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Mar 30, 2026
- Rules Change Proposed on VASPs to Strengthen Registration and Anti-money Laundering Requirements
- The Financial Services Commission proposed a set of rules change intended to strengthen the registration requirement and the anti-money laundering (AML) duty of virtual asset service providers (VASPs) on March 30. The revision proposal for the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Reporting and Using Specified Financial Transaction Information and its subordinate regulations address details regarding the entry rules of VASPs and the notification of sanctions imposed on retired employees. Moreover, the proposed rules change also deal with the strengthened AML duty (travel rule) of VASPs in their handling of virtual asset transfers. Key Revision Details a) Enhanced entry rules and registration requirements First, the scope of major shareholders falling under the scrutiny for VASPs entry registration will be expanded to include largest shareholder, CEO, controlling shareholder, and the CEO and company representative if the largest shareholder is a corporate entity. Second, VASPs need to meet the following financial soundness and social credibility requirements for registration. VASPs (a) should maintain a debt ratio of 200 percent or below as shown in the most recent quarter-end financial statements, (b) should not have been in default in the past three years, and (c) should not have been identified as an insolvent financial institution or have had its business license revoked in the past. The (chief) executive officers of VASPs need to meet specific qualifications prescribed under the Act on Corporate Governance of Financial Companies. The largest shareholders of VASPs (a) should demonstrate a debt ratio of 200 percent or below as shown in the most recent quarter-end financial statements, (b) should not have been a largest shareholder or a specially associated entity to an insolvent financial institution or a financial institution that has had its business license revoked previously, and (c) should meet specific qualifications prescribed under the Act on Corporate Governan
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Mar 30, 2026
- FSC Unveils Benchmark Rate Reform Plans to Ensure Consistent and Swift Transitions
- The Financial Services Commission announced benchmark rate reform plans intended to boost confidence in financial markets at the meeting held on March 30 with officials from related financial authorities and industry groups. FSC Vice Chairman Kwon Dae-young presided over the meeting and laid out the following three key principles for benchmark rate reform(a) swiftly improving confidence on benchmark rates, (b) minimizing potential impact on the market, and (c) strengthening protections for financial consumers. Key Details of Benchmark Rate Reform a) Promoting KOFR-basedtransactions in financial markets With the establishment of a central clearing system for KOFR-based overnight index swap (OIS) transactions, the government plans to speed up the adoption of KOFR in the market more quickly than previously planned. To this end, the previously planned KOFR-OIS target of 50 percent by June 2030 (via 10%p increase every year for five years) will be increased to 70 percent by June 2030 (via 15%p increase every year). For the period running from July 2026 until June 2027 (the second year), financial companies will need to meet the KOFR-OIS target of 25 percent (10% in the first year plus 15%p). There will be a new KOFR-FRN (Floating Rate Note) transactions target established (via administrative guidance from the Financial Supervisory Service in June 2026) to promote the adoption of KOFR in the FRN market. In the first year (from July 2026 to June 2027), banks will need to meet the KOFR-FRN target of 10 percent and increase their KOFR-FRN transactions every year by 10%p thereafter to meet the target of 50 percent by June 2031. For policy financial institutions (Korea Development Bank, Industrial Bank of Korea, and Export-Import Bank of Korea), the KOFR-FRN target will be set at 65 percent by June 2031, a 15%p higher than commercial banks. To meet this goal, in the first year (from July 2026 to June 2027), policy financial institutions will issue 25 percent or more of FRNs ba
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Mar 30, 2026
- Capital Market Rules Change Proposed to Strengthen Regulations on Disclosure of Treasury Share Holding Status
- The Financial Services Commission proposed capital market rules change on March 30 intended to promote the use of treasury shares by listed companies as a means to boost shareholder value in line with the mandatory cancellation of treasury shares promulgated under the recently revised Commercial Act. Under the revised Commercial Act, listed companies are required to cancel treasury shares within one year in principle (within one year and six months for treasury shares acquired prior to the revised law taking effect). For exceptional cases when the retention of treasury shares is deemed to be necessary for employee compensation or other management purposes, listed companies are required to obtain an approval for their retention/disposal plan from the general shareholders meeting. In this regard, the FSC proposes the following rules change to make sure a seamless implementation of the mandatory treasury cancellation requirement under the revised Commercial Act. First, all listed companies will be required to disclose their treasury stock retention status and disposal plans. Second, there will be regulatory reforms regarding the disposal of treasury shares by trust businesses, the issuance of exchangeable bonds backed by treasury shares, and the sale of treasury shares. First, the rules change is proposed to enhance transparency in the disclosure of listed companies treasury share retention and disposal plans and their actual implementation status, and to expand the application of the treasury share disclosure rule to all listed companies. Under the revised Commercial Act, companies are required to indicate in their treasury share retention and disposal plans the purpose of retention and/or disposal, retention status, retention period, and time for disposal. However, if a specific time for disposal is yet to be decided at the time of shareholders approval, it remains difficult for investors and ordinary shareholders to clearly understand the companys treasury share dis
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Mar 25, 2026
- KoFIU Unveils H2 2025 Survey Result on Virtual Asset Service Providers
- The Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (KoFIU) and the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) conducted a survey on 27 registered virtual asset service providers (VASPs) to assess the current state of the domestic virtual asset market and keep relevant statistics up to date. Survey Overview (Respondents) 27 VASPs (18 exchange service providers and 9 custody and wallet service providers) (Survey Method) Data collected from VASPs (Period Covered) July 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025 Key Survey Findings for H2 2025 In the second half of 2025, the prices of major virtual assets declined. Compared with the previous six-month period, the number of users eligible to trade (up 360,000 or 3%) and the total amount of deposits in KRW (up 1.9 million or 31%) increased , but average daily trading volume (down 1.0 trillion or 15%), total operating profits (down 237.1 billion or 38%), and market capitalization (down 7.9 trillion or 8%) all declined. As the KRW-based exchange services continuing to dominate the market, the coin-only exchange service providers saw a drop in market capitalization (down 129.3 billion or 26%) over the same six-month period. However, the coin-only exchange market saw increases in average daily trading volume (up 220 million or 36%) and total operating profits (up 2.3 billion or 13%). The overall amount of external transfers of virtual assets to registered entities increased 6 percent. External transfers declined in terms of travel rule transactions (down 23%) but rose in transactions to the whitelisted overseas entities and personal digital wallets (up 14%). Despite a slight increase in the number of custody and wallet service users (up 20 or 3%), the total size of virtual assets in custody and wallet services (down KRW0.4 trillion or 58%) declined significantly due to drops in the base prices of virtual assets. * Please refer to the attached PDF for details.
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Mar 20, 2026
- Korea Reappointed as Member of IFRS Foundation's Sustainability Standards Advisory Forum
- The Financial Services Commission announced on March 20 that Korea has been reappointed by the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation as a member jurisdiction of the Sustainability Standards Advisory Forum (SSAF) for three years (2026-2028). The SSAF was established as an official advisory group to support the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) in developing and upgrading IFRS sustainability disclosure standards. The members of the SSAF provide support by contributing their policy experiences in each jurisdiction and market environment. Along with Korea, the SSAF members for 2026-2028 include organizations from 16 different jurisdictions, such as the EU, the UK, China, Japan, Australia, and Canada. From Korea, the FSC and the Korea Sustainability Standards Board (KSSB) will join the SSAF. Koreas reappointment will facilitate the timely sharing of domestic conditions and concerns for implementation at an international stage and help to enhance consistency between international standards, domestic policies, and corporate disclosure practices. As Korea prepares to adopt sustainability disclosure rules in stages based on the international standards put forward by the ISSB, Koreas reappointment presents more opportunities to be able to align domestic experiences with global discussions. The FSC and the KSSB will participate in the first SSAF meeting for 2026-2028 scheduled to take place in March 2026 and will also take part in subsequent meetings to continue to relay Koreas experiences and concerns regarding the implementation of sustainability disclosures. The FSC plans to have continuous engagement with experts and related organizations and industry groups to gather wide-ranging opinions for international discussions and to make sure that domestic rules remain well-aligned with global standards. * Please refer to the attached PDF for details.
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Mar 13, 2026
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Mar 12, 2026
- Revised Rules on Telecom-based Financial Fraud to Bolster Response against Vishing Scams Involving Virtual Assets
- The Financial Services Commission announced that a revision bill for the Special Act on the Prevention of Loss Caused by Telecommunications-based Financial Fraud and Refund for Loss (the Act hereinafter) was passed by the National Assembly at the plenary session held on March 12. Background With vishing scams becoming more sophisticated, there is a growing number of cases in which scammers are stealing virtual assets from victims directly or using virtual assets for laundering the money stolen from victims. However, despite the fact that virtual asset exchange service providers are being exploited in such criminal activities, there was no legal foundation so far to effectively cut off the flow of criminal proceeds or provide remedies for victims. In this regard, the revised Act establishes a regulatory foundation to close the loophole for virtual asset exchange service providers and bolster remedies for vishing related loss and damage. Key Revision Details First, virtual asset exchange service providers will be required to have the same level of vishing prevention and damage and loss relief measures in place as in the case with financial companies. Unlike banks or securities companies that are required by law to regularly monitor suspicious transactions activities related to vishing scams, which allow them to take preventive measures, virtual asset exchange service providers are not obligated to follow such steps under the existing regulatory framework, which prevented them from taking swift actions in response to vishing scams. As such, the revised Act will make virtual asset exchange service providers subject to the same level of anti-vishing and damage and loss relief duty that is currently in place for financial companies. In this regard, virtual asset exchange service providers will be required to verify the purpose of virtual asset transactions, monitor suspicious transactions related to vishing scams, freeze account activities when suspected to be involved in
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Mar 11, 2026
- Household Loans, February 2026
- In February 2026, the outstanding balance of household loans across all financial sectors increased KRW2.9 trillion (preliminary), growing at a faster pace compared with the previous month (up KRW1.4 trillion). (By Type) Home-backed mortgage loans rose KRW4.2 trillion, growing at a faster pace compared with the previous month (up KRW3.0 trillion). Mortgage loans turned back up in the banking sector (down KRW0.6 trillion up KRW0.4 trillion) and expanded at a slightly faster pace in the nonbanking sector (up KRW3.6 trillion up KRW3.8 trillion). Other types of loans edged down KRW1.2 trillion, declining at a slower pace compared with the previous month (down KRW1.6 trillion), as credit loans dropped at a slower pace (down KRW1.1 trillion down KRW1.0 trillion). (By Sector) In February 2026, household loans in the banking sector saw a drop of KRW0.3 trillion, declining at a slower pace compared with the previous month (down KRW1.0 trillion). Banks own mortgage loan products fell at a slower pace (down KRW1.7 trillion down KRW1.1 trillion), while policy-based mortgage loans rose at a faster pace (up KRW1.1 trillion up KRW1.5 trillion). Other types of loans including credit loans declined at a faster pace (down KRW0.4 trillion down KRW0.7 trillion). In the nonbanking sector, household loans rose KRW3.3 trillion, growing at an expanded level from a month ago (up KRW2.5 trillion). Mutual finance businesses (up KRW2.3 trillion up KRW3.1 trillion) saw household loans edging up more rapidly, while insurance companies (down KRW0.2 trillion up KRW0.2 trillion) and specialized credit finance businesses (down KRW0.01 trillion up KRW0.1 trillion) saw household loans growing back up from declines seen a month ago. Savings banks (up KRW0.3 trillion down KRW0.1 trillion) saw household loans edging back down from an increase seen in the previous month. (Assessment) In February 2026, the outstanding balance of household loans edged up KRW2.9 trillion led by an expanded level of growth se
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Mar 06, 2026
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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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Mar 03, 2026
- FSC Holds Meeting to Monitor Financial Market Conditions over Middle East Situation
- Chairman Lee Eog-weon of the Financial Services Commission presided over a meeting with officials from related authorities and financial institutions to check financial market conditions over the Middle East situation on March 3. At the meeting, officials went over the economic and financial market conditions ahead of the market opening of the day amid expanding geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East region. Officials also discussed ways to provide assistance to the small- and medium-sized exporters engaged in business operation in the conflict affected region. The sharp increase seen in international oil prices on the previous day appear to have subsided somewhat, and major stock markets are mostly trending lower or staying flat, while the price of gold and the value of USD are strengthening due to higher demand for safe assets. Since financial markets may experience expanded volatility depending on the developments of the Middle East situation with a potential impact on the real economy, officials shared the same view on the need to continue to stay vigilant and ensure close cooperation and concerted responses. Despite deepening uncertainty surrounding the Middle East, FSC Chairman Lee said that the Korean economy and its financial markets are equipped with strong fundamentals and that the government has sufficient policy capacity to deal with external uncertainties. In this regard, Chairman Lee said that it is important for market participants to remain confident and avoid hasty decisions or movements. Since ensuring stability in the economy and financial markets is a top priority, the government, the Bank of Korea, and the Financial Supervisory Service will maintain close coordination to monitor market situations and ensure prompt implementation of contingency plans (market stabilization programs worth KRW100 trillion-plus) when it becomes necessary. Additionally, to prevent a potential of unfair trading activities spreading on heightened market uncertainti
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Feb 25, 2026
- FSC Abolishes Caps on Whistleblower Rewards for Market Manipulation and Accounting Fraud
- The Financial Services Commission (FSC) will overhaul its whistleblower reward program to strengthen incentives for insiders to report unfair trading and accounting fraud. Under the current framework, payouts are capped at KRW 3 billion for unfair trading and KRW 1 billion for accounting fraud levels widely viewed as insufficient to encourage insiders to come forward. In addition, rewards are unavailable if reports are filed with other enforcement authorities, such as the National Police Agency. To sharpen incentives, the FSC will: (i) abolish all caps on whistleblower rewards; (ii) provide rewards of up to 30% of recovered illicit gains or penalties; and (iii) make whistleblowers eligible for rewards regardless of which government agency first receives the report. Key Measures 1. Uncapped Whistleblower Rewards for Market Manipulation and Accounting Fraud Under the current framework, even when a tip leads to the recovery of billions of won in illicit gains, rewards remain subject to fixed caps. Given that sophisticated offenses such as market manipulation and accounting fraud are often difficult to detect without insider information, the existing limits fail to adequately compensate informants for the risks involved, thereby weakening reporting incentives. The FSC will therefore abolish reward caps through amendments to the Enforcement Decrees under the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act (FSCMA) and the External Audit Act. The revisions reaffirm the governments commitment to ensuring that market manipulation and accounting fraud are detected without exception and subject to severe sanctions. 2. Rewards of Up to 30% of Recovered Gains or Penalties The current reward formula is complex, making it difficult for potential whistleblowers to estimate in advance how much they may receive. In addition, the bracket-based structure has resulted in reward payments that are not commensurate with the amount of recovered illicit gains. The revised framework wi
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Feb 24, 2026
- Revised Rule to Require High Dividend Companies to Disclose Their Qualifications through Corporate Value-up Plans
- With the revised Act on Restriction on Special Cases Concerning Taxation (the Act hereinafter) taking effect from January 1, 2026, a separate taxation rule has been adopted on income generated from stock dividends. Under the revised Act, high dividend companies will need to disclose the information demonstrating that they have satisfied all the requirements prescribed under the revised Act to qualify for special cases in a manner specified by a presidential decree. In this regard, a revision bill to the Enforcement Decree of the Act was approved by the government at the cabinet meeting held on February 24, 2026, stipulating that high dividend companies should follow the rules concerning the disclosure of corporate value-up plans. Method of Disclosure and Provision of Assistance At the end of each fiscal year-end closing, high dividend companies will need to file disclosures of corporate value-up plans with the Korea Exchange (KRX) with contents detailing that they have satisfied all the requirementsto qualify for special cases concerning taxation under the Act until one day after the day that dividends are declared at the annual general meeting of shareholders (AGM). Since the disclosure of corporate value-up plan is prepared by companies on their own based on the individual characteristics of each listed company, specific disclosure contentsother than the required fields on dividends, as well as the decision regarding which criteria to incorporate and in what length will be left up to companies in principle. In particular, considering that this is the first year wherein high dividend companies will be filing disclosures of corporate value-up plans for indicating their qualifications for special cases concerning taxation, an abridged form of disclosure will be permitted containing only key disclosure contents, such as qualifications for special cases concerning taxation, return on equity (ROE), dividend payout ratio target, and capital expenditure (CapEx) target. To
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Feb 23, 2026
- FSC Introduces Measures to Promote Sound Development of Mutual Savings Banks
- Chairman Lee Eog-weon of the Financial Services Commission held a meeting with the CEOs of twelve mutual savings banks and related organizations and discussed ways to promote sound development of mutual savings banks on February 23. A Summary of Remarks by FSC Chairman Amid an enduring risk of default originating from real estate market volatility, digital transition in the financial industry, and a polarization in the savings banks sector, it is now crucial to have a structural transformation in the industry for the survival and growth of savings banks. Against this backdrop, the FSC has prepared a set of measures to promote sound development of savings banks to facilitate their transition away from the short-term profit driven and community-centered operational model toward a more real economy-oriented and nationwide operational approach. In this regard, the financial intermediary function of savings banks should move away from real estate and collateral operations toward the real economy sector, such as SMEs, MMEs, and small merchants, in a more balanced way. To help savings banks retain their competitiveness amid changing business environment, the FSC will seek to overhaul relevant regulations pertaining to their operating practices. In order to propel a transition toward productive finance and remove regulatory hurdles for savings banks, a condition of sound management practices should be met. Therefore, the FSC also plans to carry out regulatory reforms regarding the soundness and governance structure of savings banks commensurate with the size and role of savings banks. Key Measures a) Promoting a transition toward productive finance and upgrading rules on operating practices to make them more reasonable The FSC will seek to overhaul regulations to make the financial intermediary function of savings banks more balanced across the real economy, transitioning away from the real estate sector toward SMEs, MMEs, and small merchants. To this end, the FSC will seek
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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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Feb 11, 2026
- Household Loans, January 2026
- In January 2026, the outstanding balance of household loans across all financial sectors increased KRW1.4 trillion (preliminary), turning back up from the decline of KRW1.2 trillion in the previous month. (By Type) Home-backed mortgage loans increased KRW3.0 trillion, growing at a faster rate compared with the previous month (up KRW2.3 trillion). Mortgage loans dropped at a slightly faster rate in the banking sector (down KRW0.5 trillion down KRW0.6 trillion), but rose at a faster rate in the nonbanking sector (up KRW2.8 trillion up KRW3.6 trillion). Other types of loans edged down KRW1.7 trillion, declining at a slower rate compared with the previous month (down KRW3.6 trillion), as credit loans dropped at a slower pace (down KRW2.5 trillion down KRW1.0 trillion). (By Sector) In January 2026, household loans in the banking sector saw a drop of KRW1.0 trillion, declining at a slower rate compared with the previous month (down KRW2.0 trillion). Banks own mortgage loan products fell at a faster rate (down KRW1.4 trillion down KRW1.7 trillion), while policy-based mortgage loans rose at a slightly faster rate (up KRW0.9 trillion up KRW1.1 trillion). Other types of loans including credit loans declined at a slower rate (down KRW1.5 trillion down KRW0.4 trillion). In the nonbanking sector, household loans rose KRW2.4 trillion, growing at an expanded level from a month ago (up KRW0.8 trillion). Mutual finance businesses (up KRW2.0 trillion up KRW2.3 trillion) saw household loans edging up more rapidly, while insurance companies (down KRW0.02 trillion down KRW0.2 trillion) saw household loans declining at a faster rate. Specialized credit finance businesses (down KRW0.8 trillion down KRW0.02 trillion) saw household loans declining at a slower rate, while savings banks (down KRW0.5 trillion up KRW0.3 trillion) saw household loans shifting back up from a decline seen in the previous month. (Assessment) In January 2026, the outstanding balance of household loans edged up KRW1.
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Feb 08, 2026
- FSC Holds Meeting to Review Situations over Bithumb's Erroneous Payouts and Discuss Improvement Measures
- Chairman Lee Eog-weon of the Financial Services Commission convened a meeting with officials from the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (KoFIU) and the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) on February 8 to review situations concerning erroneous payouts of bitcoins (BTC) by Bithumb, which took place on the evening of February 6, and to discuss measures to strengthen the internal control system of virtual asset exchange service providers. Current Situation In the wake of accidental payouts of bitcoins (BTC) by Bithumb, which took place around 19:00 on February 6, an emergency meeting was held where the authorities discussed the issue of providing compensations for users following a sharp drop seen in the price of bitcoin (BTC). In this regard, Bithumb announced its own plans to offer compensations for its platform users whose sell transactions were affected by the accident and to make sure that its BTC users ledger is being maintained accurately. At todays meeting, FSC Chairman Lee instructed officials to check whether there are any further damages to users and to continue to monitor the progress of on-site inspections performed by the FSS and any significant movements in the virtual asset market. Government Response In response to Bithumbs erroneous payouts, an emergency response unit was set up at yesterdays meeting, consisting of officials from the FSC, KoFIU, FSS, and DAXA (Digital Asset Exchange Alliance), to make sure that necessary steps are taken to protect the users of virtual assets. As such, at todays meeting, the authorities discussed ways bring about regulatory and structural improvements to strengthen the reliability and transparency of virtual asset exchange service providers. In response to the recently exposed vulnerability in the internal control system of virtual asset exchange service providers, FSC Chairman Lee instructed officials to conduct inspections on Bithumb and all other virtual asset exchange service providers and to make sure that they ar
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Feb 05, 2026
- KoFIU Announces AML/CFT Policy Agendas for 2026
- The Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (KoFIU) held a policy advisory committee meeting on anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) and announced key policy agendas for 2026 on February 5. At the committee meeting, KoFIU Commissioner Lee Hyung Ju said that it has been 25 years since the AML framework was first introduced in Korea pursuant to the Act on Reporting and Using Specified Financial Transaction Information (the Act hereinafter). In this regard, Commissioner Lee talked about the need to strengthen AML response capacity against newly emerging types of fraudulent activities, especially with regard to transborder crimes. To this end, the KoFIU plans to pursue four major policy agendas as follows(a) strengthening the capacity to respond to serious public livelihood infringement crimes and transborder crimes, (b) bolstering the AML framework in the virtual asset industry, (c) improving financial companies AML capacity, and (d) enhancing regulatory consistency with global standards. Background Since its establishment in 2001, the KoFIU has been examining and analyzing specified financial transaction information to be provided to law enforcement agencies and supervising and overseeing the AML duty of financial companies. Over the past 25 years, the volume of both suspicious transaction reports (STRs) and analysis of information being shared with law enforcement agencies has increased significantly. In 2023-2024, the use of KoFIUs analysis data led to the uncovering of major tax and customs violations cases. In 2021, the KoFIU adopted a registration system for virtual asset service providers (VASPs) and made them subject to the AML duty, thereby employing inspections and sanctions tools to help strengthen the AML capacity of VASPs. The KoFIU was the first in the world to adopt the travel rule for VASPs, requiring them to transmit and hold originator and beneficiary information in virtual asset transactions. Nonetheless, the Korean soc
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Feb 05, 2026
- FSC Introduces Measures to Strengthen Income Benefit and Enhance Convenience for Reverse Mortgage Subscribers
- The Financial Services Commission announced measures to strengthen income benefits and enhance convenience for reverse mortgage subscribers on February 5. Background The reverse mortgage program in Korea allows subscribers to take out reverse mortgage loans (monthly payments) using their houses as collateral in their lifetime, guaranteeing senior citizens a certain level of monthly income while continuing to live in their homes in retirement. Since the reverse mortgage program was first introduced in Korea back in 2007, there have been continuous efforts to expand the eligibility requirement regarding the age of subscribers and the price of houses.As a result, some 150,000 households were found to have subscribed to reverse mortgages in cumulative terms as of the end of 2025 (2% subscription rate). However, given the tendency of heavily concentrated wealth in real estate among senior citizensand rapidly aging populationin Korea, it remains necessary to further promote the use of the reverse mortgage program. In this regard, the following measures have been prepared to make reverse mortgage loans as a more mainstream source of retirement income generation for the elderly. Key Measures a) Increasing reverse mortgage payments Through a redesigning of the actuarial model used in the reverse mortgage program, subscribers will be able to receive increased payments. For an average subscriber (aged 72 with home value of KRW400 million), his or her monthly payments will increase by about 3.13 percent from KRW1,297,000 previously to KRW1,338,000. Over an entire subscription period (17.4 years for 72 y/o), the total amount of payments is forecast to be increased by about KRW8,490,000. This change will take effect for new subscribers from after March 1, 2026. In addition, there will be expanded support for low-priced homeowners residing in houses valued below a certain level. Currently, there is extra payment benefit provided to the subscribers who meet certain conditions (reci
