-
Sep 09, 2021
- FSC Announces 10% Stake in Woori Financial Group to be Sold
- The FSC announced its plan to sell ten percent of the remaining stake (15.13%) held by the Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation in Woori Financial Group through competitive bidding. Background With the goal of complete privatization of WFG, the government has been selling KDICs stake in WFG through a series of block sales and competitive auctions over the years. The sales allowed the government to recoup about 89.6 percent of public funds and afforded WFG with management autonomy as its MOU with the KDIC has been retracted in 2016. The KDICs sale of 29.7 percent stake in December 2016 further accelerated WFGs privatization process. However, as the KDIC still maintained the largest shareholder status, the Public Fund Oversight Committee announced the roadmap for selling remaining stake in WFG in June 2019. Thereafter, the KDIC sold two percent of its remaining stake through a block sale on April 9, 2021. After assessing market demand, on August 23, the PFOC decided to sell up to ten percent of KDICs remaining stake in WFG through competitive bidding. Details Ten percent of shares will be put up for sale with minimum bidding of one percent through a competitive auction with highest bidders winning the auction. However, when no workable competition is established or the bidding price is below the PFOC set price, the sales method may change to a block sale. Investors who newly acquire four percent or more of stake are granted right to recommend an outside director to the board. Successful sales of KDICs stake in WFG at this round may lead to the completion of the privatization process of WFG in essence, since the KDIC may no longer be the largest shareholder with its right to recommend an outside director also taken away. Schedule With the sales notice announced on September 9, letters of intent (LoIs) will be due on October 8 and the bidding will close and winning bidders selected in November. * Please refer to the attache PDF for details.
-
Sep 08, 2021
-
Sep 08, 2021
-
Aug 25, 2021
-
Aug 11, 2021
-
Jul 14, 2021
-
Jul 13, 2021
-
Jul 06, 2021
- FSC Holds Symposium on COVID-19 Financial Policy
- The FSC and the Korea Institute of Finance co-hosted a policy symposium on the effectiveness of COVID-19 financial policy on July 6. FSC Chairman Eun Sung-soo attended the symposium and delivered a keynote address highlighting the progress of policy implementation and future policy direction. The following is a summary of Chairman Euns remarks. (COVID-19 Crisis Policy Response) In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government rolled out policies focusing on the prevention of risk transfer channels, provision of an exhaustive level of support and setting up firewalls in financial markets to help remove market anxieties. The authorities worked on stock market and bond market stabilization measures while prioritizing support for small-scale businesses. Financial support was extended to businesses of all sizes that have been hit by the pandemic. The KRW175 trillion-plus COVID-19 financial support programs were introduced to contain fear and anxiety in markets. This unprecedented level of financial support by the government helped to quickly stabilize the financial system, provide liquidity to small merchants and SMEs while preventing large-scale bankruptcies or job losses in key industries. As a result, the Korean economy saw the smallest negative growth last year while stock markets continue to set new record highs. In March this year, the IMF stated that Koreas decisive policy response has helped the country navigate the COVID-19 shock. (Future Policy Direction) In order to overcome the pandemic-induced crisis and be prepared for potential aftershocks, an orderly process for policy normalization is necessary. First, the government will maintain close monitoring on the status of virus prevention, real economy and financial market conditions as there still exist uncertainties, such as the spread of COVID variants. Second, the government will work to ensure financial stability by preemptively managing potential risk factors, such as an excessive accumulation of debt.
-
Jun 29, 2021
-
Jun 10, 2021
-
Jun 10, 2021
-
May 25, 2021
- Government Approves Revised Rules to Introduce Small-sum & Short-term Insurance
- The government approved the revisions to the Enforcement Decree of the Insurance Business Act at a cabinet meeting on May 25, aiming to introduce a small-sum, short-term specialized insurance business with a variety of insurance coverage such as pet, leisure and travel insurance. Key Revisions (Small-sum Short-term Insurance Business) The minimum capital requirement for a small-sum, short-term specialized insurance business will be set at KRW2 billion. They are allowed to provide various types of insurance coverage e.g. pet insurance, leisure travel insurance, weather insurance, etc with a one-year renewable term and premiums of up to KRW50 million. The insurers annual gross premium revenue will be capped at KRW50 billion. (Scope of Insurers Subsidiaries) To promote digital transition in the insurance sector, the revision permits insurers to own more than a 15% stake in a healthcare or MyData service provider as subsidiaries. (Access to Administrative Information) Currently, insurance policy holders are required to submit required administrative documents such as a copy of residence registration, family relation certificate, drivers license, etc, to insurers. To ease such a burden, the revision will allow insures to access to administrative information upon policy holders consent. (External Evaluation of Policy Reserves) Insurance businesses with total assets of KRW1 trillion or more will be required to have external actuaries approve the appropriateness of their policy reserve. Schedule The revisions will take effect from June 9, 2021. The FSC will complete revisions to subordinate rules including the Regulation on Supervision of Insurance Business in accordance with the revised Enforcement Decree. * Please refer to the attached PDF for details.
-
May 12, 2021
-
May 06, 2021
- Financial Authorities to Improve Rules on the Suspension of Licensing Review Process
- The financial authorities introduced the measures to improve rules on the suspension of licensing review process for financial institutions. The measures are intended to increase predictability and minimize legal uncertainties for businesses. The rules on the suspension of licensing review process have been introduced to prevent the granting of license to legally disqualified entities that may be undergoing an investigation or lawsuit at the time of their licensing review process. Under the rules, financial authorities may decide to suspend the licensing review process (a) if the applicant is facing a criminal charge or under an investigation or inspection by a relevant authority and (b) if the lawsuit or the investigation or inspection is deemed to have significant impact on the licensing review process. However, there have been criticisms regarding the current system as it serves a contradictory purpose to the principle of presumption of innocence, leads to unnecessary breach of rights and interests on the part of the applicant, impedes the level of predictability for resumption of the review process and raises the issue of inconsistency in terms of the application of the rules across different sectors. As such, the FSC will carry out the following measures to make improvements to the current suspension of licensing review process. Key Measures First, the authorities will newly establish a guideline that provides a specific and detailed list of grounds and reasons for suspending a licensing review process. Second, for business entities whose licensing review process has been suspended, the authorities will reconsider every six months the possibility of resuming the licensing review process and whether to extend the suspension period. Third, the suspension of licensing review process, which is currently not applicable to insurance businesses, specialized credit finance companies and financial holding companies, will be applied across all financial sectors to enhanc
-
Apr 15, 2021
- FSC Chairman Holds Talks with Relevant Officials Ahead of Partial Resumption of Stock Short-selling
- FSC Chairman Eun Sung-soo met with officials from relevant institutions and heads of securities companies on April 15 and held talks on the preparatory measures for partial resumption of stock short-selling on May 3,recent stock market trends and virus prevention measures taken by the financial investment industry. The following is a summary of Chairman Euns remarks. (KOSDAQ Surpassing 1,000 pts) KOSDAQ recently surpassed 1,000 points for the first time since September 2000. Throughout the years, the authorities have worked to improve the KOSDAQ market for venture capitals and startups by allowing lossmaking companies to be listed and introducing technology-based preferential listing system. As a result, KOSDAQ emerged as a distinct market for investors with many businesses with significant future growth potential being listed. The Korea Exchange, relevant institutions and the financial investment industry have put efforts to improve the investment infrastructure and seek out promising businesses. Through the Korean New Deal initiative and the government-wide effort to cultivate more innovative businesses, the government will work to support venture startups and innovative firms in KOSDAQ market to further strengthen our economy. (Ensuring Investor Trust in the Market) It is important to ensure that investors have confidence and trust about the fairness in the market. In order to root out illegal and unfair marketing or advising practices in stock markets, the government has been operating a response team since October 2020. The response team will continue to work to prevent inappropriate activities and improve regulations. Prior to the partial resumption of short-selling on May 3, the authorities will continue to work to resolve various concerns of investors. Out of the four regulatory improvement measures announced earlier, stronger penalties on illegal short-selling activities and improved rules for market makers have already become effective. The two remaining m
-
Apr 14, 2021
-
Apr 01, 2021
-
Apr 01, 2021
-
Mar 29, 2021
- FSC Chairman Vows Continued Support for SMEs
- FSC Chairman Eun Sung-soo visited the newly opened financial support center at the Korea Federation of SMEs on March 29 and held talks on the governments efforts in providing financial support to SMEs. The following is a summary of Chairman Euns remarks. The government has made various types of financial support available for SMEs and small merchants. It has abolished the joint and several liability by state-backed lending institutions and strengthened the provision of venture capital to promising SMEs and venture firms. To help with the COVID-19 crisis, maturity extensions and payment deferrals were made available from all financial sectors since April of last year. The recently announced six-month extension of maturity extension and payment deferral as well as the governments plan for a gradual normalization have taken into account various comments from SMEs and small merchants. As such, the authorities will work to ensure that these support measures are effectively implemented. For SMEs, there are growing concerns over deterioration in borrowing conditions, as their credit ratings will reflect last years decreased sales performance which may cause higher borrowing rates. To help mitigate these concerns, the authorities are in close consultation with the financial sectors. First, for SMEs undergoing a temporary hardship due to a worsening of business environment but are expected to bounce back soon after, their potential for recovery will be sufficiently taken into account when assessing their credit ratings. Second, for SMEs experiencing an unavoidable fall in credit rating, the authorities will work to minimize the impact on their maximum borrowing cap, interest rate, etc. Moreover, the government will work on measures to prepare for a post-pandemic economy. To help relieve the payment burdens after the expiration of maturity extension and payment deferral, consulting services will be provided to SMEs and small merchants to allow long-term installment payments b
-
Mar 10, 2021