half year improvement period. Last year, the market capitalization and revenue thresholds for delisting were also proposed to be adjusted upward in stages. In 2025, the number of delisting decisions increased to thirty-eight, rising significantly from eight in 2023 and twenty in 2024. Nonetheless, there continue to exist problems regarding underperforming and unviable companies (so-called zombie companies). In effect, over the past twenty years, a total of 1,353 companies entered the KOSDAQ market, but only 415 companies were removed from the market. During this period, KOSDAQ market cap rose
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Jan 15, 2026
- Amended Legislation Establishes Legal Ground for Introducing and Circulating Security Tokens
- The Financial Services Commission announced that revision bills for the Act on Electronic Registration of Stocks and Bonds (the Electronic Registration Act hereinafter) and the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act (the FSCMA hereinafter) passed the National Assembly at a plenary session held on January 15. The amended legislation will pave the way for introducing and circulating security tokens. A security token (or tokenized security) is a digitized form of a security, which is legally defined under the FSCMA and whose issuance and circulation information is being recorded and managed on a blockchain-based distributed ledger. To legally recognize distributed ledger as a securities registry and ensure stability, it was necessary to make changes to relevant laws. In this regard, the passage of revision bills at the plenary session of the National Assembly today mark a culmination of years-long legislative efforts from authorities since 2023. Key Revision Details a) Introducing Security Tokens: An Update to the Electronic Registration Act Under the revised Electronic Registration Act, a clear definition is provided on distributed ledger, which is legally recognized as a securities registry, thereby authorizing the issuance of securities in the form of security tokens. The issuer of a security token will need to follow legally mandated procedures and qualifications to make notification and apply for electronic registration with the Korea Securities Depository (KSD). With the introduction of security tokens, the management of securities accounts based on distributed ledger technology and the use of smart contracts will be promoted. The blockchain-based distributed ledger technology is widely known for its stability and security against hacking attacks, and this will promote more active use of smart contracts, especially in transactions for newly emerging types of securities, such as fractional investment products (trust beneficiary certificates) and inv
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Dec 03, 2025
- Capital Market Rules Change Proposed for Establishing Regulations on Business Development Companies
- The Financial Services Commission introduced a revision proposal for the Enforcement Decree of the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act (FSCMA) and supervisory regulations on financial investment business for establishing regulations on business development companies (BDCs) on December 3. This revision proposal prescribes detailed provisions for establishing rules on BDCs under the revised FSCMA (promulgated on September 16, 2025 and scheduled to go into effect on March 17, 2026), while upgrading other regulations on publicly traded funds and financial investment business in general. Key Revision Details Rules regarding the operation of BDCs BDCs will be required to invest 60 percent or more of their total assets in their main investment target, such as unlisted startups or venture businesses, venture investment associations, and KONEX-listed or KOSDAQ-listed businesses. To promote reinvestments after the recovery of initial investment in the venture investment market, BDCs will be permitted to invest in venture associations and KOSDAQ-listed companies. However, in order to prevent the potential of concentration toward certain sectors, only up to 30 percent of investments made in venture associations and KOSDAQ-listed companies each will be counted toward the calculation of the minimum investment requirement of 60 percent. The KOSDAQ-listed companies eligible for investment will be limited to those with a market capitalization of KRW200 billion or less (about 75 percent of KOSDAQ-listed companies). Investment can take the form of either purchasing shares or lending money. Share purchases will be limited to stocks and equity-linked bonds (convertible bonds, exchangeable bonds, and bonds with warrants). The proportion of money lending to total investment on major investment targets should be limited to maximum 40 percent, and the establishment of internal control mechanisms is required to ensure the appropriateness of money lending and the assessment
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Nov 26, 2025
- 7th Annual Korea Fintech Week Kicks Off Highlighting Potential of AI and Personalization of Finance
- The Financial Services Commission announced that the 2025 Korea Fintech Week has kicked off on November 26 for three days until November 28 at aT Center in Seoul with participation from major domestic and overseas fintech businesses, financial companies, associated institutions, and foreign governments and international organizations. This years global fintech expo has been organized to be the largest ever in terms of scale with 99 exhibition booths and 128 businesses and organizations participating and showcasing a variety of seminars and programs. As such, visitors have shown strong interest for joining this years Korea Fintech Week as the volume of pre-registration (about 5,200 individuals as of 17:00 pm, Nov. 25) more than doubled from the level seen in the previous year. The 2025 Korea Fintech Week started out with opening events featuring speeches by world-renowned entrepreneurs and authorities. Chairman Lee Eog-weon of the Financial Services Commission delivered a welcoming speech where he emphasized the need to promote digital innovation through AI transition in the financial industry. In this regard, FSC Chairman Lee said that the AI capacity of a country will serve as the unequivocal measure of its competitiveness from now on. With a vision to achieve a global top-three status in AI capacity, Chairman Lee said that the government is making all-out efforts to promote the AI industry. In this regard, Chairman Lee introduced plans to (a) promote large scale investments in AI and overhaul the current AI infrastructure in the financial industry, (b) foster conditions and set regulatory grounds to supply capital to fintech businesses, (c) and establish foundations for introducing innovative financial services. In addition, going beyond the simple convergence of AI technology with fintech services, Chairman Lee said that the Korean government will seek bold innovation in digital finance to fully embrace the potential of AI and facilitate the personalization of fi
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Oct 28, 2025
- 2025 Korea Fintech Week Scheduled to Kick Off Nov 26 Focusing on Potential of AI and Personalization of Finance
- The Financial Services Commission announced on October 28 that this years Korea Fintech Week is scheduled to kick off on November 26 for three days until November 28 at aT Center in Seoul. Joined by fintech businesses, financial companies, relevant organizations, and overseas governments and institutions, the three-day expo will be held under the theme of Fintech X AI: The Personalization of Finance to showcase the future trend of finance and new ecosystems fostered by the convergence of fintech and artificial intelligence (AI). The 2025 Korea Fintech Week will feature opening events, K-Fintech 30 selection ceremony, and a variety of seminars, side events, and experience programs. A total of 99 exhibition booths and 128 participating businesses and organizations will make this years fintech expo the largest ever in scale. Moreover, this year, a number of global unicorns will participate and national fintech pavilions will be set up. In addition, all seminar proceedings will be broadcast live (with interpretation in English) to make simultaneous participation from overseas possible and to more effectively promote Koreas fintech industry to global audiences. Opening events will start with a welcoming speech by FSC Chairman Lee Eog-weon and feature speeches by Israeli Ambassador to Korea Rafael Harpaz and Global Finance Technology Network (GFTN) CEO Sopnendu Mohanty. Following the opening events, the K-Fintech 30 Selection Ceremony will be held, designating 10 promising Korean fintech businesses to the list of K-Fintech 30 for this year. In the future, the selected entities will be able to receive support through policy funds, investment IR, and consulting for regulatory exemption. Exhibition halls will be organized into (a) fintech hall, (b) finance hall, (c) global hall, and (d) collaboration hall. A total of 128 businesses and organizations will showcase their products or services in 99 exhibition booths. This year, the size of global hall has been expanded signific
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Sep 04, 2025
- FSC Plans to Issue New License for Fractional Investment Trading Platform Services
- The Financial Services Commission announced plans to issue new license for fractional investment trading platform services on September 4. The government has been working to establish a new licensing unit to authorize the operation of over-the-counter (OTC) trading services (distribution platforms) regarding fractional investment securities, which offer a fraction of ownership right for various underlying assets (e.g. real estate, music copyright, etc.) to multiple investors. Thus far, fractional investment trading service has been operating under the regulatory exemption program (financial regulatory sandbox). However, as the revision of the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act (FSCMA) and its subordinate regulations is expected to be completed by the end of September, this will establish a legislative foundation authorizing the operation of fractional investment trading platform services. This follows the earlier capital market rule change in June authorizing the issuance (primary market) of fractional investment securities. By the end of September, necessary rule changes will have been completed for authorizing the distribution (secondary market) of fractional investment securities. As such, the issuer of fractional investment securities (e.g. a fintech business with necessary securities and investment licenses) will seek to securitize various types of underlying assets to solicit investors, and factional investment securities will be listed on trading platforms for transactions between multiple buyers and sellers. Plans for Granting New License New license will be granted to maximum two applicants Considering that the fractional investment market is still at an early stage and given the need to ensure market efficiency and investor protection through concentration of liquidity, the number of licenses granted this time will be maximum two. If the number of qualified entities is less than two, the final number of entities granted with the new lice
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Jun 16, 2025
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Jul 25, 2024
- 2024 Korea Fintech Week to Kick Off on August 27
- The Financial Services Commission announced that this years global fintech expo, 2024 Korea Fintech Week, is scheduled to kick off on August 27 with major fintech businesses, financial companies, related organizations, academic institutions, and foreign governments and organizations participating at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul. This years global fintech expo, the largest ever in scale, will be held for three days between August 27 and 29 under the theme of Beyond Boundaries: Fintech and AI Redefining Finance, providing visitors and participants with opportunities to share global trends on artificial intelligence (AI) and fintech innovation and gain insights on financial industrys future ecosystem. After an opening ceremony, there will be a policy information session provided by the FSC on Koreas fintech policy direction for this year and an on-site QA session with officials. Visitors will have chances to participate in eleven different seminars throughout three days, dealing with topics, such as AI and fintech, fintech investment strategy, ESG, and so on, with specific focus on AI technologies and their application. In addition, there will be ample opportunities to attract investments through investor relations (IR) and reverse IR events, which will help to promote investments for fintech firms to scale up or expand their businesses overseas. There will be a total of 85 exhibition booths organized into four different exhibition hallsfintech hall, financial hall, cooperating organization hall, and global hallshowcasing latest fintech services embracing AI technologies. During the three-day period, various consulting and networking programs will also be made available for fintech startups, entrepreneurs, and young adults seeking career opportunities in fintech. Visitors can attend and tour at free of charge. For more information please visit official expo website (https://2024.fintechweek.or.kr/). * Please refer to the attached PDF for details.
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Jul 04, 2024
- Policy Finance Support Worth KRW3.5 Trillion Planned to Promote AI Development
- The Financial Services Commission held the seventh consultative body meeting on policy finance support with related government ministries and policy financial institutions on July 4. The consultative body on policy finance support was launched at the end of 2022 to more effectively align the supply of policy finance support to national industrial strategies. At the third meeting held in June last year, authorities discussed the creation of the KRW300 billion fund to foster growth of the semiconductor ecosystem, and in December of the same year, authorities introduced plans to provide policy finance support worth KRW102 trillion-plus to the five key strategic industries. As such, major government decisions regarding the supply of policy finance support are being handled and discussed through consultative body meetings. At todays meeting, FSC Vice Chairman Kim Soyoung delivered opening remarks where he discussed the importance of promptly identifying demands for funding on the ground and effectively matching them with the supply of policy finance support. Vice Chairman Kim said that the launching of the semiconductor ecosystem fund in the size of KRW300 billion last year helped to facilitate an expansion of the support program this year to up to KRW1.1 trillion-plus with input from governments fiscal expenditure. In this regard, the semiconductor ecosystem funds launch last year provides a good example where policy financial institutions and related ministries were able to preemptively and effectively respond to the demands on the field. Thus, Vice Chairman Kim urged authorities to continue to closely coordinate to effectively supply policy finance support to propel development of future growth sectors. Supply of Policy Finance Support as of May 2024 Until the end of May 2024, policy financial institutionsKorea Development Bank, Industrial Bank of Korea, and Korea Credit Guarantee Fundsupplied a total of KRW54.5 trillion to the five key strategic sectors. This marks a
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May 16, 2024
- 2024 Korea Fintech Week Scheduled for Aug 27-29
- The Financial Services Commission announced that this years global fintech expo, 2024 Korea Fintech Week, is scheduled to be held for three days from August 27 to August 29 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul. Last year, Korea Fintech Week attracted some 11,000 visitors and provided fintech businesses with diverse opportunities to pitch new fintech business ideas and attract investments. The sixth annual fintech expo this year, which will be organized jointly with related organizations, agencies, and industry groups, will offer a venue for invigorating the fintech industry and accelerating innovation in financial services. Since the adoption and use of generative AI across different fields is taken as a key to boosting innovation and productivity these days, this years Korea Fintech Week will be held under the theme of Beyond Boundaries: Fintech and AI Redefining Finance to more closely highlight the effects of AI on the fintech and financial sectors. Exhibition halls will be prepared, inviting fintech businesses and financial companies to set up booths for promoting and demonstrating their latest and innovative financial technologies that will help to boost user convenience. A series of fintech theme-based seminars are scheduled to be made available throughout the three-day period, which will provide participants and visitors with opportunities to share global trends and insights and have in-depth discussions on diverse topics, such as the adoption and use of new AI technology, cyber and information security, ESG, insurtech, and so on. A mobile business meeting platform is planned to be introduced this year to support networking among fintech industry officials and to give chances to more effectively pitch new business ideas and secure investments. The IR Open Stage and the Networking Lounge will be operated on an expanded basis. In addition, there will be much enhanced investment promotion programs for up-and-coming fintech businesses via Korea Development B
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Apr 09, 2024
- Fintech Innovation Fund Worth KRW500 Billion Planned for 2024-2027
- The Financial Services Commission held a meeting with fintech businesses, venture investors, and related industry groups on April 9 and held talks on ways to promote investment and boost support for the fintech industry. FSC Vice Chairman Kim Soyoung presided over the meeting and spoke about the importance of todays meeting in his opening remarks. Vice Chairman Kim said that a continuation of high interest rates and economic uncertainties has pushed down investments for startup businesses and the fintech industry around the world. To help improve the competitiveness of our financial industry, Vice Chairman Kim added that it is crucial to make policy efforts to revitalize the fintech industry and its investment ecosystem. In this regard, Vice Chairman Kim said that the government will (a) expand the operation of fintech innovation funds to continue to make investment in promising fintech businesses, (b) upgrade the financial regulatory sandbox program, and (c) support overseas expansion of fintech businesses and expand the supply of related policy funds. As a part of the governments plan to continue to promote investment in the fintech industry, the FSC and related organizations discussed and announced a plan to set up a second batch of fintech innovation funds worth KRW500 billion for operation for four years between 2024 and 2027. The first batch of fintech innovation funds was in operation between 2020 and 2023, during which it raised a total of KRW513.3 billion and supplied KRW282.4 billion in investment to some 85 fintech startups. Thus, the size of fintech innovation funds will grow to a total of KRW1 trillion for eight years between 2020 and 2027. For creating the second batch of fintech innovation funds, big tech platform companies will newly make contributions following an agreement signed at last years Korea Fintech Week. In addition, Korea Growth Investment Corporation will support business-to-business (B2B) collaboration and partnership between fintech b
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Apr 04, 2024
- FSC Introduces a Plan for MyData 2.0 in Financial Services
- The Financial Services Commission held a meeting with financial MyData service providers and related organizations and announced a plan for MyData 2.0 in financial services on April 4. The measures included in the plan for MyData 2.0 have been drawn up after having a series of taskforce meetings with experts and industry groups. Since MyData in financial services first became available in January 2022, there are now 69 MyData service providers with more than 117.8 million subscribers in cumulative terms (as of the end of February 2024). With its successful launch and widespread usage, MyData in financial services has become a crucial part of everyday life for consumers, boosting convenience and improving access to financial services. However, during the past two years of operation, suggestions have been raised to improve service usability. Thus, the FSC has drawn up a plan for MyData 2.0 in financial services, taking into account these suggestions and opinions from users, with aims to expand data availability, promote usage, boost user convenience, and ensure data protection. First, the service availability will be expanded to the digitally vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and individuals with visual impairment. For these individuals, visiting bank branches to apply for and use MyData service on-site will be made possible. In addition, teens aged 14 year-old or older will be able to sign up for financial MyData services without having to present consent from a parent or legal guardian. Second, more detailed information about consumers spending records and payment history, including names of sellers, purchased items, and so on, will be made available to MyData service providers to help them better analyze each individual consumers spending pattern for the provision of more individually tailored asset management service. In addition, the scope of data opened up for financial MyData service will be expanded to include data from the public sector MyData service. T
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Feb 21, 2024
- FSC Announces a Plan to Expand Open Banking Services
- Vice Chairman Kim Soyoung of the Financial Services Commission held a meeting with officials from relevant organizations and industry groups on February 21 to discuss ways to improve infrastructures for financial innovation and announced a plan to expand open banking service. In his opening remarks, Vice Chairman Kim said that the two major infrastructures open banking and MyData systems - introduced to promote digital innovation in the financial sector have made accomplishments in improving convenience for financial consumers and enabling innovative financial services. The open banking service, introduced in December 2019, has become an essential payment infrastructure for enabling various fintech solutions in payment, money transfer, wealth management and cross-border payment, etc. by prompting financial companies to open up their closed payment networks. The API-based MyData service, introduced in January 2022, has also allowed financial consumers to make account inquiry with ease and exercise more control over their own data, paving the way for the availability of innovative financial services including online platforms for switching loans or comparison and recommendation services of insurance products. Building on the achievements, Vice Chairman Kim outlined policy directions for further improvements in open banking and MyData services and announced a plan to expand the open banking service. Under the plan, first, the FSC seeks to expand the scope of data available in open banking from personal accounts to business accounts so that companies can make account inquiry across different banks in real time at once. With business account data available in open banking services, financial companies will be able to use such data including account balances and transaction record to launch new services in fund management for their corporate clients. Second, open banking service, currently available online only, will be provided through offline channels such as bank branc
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Jan 26, 2024
- FSC Holds 1st Fintech Open Networking Day
- The Financial Services Commission held the first Fintech Open Networking Day on January 26 with fintech businesses, financial companies and investment firms joining along with related organizations. The event was organized to support networking between fintech businesses, financial companies and investment firms in a more systematic way with the need to expand business-to-business (B2B) collaboration with financial companies and facilitate investment through venture capital. The event also offered one-on-one mentoring and other networking and consulting opportunities to early-stage fintech businesses, which may face difficulties and lack experience in dealing with regulatory issues, expanding their businesses overseas or securing investment. During the event, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by ten financial holding companies, banks and fintech industry groups and agreed on fostering a more cooperative business environment, expanding support for fintech incubation, investment and overseas expansion, and holding more fintech-focused advertisement and investment activities. At the event, a total of seven financial companies and four investment firms made presentations on the potential areas of collaboration and investment strategies based on each organizations strength. FSC Vice Chairman Kim Soyoung attended the event and delivered congratulatory remarks highlighting the importance of collaboration between diverse players in the fintech ecosystem. In this regard, Vice Chairman Kim said that the government will also make continuous efforts to facilitate a revitalization of the fintech industry. The FSC will hold the Fintech Open Networking Day on a biannual basis and plans to provide more networking opportunities through the annually held Korea Fintech Week (expected to be held in August this year) and a series of meetup events organized throughout the year for financial companies and fintech businesses. * Please refer to the attached PDF for details.