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 ...

IMM Private Equity to set up operation-focused unit

This is the first in our bi-weekly Deal briefs series, covering the latest M&A deals and key events in South Korea’s capital markets. We w...

Korean LPs favor direct lending for private debt investment

More than half of South Korea’s key asset owners, led by the National Pension Service, are inclined to expand overseas private debt investment i...

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...

[ASK2020] Private Debt: Playing Offense or Defense?

StepStone is a leading private markets firm that oversees over US$296 billion of private capital allocations, including approximately US$67 bill...

[ASK2020] The US middle market private credit opportunity

Nuveen, the investment management arm of TIAA, is one of the world’s largest investment managers with over US$1 trillion in AUM as of 30 Ju...

[ASK2020] Direct Lending (or Private Credit) in Asia

Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) is a leading global alternative investment manager operating integrated businesses across Credit, Privat...

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...

[ASK2020] The Opportunity in European Private Debt

Park Square Capital is one of the world’s most established private debt firms, providing flexible financing solutions to high-quality and ...

[ASK2020] Introduction to Australia’s Private Debt Market

IFM Investors was established more than 25 years ago with the aim to protect and grow the retirement savings of pension fund members. IFM manage...

[ASK2020] Trends in European Private Debt and Private Equity Post Covid19

Tikehau Capital is an asset management and investment group with €25.7 billion of assets under management and shareholder equity of €2...

Korean investors pick private debt as preferred asset class

South Korea’s institutional investors, including pension funds, mutual aid associations and insurers, plan to increase the private debt portion ...

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...

Korean police fund raises risk appetite for private debt

South Korea’s Police Mutual Aid Association (PMAA) has recently selected an opportunistic strategy fund for private debt investment as the $3 bi...

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...