Korea Credit Data raises over $35 mn from Pavilion, GS, KB Bank
South Korea-based fintech firm Korea Credit Data (KCD) has raised around 40 billion won ($36 million) from Singapore-based private equity firm Pavil...
Kakao Bank applies for preliminary review of 2021 IPO
Kakao Bank, South Korea's No.1 mobile banking app., has kicked off the process to go public by applying for a preliminary review of its stock market...
Banks keen to lend to Samsung heirs for inheritance tax
South Korean banks are queuing up to extend credit to Samsung Group's de-facto leader Jay Y. Lee and his family who are due to pay over 2 trillion w...
S.Korean internet-only bank seeks to raise $540 mn; attracts global PE firms
South Korea’s internet-only bank, K bank, is seeking to raise up to 600 billion won ($540 million) through a rights offering, attracting glo...
Korean banks fund alternative deals with $540 mn loans via KIC
South Korean banks have offered a combined $540 million in syndicated loans to fund overseas alternative investments, in which Korea Investment Corp...
Tight margins, regulatory meddling weigh on Korean banks
The five leading banks in South Korea, including Kookmin and Shinhan, logged their first drop in net profit last year in five years, dented by shrin...
Hana Bank issues $600 mn euro-currency bonds with negative yield
Hana Bank has become South Korea’s first commercial bank to issue foreign currency bonds at a negative yield, raising 500 million euros ($606 ...
Internet portal Naver in negotiations to buy Korea’s Jeju Bank
Naver Corp., South Korea’s top online portal, is interested in buying Jeju Bank, named for and based on the country's largest island, to secur...
S.Korean banks' household, company loans near $1.8 trn
South Korean households and companies have taken out fresh loans worth 208 trillion won ($189 billion) from banks last year, pushing the outstanding...
Kakao Bank wraps up $921 mn rights offering
South Korea's mobile-only bank has wrapped up its $920.5 million rights offering, placing the enterprise value at around 9.3 trillion won ($8.6 ...
Bank CEOs in Korea pick big tech as top 2021 challenge
Chief executives of banks operating in South Korea have picked the emergence of big technology companies and fintech startups in the credit market a...
Shinhan, Hana fund KKR’s $5.6 bn UK deal with $63 mn in loans
Two leading South Korean banks – Shinhan and Hana – have provided a combined 47 million pounds ($63 million) in senior loans to finance ...
Anchor Equity, TPG invest $500 mn in Korean mobile banking app
Hong Kong-based Anchor Equity Partners has agreed to invest 250 billion won ($226 million) to buy new shares in South Korea’s KakaoBank, shortly...
Kookmin Bank sells $500 mn in subordinated bonds to fund ESG projects
South Korea’s Kookmin Bank has issued $500 million in subordinated bonds as part of its efforts to expand loans for environmental, social and go...
Shinhan closing in on HSBC to be top foreign bank in Vietnam
Shinhan Bank Vietnam Ltd., the Vietnamese subsidiary of Shinhan Bank, is close to becoming the top foreign bank in Vietnam thanks to its solid perform...
TPG to invest $222 mn in mobile banking app KakaoBank
TPG will acquire a 2.7% stake in South Korea’s mobile banking app KakaoBank for 250 billion won ($222 million) ahead of an initial public offeri...
Bank of Korea keeps rate steady at record low; signaling no further action
The Bank of Korea has left its policy rate unchanged at a record low of 0.5% as was widely expected, citing a slow economic recovery amid the ongoing ...
Korea’s mobile banking app KakaoBank to push for 2021 IPO
KakaoBank Corp., the mobile banking arm of South Korea’s online messaging app operator Kakao Corp., is planning an initial public offering next ...
Shinhan Bank sells $285 mn in Australian-dollar social bonds
Shinhan Bank has raised A$400 million ($285 million) in five-year bonds denominated in the Australian dollar to fund lending to pandemic-hit companies...
Export-Import Bank of Korea sells $500 mn euro bonds with negative yield
The Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) has issued euro-currency bonds worth $500 million at a negative interest rate, the bank said on Sept. 15, less...
Sale of Korea’s bank debentures hits all-time high as capital reserves shrink
Bond issuance by South Korean banks has risen to a record high as banks move to secure adequate capital to ride out any short-term liquidity disruptio...
Korean banks’ Q2 capital ratio drops for third straight quarter
The average capital adequacy ratio of South Korean banks declined in the April-June period for the third consecutive quarter, weighed by rising corpor...
Bank of Korea sees 2020 GDP contract 1.3%; keeps base rate on hold
The Bank of Korea revised down its 2020 growth forecast for the South Korean economy to a negative 1.3% from the previous 0.2% contraction on August 2...
Kookmin gains foothold in Indonesia after bumping up stake in local bank
Kookmin Bank has increased its stake in Bank Bukopin to become the largest shareholder in the medium-sized Indonesian lender, as it works to boost its...
Bank of Korea to sharply lower 2020 GDP forecast: governor
The South Korean economy is expected to shrink at a steeper rate than the expected 0.2% this year, and the Bank of Korea (BOK) will sharply revise dow...
Bank of Korea keeps policy rate unchanged; no signal of further action
The Bank of Korea (BOK) left the benchmark rate unchanged at a record low of 0.5% as expected on July 16, citing the slowing economy and the overheate...
Carlyle raises $600 mn for infra credit fund with top Korean banking groups
The Carlyle Group has raised $600 million for an infrastructure credit fund in South Korea jointly with two domestic financial services firms to lend ...
Export-Import Bank of Korea ups Aussie bond sale size to $460 mn on demand
The Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) has nearly doubled the size of its planned new bond sale in Australia to A$700 million ($460 million) on stron...
Balance Hero banks on India's 1.3B with fintech
Expanding to India was a no-brainer decision for Lee Cheol-won."It took just five minutes to make the call," said Lee, CEO of Balance Hero, a financia...
Korea, China banks offer $120 mn loan on Chile LNG terminal stake deal
The Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) and two Chinese banks have extended a syndicated loan of $120 million to fund a stake purchase in a liquefied natur...
