Press Releases - Financial Services Commission

Press Releases

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May 22, 2026

NICE Credit Information (NICE CI) Obtains Certificate to Operate in Vietnam from the State Bank of Vietnam

The Financial Services Commission announced on May 22 that the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) granted a Certificate of Eligibility for Providing Credit Information Services to NICE Credit Information (NICE CI), which is NICE Information Services local subsidiary in Vietnam, on May 20. NICE CI will become fourth credit information service provider in Vietnam along with PCB (Jul 2013), FCBV (Dec 2024), and KCI (Dec 2024), in order of the time of authorization granted. For Vietnam, Korea is the largest FDI originating country, the second largest tourist sending country, and the third largest bilateral trade partner. In terms of overseas presence, Korean financial companies have the second largest number of overseas establishments in Vietnam (54 as of May 2026), second only to the United States (68). Shown by the recent license obtainment of Korea Development Banks Hanoi branch (Jan 2026) and Industrial Bank of Korea Vietnam (Apr 2026), and NICE CI (May 2026), Korean financial companies have been expanding their presence in the Vietnamese market across diverse sectors. The SBVs granting of certificate to NICE CI this time took only 10 months from the time of application in July 2025. The speedy result can be seen as a successful outcome of the Korea-Vietnam summit meeting (Apr 22), the high-level financial meeting between FSC Chairman Lee Eog-weon and SBV Governor Pham Duc An (Apr 24), and constant efforts to strengthen communication and build local relationship by the private sector and overseas diplomatic channels. NICE CIs operation scheduled for H1 2027 in Vietnam will help to improve local financial companies risk management systems. Through this, NICE CI will also support Vietnam to strengthen its non-performing loan (NPL) management capacity. Equipped with advanced service tools and reliable credit information infrastructure, NICE CI will help to boost the credibility of Vietnams financial markets. Moreover, NICE CI plans to seek ways to help to improve financial ac
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May 21, 2026

FSC Chairman Holds Media Briefing and Outlines Progress and Achievements of Financial Policy Implementation

Chairman Lee Eog-weon of the Financial Services Commission held a media briefing on May 21 and announced ten key achievements and progress in the implementation of financial policies in the first year of the Lee Jae Myung administration. Over the past year, the FSC has sought to push for a major overhaul in the financial industry to make financial services more productive, more inclusive, and more trustworthy, and has been able to produce notable achievements in the following areas. Progress and Achievements I. Decouple Finance-Real Estate Ties Redirect Finance to Productive Sectors a) Building foundation for Korea premium in capital markets Capital market reform has been a high priority for this administration. Various reform measures, such as introducing the one-strike-out principle for market manipulation, making corporate directors subject to the fiduciary duty to all shareholders, and requiring listed companies to permanently retire treasury shares, have been carried out in a swift manner. In this process, the rigidly boxed-in KOSPI index surged past 8,000 points for the first time in a single year, showing signs of shedding the disgrace of Korea discount and moving closer to Korea premium. b) Launching KRW150 trillion National Growth Fund to propel growth for next 20 years In December 2025, National Growth Fund was launched in the size of KRW150 trillion to propel economic growth for next 20 years and ensure an adequate supply of funds to strategic high-tech sectors. The fund has moved quickly to select 13 important megaprojects that can have significant ripple effects across different regions and industries and has already decided to inject KRW8.4 trillion in 11 megaprojects. From this amount, KRW4.6 trillion is being directed at regional economies and KRW1.2 trillion in direct investment for the development of future high-tech industries (e.g. AI computing). c) Promoting regionally well-balanced growth through targeted supply of finance In October 2025, the
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May 20, 2026

Revised Rules on Whistleblower Reward and Strengthened Sanctions on Accounting Fraud to Take Effect from May 26

The Financial Services Commission announced that revision proposals for the Enforcement Decree of the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act (FSCMA) and the Act on External Audit of Stock Companies have been approved by the government at the cabinet meeting held on May 20. Key Revision Details a) Improving rules on whistleblower reward On February 25 this year, the FSC introduced a plan to overhaul the whistleblower reward program to strengthen incentives for insiders to report unfair trading and accounting fraud. The approved rules change today is a follow-up measure to this plan, abolishing all caps (KRW3 billion for unfair trading and KRW1 billion for accounting fraud) on whistleblower rewards. In this regard, authorities will also seek to update rules on subordinate regulations in line with the changes in relevant legislation. First, with the reward payout caps abolished, the method for calculating the amount of whistleblower reward will be linked to the amount of illicit gains or penalties (up to 30 percent), calibrated to the level of contribution made by whistleblowers for uncovering rule-breaking activities. This method will significantly increase the amount of rewards payable if the scale of unfair trading or accounting fraud is extensive, which will help to provide more incentives for insiders to report wrongdoings. Second, a whistleblowers reporting submitted to an authority other than the FSC or the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS)such as the National Police Agency or the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commissionwill also qualify for rewards as the establishment of an inter-agency consultative mechanism will ensure seamless referrals and information sharing between related authorities. Third, if the whistleblower is also an accomplice in unfair trading activities, reward payouts were not possible previously. However, under the revised rules, reward payouts will be made possible in part if the whistleblower did not coerce others to tak
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May 18, 2026

Household Loans, April 2026

In April 2026, the outstanding balance of household loans across all financial sectors increased KRW3.5 trillion (preliminary), growing at a similar pace compared with the previous month (up KRW3.5 trillion). (By Type) Home-backed mortgage loans rose KRW5.5 trillion, growing at a faster pace compared with the previous month (up KRW3.0 trillion). Mortgage loans in the banking sector (down KRW0.02 trillion up KRW2.7 trillion) edged back higher from a decline a month ago but expanded at a slower pace in the nonbanking sector (up KRW3.0 trillion up KRW2.8 trillion). Other types of loans dropped KRW2.0 trillion, edging back down from the increase of KRW0.5 trillion in the previous month with credit loans (down KRW0.2 trillion down KRW0.8 trillion) falling at a faster pace. (By Sector) In April 2026, household loans in the banking sector rose KRW2.2 trillion, growing at a faster pace from a month ago (up KRW0.5 trillion). Banks own mortgage loans (down KRW1.5 trillion up KRW1.3 trillion) edged back up, while policy-based mortgage loans (up KRW1.5 trillion up KRW1.4 trillion) grew at a slower pace. Other types of loans (down KRW0.6 trillion) shifted back lower from the growth of KRW0.5 trillion a month ago. In the nonbanking sector, household loans rose KRW1.3 trillion, growing at a slower pace compared with the previous month (up KRW3.1 trillion). Mutual finance businesses (up KRW2.8 trillion up KRW2.0 trillion) saw household loans growing at a slower pace, while savings banks (down KRW0.4 trillion down KRW0.02 trillion) saw household loans declining at a slower pace. Insurance companies (up KRW0.5 trillion down KRW0.4 trillion) and specialized credit finance businesses (up KRW0.1 trillion down KRW0.2 trillion) saw household loans edging back lower from the growth seen in the previous month. (Assessment) In April 2026, the outstanding balance of household loans (up KRW3.5 trillion up KRW3.5 trillion) expanded at a similar level compared with a month ago, despite a faster
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May 13, 2026

FSC Approves Revisions to KRX Listing Rules to Facilitate Effective Delisting of Unviable Companies

The Financial Services Commission approved a set of revision proposals to the Korea Exchange (KRX) listing regulations at the 9th regular meeting held on May 13. The FSCs approval today follows the previously announced plan (Feb. 12, 2026) to strengthen delisting rules to make the domestic stock markets more dynamic by facilitating a seamless entry of innovative companies and ensuring a swift and strict removal of unviable companies. Key Revision Details The revised KRX listing regulations will strengthen or newly introduce the following four key standards considered for delisting. First, the upward adjustment of market capitalization threshold for KOSPI-listed and KOSDAQ-listed companies, previously scheduled to take place from January 1, 2027 and January 1, 2028, with the market cap threshold rising to KRW30 billion and KRW50 billion for KOSPI-listed companies and to KRW20 billion and KRW30 billion for KOSDAQ-listed companies, respectively, will move up six months early each time. As a result, the market cap threshold for delisting will be raised from KRW20 billion currently to KRW30 billion for KOSPI-listed companies from July 1, 2026, and then to KRW50 billion from January 1, 2027. For KOSDAQ-listed companies, the market cap threshold for delisting will be raised from KRW15 billion currently to KRW20 billion from July 1, 2027, and then to KRW30 billion from January 1, 2027. Along this line, there have been also changes in specific standards and procedures to prevent the occurrence of temporary stock price pumps for avoiding delisting. Previously, companies went on the delisting watch list if they failed to stay above the market cap threshold for thirty consecutive trading days during a period of ninety trading days from the time of being designated on the watch list, but could avoid delisting if they were able to stay above the market cap threshold for ten consecutive trading days and thirty cumulative trading days during that time. However, this market cap requ
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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 26, 2026

FSC Chairman Visits India and Vietnam to Open Up New Opportunities and Bolster Financial Cooperation

Chairman Lee Eog-weon of the Financial Services Commission traveled to India and Vietnam to strengthen financial cooperation with the two countries on the sidelines of President Lee Jae Myungs state visits from April 19 to 25. During his trips, Chairman Lee had high-level bilateral meetings with government officials to promote the overseas expansion of Korean financial companies and facilitate their business operations in local markets, attended financial cooperation forums for the development of financial hubs and the integration of cross-border QR payments system, and held meetings with Korean financial companies and enterprises doing business in the two countries. Chairman Lees visit to the two rapidly growing countries underscores the Korean governments aim to bolster strategic cooperation with the two major partners in the region particularly in the areas of financial services. FSC Chairmans Visit to India India is emerging as a key economic partner of Korea with a population of over 1.4 billion, the fourth largest economy in the world, and an annual economic growth rate of about seven percent. However, financial cooperation between Korea and India has remained at an early stage. Thus, on the occasion of President Lee Jae Myungs state visit, the FSC has sought to lay foundations to strengthen bilateral financial cooperation with India. Meeting with Indias Minister of Finance FSC Chairman Lee met with Indias Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman on April 20 and had discussions on ways to bolster financial cooperation between the two countries. At the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on knowledge sharing and ways to enhance cooperation in the areas of fintech and the cross-border QR code payments system. The two leaders also had an in-depth discussion on ways to expand bilateral investments and strengthen cooperation in startups making use of Indias National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF). The financial leaders of the two countries agreed to con
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Apr 23, 2026

Revised FSCMA Introducing Cornerstone Investors Will Help to Bolster Price Stability in IPO Market

The Financial Services Commission announced that a revision bill for the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act (FSCMA) intended to adopt the cornerstone investor system passed the plenary session of the National Assembly on April 23. Along with the previously passed bill on security token in January this year, this revision bill constitutes a crucial part of the governments capital market policy reform agendas. Key Revision Details a) Introducing preliminary book building Preliminary book building allows bookrunners to survey market demand before a price band for IPO is determined through the disclosure of a securities registration statement. Under the current law, the act of soliciting for subscription is prohibited prior to the securities registration statement being filed. Thus, it could be seen as a violation of the law if a bookrunner seeks to survey demand (price, quantity, etc.) from institutional investors by providing them with company information prior to the filing of a securities registration statement. In this regard, the revised FSCMA will grant an exemption to this rule to allow preliminary demand forecasting. Bookrunners will be able to engage in preliminary book building to examine market demand from the stage of establishing an initial price band, and this will facilitate the process of price discovery and help them arrive at a more optimal market price. b) Establishing rules on cornerstone investors The cornerstone investor system allows the pre-allocation of shares from the portion of IPO shares allocated for institutional investors to those who have agreed to a lockup of at least six months. In this regard, the revised FSCMA introduces the cornerstone investor system as an exemption to the rule prohibiting the solicitation or subscription prior to the filing of a securities registration statement. The introduction of cornerstone investors will help to foment investor confidence in the IPO market by ensuring a steady engagement of
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Apr 21, 2026

Capital Market Rules Change Allowing the Introduction of Single-stock ETFs to Take Effect from April 28

The Financial Services Commission announced that revisions to the Enforcement Decree of the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act (FSCMA) allowing the introduction of single-stock exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have been approved by the government at the cabinet meeting held on April 21. The revised rules will upgrade the rules on the domestic ETF market and help to close the regulatory gap existing between the domestically listed ETFs and the overseas listed ETFs. The revised rules will be promulgated and become effective from April 28. Key Revision Details a) Allowing the introduction of single-stock ETFs (same rules to be applied on ETNs) In major overseas markets, such as the U.S. and Hong Kong, there are single-stock ETFs that are available for Korean investors to trade via the mobile applications of domestic securities firms. However, in the domestic market, introducing single-stock ETFs or single-stock ETNs has not been possible thus far due to the dispersed investment rule requiring ETFs to have at least ten underlying items with maximum 30 percent limit on each item. This has led to the problem of the domestic market environment not being able to sufficiently meetinvestors demands for diverse types of ETF investment. Against this backdrop, the FSC sought regulatory reforms to make domestic rules more consistent with global standards to facilitate more inflow of investments from overseas, while enhancing protections and convenience for investors to help prevent the outflow of investment capital. Under the revised rules, introducing single-stock ETFs tracking blue-chip stocks will be allowed in the domestic market, and the maximum level of exposure allowed will be restricted to 200 percent (2x leverage). The criteria for underlying stock items and product types will be prescribed under the subordinate rules as follows. Underlying stock items need to meet the following criteria(a) a minimum market cap ratio of 10 percent, (b) a minimum trading vo
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Apr 20, 2026

Financial Companies Will be Able to Use Cloud-based Software as a Service on Internal Network from April 20

The Financial Services Commission announced that financial companies and electronic financial service providers will be able to adopt and use cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) for various types of administrative and back office functions without the need to go through an approval process under the financial regulatory sandbox program from April 20. The revised rules on the supervision of electronic financial services went into effect on April 20, granting financial companies exemption to the network separation rule for the use of SaaS in their internal networks on the condition that they comply with certain security requirements. Key Revision Details First, SaaS programs specified under the Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Development of Cloud Computing and Protection of Its Users will be exempted from the network separation rule pursuant to the Electronic Financial Transactions Act and the supervisory regulation on electronic financial services. However, to prevent potential breaches of personal information, the exemption form the network separation rule will not apply to the handling of personal identification information or personal credit information. For the use of pseudonymized personal data in their SaaS programs, financial companies will still need to get an approval through the financial regulatory sandbox program. Second, with the granting of exemption from the network separation rule, financial companies will be required to maintain a more rigorous level of information protection control measures. More specifically, financial companies will need to (a) have their SaaS programs pre-screened by the Financial Security Institute (FSI), (b) maintain strict IT security protocols (certification, authorization, etc.) for access devices (computers and mobile devices), (c) have their compliance measures evaluated every six months and report finding to their chief information security officers (CISOs). To facilitate the adoption of various IT security and
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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 16, 2026

FSC-KRX Hold Seminar on Improving Rules on Split Listing

The Financial Services Commission and the Korea Exchange jointly held a policy seminar on improving rules on split listing on April 16. The government had previously announced a plan in March this year to prohibit split listing of parent and subsidiary companies in principle as part of broader efforts to seek improvements in the domestic capital markets. In this regard, todays seminar will help the authorities to gather diverse opinions and advice on overall policy directions and specific regulatory designs from investors and experts from various backgrounds. At the beginning of the seminar, FSC Chairman Lee Eog-weon delivered congratulatory remarks speaking on the importance of seeking ways to further strengthen the fiduciary duty of corporate executives and boards in the best interests of ordinary shareholders. A Summary of Remarks by FSC Chairman The practice of split listing of parent and subsidiary companies has often been used to expand the business operations and affiliates of corporate entities, while controlling shareholders continue to maintain the practical ownership rights. In this process, ordinary shareholders were left out from sharing the profit of growth achieved by the subsidiary company and had to bear the cost of discounts in stock prices. To address this problem and to bring more fairness and reasonableness to the domestic capital markets, it is necessary to gather diverse opinions and advice on ways to effectively tackle this problem. In this regard, financial authorities will seek to upgrade relevant rules and bolster the screening process to make sure to draw a clear line between the split listings that lead to an asymmetrical profit structure for only a few and the ones that are deemed to be fair and that can create new value for ordinary shareholders. Additionally, the rules change will require the parent companys board to examine the impact of split listing on its shareholders and prepare measures to ensure shareholder protection to have c
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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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Apr 10, 2026

FSC Chairman Meets with Chairman of AMCHAM Korea and Discusses Ways to Strengthen Financial Competitiveness

Chairman Lee Eog-weon of the Financial Service Commission met with Chairman and CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM Korea) James Kim at his office in Seoul Government Complex on April 10. At the meeting, FSC Chairman Lee and AMCHAM Korea Chairman Kim discussed ways to attract more investments in Korea from global financial institutions and strengthen Koreas financial regulatory competitiveness. On March 25 this year, AMCHAM Korea published a special report titled Koreas Financial Hub Agenda as part of its efforts to promote Korea as a leading financial hub in the Asia-Pacific region. In this regard, AMCHAM Korea Chairman Kim expressed significant potential for Korea to be able to host growing numbers of Asia-Pacific regional headquarters of multinational corporations in the future. In this regard, FSC Chairman Lee expressed appreciations for AMCHAM Koreas interest and support for Koreas financial sector development and shared how Koreas financial sector innovation has been perceived by the international society and what the government plans to do next. According to the 39th edition of the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI 39), which was unveiled on March 26, 2026, Seoul and Busan ranked in the 8th and 23rd places, respectively, which demonstrates Koreas elevated financial hub status globally. In order to continue to boost Koreas financial sector competitiveness and facilitate an inflow of foreign investments, the FSC plans to work on a seamless implementation of the follow-up measureson omnibus account, English disclosure, dividend payout, etc.in accordance with the governments earlier announced roadmap (January 2026) for the inclusion in the MSCI developed markets index. In closing the meeting, FSC Chairman Lee and AMCHAM Korea Chairman Kim shared the same view on the need to maintain close cooperation and constructive dialogue between the two organizations in order to further help to strengthen Koreas financial hub status. * Please refer to
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Apr 09, 2026

An AI-based Credit Rating Framework Focused on the Needs of Small Businesses to be Introduced

The Financial Services Commission announced a plan to introduce an artificial intelligence (AI)-based credit rating framework focused on the needs of small businesses and self-employed business owners at the third taskforce meeting on upgrading the credit rating system held on April 9. Key Measures a) Introducing Small Business Self-Ownership Credit Bureau (SCB) The Small Business Self-Ownership Credit Bureau (SCB) is an AI-driven credit rating model specifically tailored to the needs and characteristics of small businesses and self-employed business owners. It is designed to evaluate the future growth potential of small businesses in their business areas by making use of a variety of nonfinancial data, such as the sales performance, the category and location of business operation and so on. The SCB ratings (ranging between S1 and S10) combine the current CB ratings of small businesses with their potential future scale-up ratings. A higher score on the future scale-up ratings (e.g. S1 or S2) will help to push up the overall credit score of small businesses, making them eligible for more opportunities and enhanced benefits in their access to loans. The potential future scale-up ratings of small businesses will be generated by combining an AI-based quantitative evaluation model taking into account a set of measurable variables and a qualitative evaluation model looking into particular characteristics and strengths of individual businesses. A higher score on the qualitative evaluation model will push up the ultimate SCB rating of small businesses, and a higher SCB rating will help to upgrade their overall CB ratings, making them eligible for more opportunities and enhanced benefits in their access to loans. The SCB ratings for small businesses will be piloted with participating banks in the second half of 2026 (expected to be from August). After examining the outcome of pilot operation in the second half of 2027, credit bureaus and financial companies will then begin t
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Apr 08, 2026

Household Loans, March 2026

In March 2026, the outstanding balance of household loans across all financial sectors increased KRW3.5 trillion (preliminary), growing at a faster pace compared with the previous month (up KRW2.9 trillion). (By Type) Home-backed mortgage loans rose KRW3.0 trillion, growing at a slower pace compared with the previous month (up KRW4.1 trillion). The pace of growth in mortgage loans slowed down in both the banking (up KRW0.3 trillion up KRW0.003 trillion) and nonbanking (up KRW3.8 trillion up KRW3.0 trillion) sectors. Other types of loans rose KRW0.5 trillion, shifting back up from the decline of KRW1.2 trillion in the previous month, as credit loans (down KRW1.0 trillion down KRW0.2 trillion) dropped at a slower pace. (By Sector) In March 2026, household loans in the banking sector rose KRW0.5 trillion, turning back up from the decline of KRW0.4 trillion a month ago. Banks own mortgage loans (down KRW1.1 trillion down KRW1.5 trillion) declined at a faster pace, while policy-based mortgage loans (up KRW1.4 trillion up KRW1.5 trillion) edged up at a slightly faster pace. Other types of loans (up KRW0.5 trillion) shifted back up from the decline of KRW0.7 trillion a month ago. In the nonbanking sector, household loans edged up KRW3.0 trillion, growing at a slower pace compared with the previous month (up KRW3.3 trillion). Mutual finance businesses (up KRW3.1 trillion up KRW2.7 trillion) saw household loans growing more slowly, while insurance companies (up KRW0.2 trillion up KRW0.6 trillion) saw household loans rising more rapidly. Savings banks (down KRW0.1 trillion down KRW0.4 trillion) saw household loans falling at a faster pace, while specialized credit finance businesses (up KRW0.1 trillion up KRW0.1 trillion) saw household loans expanding at a similar level compared with the previous month. (Assessment) In March 2026, the outstanding balance of household loans (up KRW2.9 trillion up KRW3.5 trillion) expanded at a somewhat faster pace from a month before led by th
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Apr 06, 2026

Revised Rules on Microfinance Support to Strengthen Foundation for Inclusive Finance Assistance

The Financial Services Commission announced that a revision bill for the Enforcement Decree of the Microfinance Support Act was approved by the government at the cabinet meeting held on April 6. Under the revised rules, (a) the size of annual microfinance contributions financial companies make to the Korea Inclusive Finance Agency (KINFA) will be expanded to ensure a steady foundation for the supply of microfinance assistance, and (b) a legal foundation will be established enabling the KINFA to provide credit guarantee support for the users of microloan service under the Credit Counseling and Recovery Service (CCRS) program. Key Revision Details a) Expanding financial companies annual microfinance contribution amounts Against the backdrop of rising external uncertainties and straining economic conditions, lower-income individuals and vulnerable groups stand at more risk of falling prey to illegal private lending activities, and thus there exists an urgent need to expand the supply of microfinance support. In this regard, the FSC has been seeking to increase the common contribution rate financial companies are subject to when making contributions to the KINFA in relation to the size of their household loans. This common microfinance contribution rate was set at 0.06 percent for banks and 0.03 percent for nonbanks (insurance, mutual finance, specialized credit finance, and savings banks) in relation to the size of their household loans. This amounted to an annual contribution level of about KRW434.8 billion in total (KRW247.3 billion from banks and KRW187.5 billion from nonbanks). Under the revised rules, this common microfinance contribution rate will be raised by 0.04 percentage points for banks to 0.1 percent and by 0.015 percentage points for nonbanks to 0.045 percent, which will expand the total amount of annual contributions by about KRW197.3 billion (KRW134.5 billion more from banks and KRW62.8 billion more from nonbanks). With the availability of additional fu
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Apr 06, 2026

Real-Time Balance Reconciliation and Enhanced Internal Control Required for Virtual Asset Exchanges

The Financial Services Commission held a meeting with five major domestic virtual asset exchange service providers and the Digital Asset Exchange Alliance (DAXA) on April 6 to discuss the outcome of inspections carried out in the wake of Bithumbs erroneous payout incident and to discuss measures for improvement. At the meeting, the DAXA and the five major virtual asset exchange service providers announced a joint resolution intended to prevent payment accidents in the future and regain trust from the market by upgrading the industrys self-regulatory framework and strengthening internal control mechanisms. Inspection Results and Improvement Measures An emergency response unit was set up in February in the wake of Bithumbs erroneous payout incident to closely inspect virtual asset exchange service providers for their handling of user assets, vulnerabilities in their operating systems, and internal control mechanisms. a) Inadequacy in ledger-to-wallet balance reconciliation Three out of five virtual asset exchange service providers were found to have in place a ledger-to-wallet balance reconciliation process operating on a 24-hour basis, making them incapable of timely responses when an accidental payout takes place. Additionally, inspections revealed that virtual asset exchange service providers had no adequate preparations for kill switches, which would enable them to immediately halt transactions upon finding a significant gap is the ledger-to-wallet balance reconciliation. Although external verification through accounting firms is taking place on a quarterly basis, information disclosure in this regard is only taking place perfunctorily. In this regard, virtual asset exchange service providers will be required to set up a ledger-to-wallet balance reconciliation system on a real-time basis (every five minutes) to ensure immediate responses in case a payment accident takes place. Additionally, there will be specific criteria introduced for initiating an automated kil
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Apr 01, 2026

Government Unveils 2026 Household Debt Management Plan Aimed at Decoupling of Finance from Real Estate Market

Chairman Lee Eog-weon of the Financial Services Commission presided over the meeting on household debt management on April 1 with officials from related government ministries, financial institutions, and industry groups. At the meeting, officials discussed and introduced the governments household debt management plan for 2026. In order to put an end to excessive concentration of money and inflows of leveraged investments in the real estate market, FSC Chairman Lee said that it is critical to push for an effective decoupling of finance from the real estate market. In this regard, Chairman Lee said that the household debt management measures being introduced today will help to foster the conditions in the financial industry to make a great transition toward productive finance. Overview With the governments consistent efforts to contain the pace of household debt growth in recent years, the household debt to GDP ratiohas continued to decline since after 2021, which demonstrates that a gradual deleveraging is taking place in the household sector. In particular, a set of enhanced household debt management measures introduced in 2025 have contributed to the continuation of a downward stabilization trend despite the presence of interest rate cuts and housing market overheating. However, Koreas household debt to GDP ratiostill remains high compared to other major economies, and there is continuing presence of factors driving the growth of mortgage loans. Therefore, it is necessary for the government to continue to maintain a firm stance on household debt management. Especially against the backdrop of growing uncertainties in the real economy and financial markets, it is necessary to effectively address the potential risk of built-up leverage in the household sector. Key Measures a) Strengthening control over total volume of household debt growth In 2026, the government will continue to strictly manage the total volume of household debt growth in quantitative terms. The targ
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