Articles by Im Eun-byel
Im Eun-byel
silverstar@heraldcorp.com-
Woori Financial ready to bulk up
South Korean financial services conglomerate Woori Financial Group is seeking to diversify its business portfolio beyond banking in an apparent move to take on its bigger rivals here. Among the nation’s top four financial groups, Woori has long remained the smallest in terms of sales. Last year, Woori was the only one to post less than 3 trillion won ($2.2 billion) in earnings, with its net profit standing at 2.51 trillion won. KB, the No. 1 financial group, recorded 4.63 trillion won in n
Industry May 13, 2024
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Bithumb to pay W40b taxes for crypto airdrop winners
Korea's major cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb said Friday that it will cover all the 40 billion won ($30 million) of taxes imposed on the winners of its crypto airdrop events. According to Bithumb, some 10,700 users were slapped with a combined 20 billion won in taxes last year for their compensations, including virtual assets and paybacks on commission, worth 83 billion won earned after participating in its multiple airdrop events held between 2018 and 2021. In Korea, the tax authorities h
Industry May 10, 2024
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Over 80,000 millionaires, 20 billionaires in Seoul: report
There are over 80,000 individuals in Seoul with wealth of over $1 million, making it the city in the world with the 19th-highest number of millionaires, a recent study found. Around 82,500 residents in Seoul have wealth over $1 million as of December 2023, according to the “2024 World’s Wealthiest Cities” report issued by investment migration consultant Henry & Partners in collaboration with global data intelligence firm New World Wealth, Tuesday. In the annual report, weal
Economy May 8, 2024
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Mirae Asset introduces high dividend yield ETF to China
Mirae Asset Global Investments, a leading asset manager based in Korea, announced on Tuesday its high dividend yield exchange-traded fund has been included in the Stock Connect Scheme, a program that allows mainland China investors access to certain eligible Hong Kong-listed ETFs. The Global X Hang Seng High Dividend Yield ETF, operated by the asset manager's Hong Kong branch, was included in the program on Monday. The ETF tracks shares with high dividend yields on the Hong Kong Stock Excha
Industry May 7, 2024
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Hanwha Life secures 40% stake in Indonesian lender
Hanwha Life, a major insurer under the Korean conglomerate Hanwha Group, is set to expand its presence in Southeast Asia, having secured a stake in Indonesia's Nobu Bank, according to the insurer on Monday. Hanwha Life acquired a 40 percent stake in Nobu Bank through a deal signed with Indonesia’s Lippo Group, a major conglomerate with businesses spanning Southeast Asia. The deal signing event was held in Jakarta on Friday, with Hanwha Life Vice Chair and CEO Yeo Seung-joo, its Presid
Industry May 6, 2024
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Inflation eases in April, continues bumpy ride
South Korea's inflation fell to the 2 percent range as the country’s directive to lower price growth has been continuing to go down a bumpy path on fluctuations in the oil and agricultural prices, data showed Thursday. Consumer prices, a key metric of inflation, rose by 2.9 percent in April, marking a 0.2 percentage point decrease from the 3.1 percent reading shown in both March and February, according to the data from Statistics Korea. “The prices of petroleum products, which r
Economy May 2, 2024
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[KH Explains] Will alternative trading platform shake up Korean stock market?
Korea’s stock market is set to enter a new phase with the upcoming launch of the first alternative trading system for the Korea Exchange, the nation’s sole bourse operator that has enjoyed almost 70 years of monopoly. Nextrade, a consortium of 34 securities and tech firms established in November 2022, aims to earn the final regulatory approval within the year for its official debut in the first quarter of next year. More than 20 brokerage houses here have already expressed their inte
Market May 1, 2024
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Line, Kakao eye Asia’s No. 1 blockchain network
Blockchain platform operators under Korean tech giants Line and Kakao are to complete integration under the new brand name "kaia" in June, the entities announced Tuesday. Project Dragon, created through a merge of Kakao's blockchain platform Klaytn Foundation and Finschia Foundation under Naver's affiliate Line Tech Plus, said it plans to complete the integration of the respective blockchain ecosystems in June, following a merger announced in February. “Such a merger of
Industry April 30, 2024
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MBK chief donates $25m to Haverford College
MBK Partners Chairman Michael ByungJu Kim has recently donated $25 million to his undergraduate alma mater, Haverford College, according to the asset manager's announcement on Monday. The $25 million donation, the largest amount in the school's history, was made on April 23. It will fund the establishment of the Institute for Ethical Inquiry & Leadership at the liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania. “Ethical inquiry is at the core of a Haverford education, and leade
Industry April 29, 2024
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[Herald Interview] Korean banks’ earnings dilemma: More profits, more responsibility
Korean banks may face diminishing profitability due to mounting pressure to take on social responsibilities amid the country's slowing economic growth, a senior official at global credit appraiser Fitch Ratings said. Commercial banks, often criticized for making money from excessively high interest rates, are facing stronger pressure from local authorities to return a portion of profits to the provision of public goods. “From the operating environment side, the pressure to commit to s
Industry April 29, 2024
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Korea’s top finance firms put aside W1.7tr for Hong Kong-tied ELS compensation
Korea’s top finance firms -- KB, Shinhan, Hana, Woori and NongHhyup -- have set aside a total of nearly 1.7 trillion won ($1.2 billion) in reserve for the compensation of losses related to the misselling of equity-linked securities products tracking the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index in Hong Kong. While KB Financial Group, the top seller of the ELS products, set aside 862 billion won to cover the compensation, NongHyup and Shinhan each allocated 341.6 billion won and 274 billion won.
Industry April 26, 2024
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[Herald Interview] Bridging Korea, Philippines for better future
Building bilateral ties between Korea and the Philippines could be a means to boosting the livelihoods of the people of each country for Luis Chavit Singson, chairman of the Philippines’ LCS Group of Companies, and boxing legend Manny Pacquiao. Singson and Pacquiao, longtime friends and investment partners, visited Seoul this week in a search for new business opportunities, along with Secretary of Agrarian Reform Conrado Estrella. Over the years, the two have been highly interested in coop
Industry April 23, 2024
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BOK chief says won will level off if Middle East conflict eases
Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong, during his visit to the United States, projected the volatility of the won-dollar exchange rate would ease if the Middle East tension did not escalate further. The won-dollar exchange rate has been fluctuating heavily over the past few weeks, influenced by the strong demand for the greenback, with the anticipation that the US Federal Reserve will continue its aggressive monetary tightening due to the hotter-than-expected inflation readings. The strong safe
Economy April 21, 2024
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Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen
The top finance policymakers of South Korea, the US and Japan shared their concern on the recent devaluation of the Korean won and the Japanese yen during their first trilateral talks Wednesday. Korea's Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Japan's Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki held three-way talks on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and Group of 20 finance leaders' meetings in Washington. They were the first trilateral talks to
Economy April 18, 2024
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Mirae Asset Global X set for growth under new chief
Mirae Asset Global Investments announced Wednesday that Global X, its US-based exchange-traded fund subsidiary, would seek increased competitiveness under new CEO Ryan O'Connor, the former global head of ETF products at Goldman Sachs. O'Connor, who has an over 17-year career in the US ETF industry, having worked at Goldman Sachs and State Street Global Advisors, took office as the chief of fund issuer Global X on April 8. Through a recent leadership reshuffle carried out earlier this m
Industry April 17, 2024
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