The government will set up a 1 trillion-won ($918 million) fund to restructure struggling small and medium-sized enterprises as part of its drive for "market-oriented" corporate restructuring, officials said Monday. Under the scheme, eight state-run and retail banks, including Korea Development Bank, will raise 500 billion won by the end of next February as a "mother" fund, the Financial Services Commission said in a statement.  The remaining 500 billion won will be rais

South Korea's commercial banks are set to raise floating rates for mortgage loans this week in line with a benchmark money market rate hike, industry officials said Sunday.The top five banks -- KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Woori, KEB Hana and NH Nonghyup -- will reflect a rise in the Cost of Funds Index, a benchmark for variable-rate mortgages, starting from Monday.The COFIX, which is decided by the Korea Federation of Banks, has increased for three consecutive months since September on expectations of

Co-founder of cryptocurrency-turned-venture capitalist urges Korea to study blockchain to remain tech leader

A Korea Customs Service official was found to have leaked a government press release announcing a package of measures aimed at curbing cryptocurrency speculation earlier this week, officials said Friday.The government launched an investigation after a draft of the press release was leaked online hours before the official announcement of regulatory measures Wednesday. The leak is believed to have impacted cryptocurrency trading. According to the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the draf

South Korea‘s cryptocurrency exchanges said Friday they will adopt self-regulatory measures to boost transparency in the highly speculative market.The Korea Blockchain Association, consisting of 14 virtual currency exchanges here, announced plans to raise the market entry barrier for operators as part of ongoing efforts to protect investors in the fluctuating market. Starting in January, the exchanges will bear responsibility to force traders to store at least 70 percent of cryptocurrency

South Korean gold prices are at their lowest in almost a year while bitcoin prices rise exponentially, but a Korean analyst on Friday rebutted claims that gold’s decline was down to the bitcoin craze.Gold was trading at 44,180 won ($40.60) per gram 10 minutes ahead of closing at 44,200 won Friday, according to an estimate by the Korea Exchange. On Wednesday, the price dipped below 44,000 won for the first time since Dec. 23, 2016. By contrast, bitcoin has skyrocketed past 20 million won, w

The trading volume of South Korea's derivatives market expanded nearly 9 percent in the first half of the year on the back of a bullish stock market, the financial regulator said Friday.The combined turnover of derivatives, such as stock options and futures, reached 20,047 trillion won ($18.4 trillion) in the January-June period, up 8.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the Financial Supervisory Service.Exchange trading jumped 11.4 percent on-year to 13,267 trillion won, while the turnov

A senior foreign ministry official will protest the European Union's recent blacklisting of South Korea as a tax haven country during a meeting in Brussels Friday, a government source said.Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs Yun Kang-hyeon left for Brussels on Thursday to attend a regular Korea-EU meeting, a ministry official told Yonhap on the condition of anonymity."It is an annual gathering that marks the 14th of its kind. But as it comes after the blacklisting decision, the iss

South Korea's central bank chief said Thursday that the latest rate rise by the US Federal Reserve will have little impact on the local financial market, as the move was widely expected."The market has long anticipated the Fed's base rate increase this month," Bank of Korea Gov. Lee Ju-yeol told reporters. "The BOK is focused on the Fed's pace of rate rises next year and has kept its 2018 outlook unchanged."He said the Fed remained less "hawkish" than expected despi

An interest rate rise in South Korea will increase the debt repayment burdens of vulnerable households who over-extended themselves on mortgages during the low rate period, the central bank said Thursday."In general, household and corporate borrowers will be able to afford an increase in debt repayment incurred by a 1 percent point rise in loan rates, if they have solid income and financial assets," the Bank of Korea said in a report submitted to the parliament. "But those who too

The US central bank's latest rate hike has raised the possibility of a reversal of key interests in the world's top economy and South Korea next year that could destabilize the local financial market, analysts said Thursday.In a widely expected move, the US Federal Reserve hiked interest rates for the third time this year to 1.5 percent Wednesday and retained its forecast for three rate increases in 2018.With the hike, America's benchmark interest rate has equaled that of South Korea. In Novembe

Gold funds in South Korea have fared poorly over the past months ahead of a US interest rate decision, a market tracker said Thursday.Those funds chalked up an average return of minus 11.6 percent over the three months to Tuesday, the worst performer among local investment funds worth 1 billion won ($920,000) or more, according to financial information provider FnGuide.Comparable yields were minus 5.6 percent for stock funds, minus 3.3 percent for funds investing in farm products and minus 2.7 p

South Korea rolled out plans Wednesday to curb speculation on cryptocurrencies, including trade bans for minors and ways to impose taxes on investment returns, in its resolve to tame the country’s bitcoin craze without completely shutting it off. Banks in Korea that provide virtual bank accounts for cryptocurrency trades will have to verify the identification of account holders when creating new ones and prohibit minors from opening accounts, according to the plan.The regulators will also

South Korea's government decided Wednesday to seek a series of measures to curb cryptocurrency speculation and crimes, including barring minors from trading cybermoney and opening investment accounts, officials said.During an emergency meeting of senior officials from related ministries, the government also decided to prohibit local financial institutions from possessing, purchasing or investing in the virtual currencies.The measures also include checking the identities of those doing bank trans

Foreign investors bought South Korean stocks at a slower pace in November, but they turned to net sellers in the bond market amid security jitters and profit-taking, the central bank said Wednesday.Foreigners purchased $450 million worth of local stocks last month, down sharply from $2.8 billion in the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea.In the bond market, they offloaded $1.41 billion in November, compared with a $650 million purchase in October.Foreigners have been low key in the So