It’s far from perfect, but South Korea’s latest adoption of a regulatory sandbox may provide some relief to the country’s startups, according to the head of one of the largest and oldest startup associations. “Urging member companies to utilize the regulatory sandbox is one of our priorities for this year,” Korea Startup Forum chief Choi Sung-jin said during a recent interview with The Korea Herald.  KSF is a three-year-old organization that represents 650

[더인베스터(코리아헤럴드)=박가영기자] 블록체인기술기업 미디움(MEDIUM) (대표 현영권)이 지난 14일 워커힐호텔에서 하드웨어 기반의 블록체인 장비 시연회를 가졌다. 　미디움은 ‘제1회 미디움 국제 컨퍼런스(1st the MEDIUM International Conference)’에서 블록체인의 속도 문제를 해결하기 위해서 개발한 하드웨어 장비 ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 소개했다. 블록체인의 소프트웨어적 속도 한계를 뛰어넘기 위해 만든 이 제품은 현재 3만 TPS (transactions per second) 가량의 속도가 가능하다고 밝히며, 현장에서 ASIC 20대를 동원하여 기술 시연을 했다.  미디움의 박윤성 CTO (왼쪽), 김판종 의장, 현영권 대표가 질의응답 시간에 답하고 있다.　현영권 미디움 대표는 “현재 입수할 수 있는 FPGA상의 한계로 인해 약 3만TPS 속도만이 가능하지만, 향후 고성능 FPGA를 활용할

[더인베스터(코리아헤럴드)=박가영기자] 블록체인기술기업 미디움(MEDIUM) (대표 현영권)은 오는 14일 오후 7시 광장동 워커힐호텔에서 첫 번째 기술시연행사를 개최한다. 　　여타 소프트웨어 중심의 프로젝트들과는 달리 미디움은 하드웨어를 활용한 초고속 블록체인 메인넷을 선보일 예정이다. ASIC칩, U.2 스토리지 등을 이용해 비트코인보다 빠르고 이더리움보다 확장성이 방대한 더욱 진보한 블록체인을 구현한다는 설명이다. 　　또한 어느 기업이나 사업분야에도 손쉽게 적용 가능해 개발과 운영이 간편하고 클라우드 방식 덕분에 예상치 못한 해킹공격이나 재해상황에서도 안전하게 데이터를 지킬 수 있다는 강점이 있다고 밝혔다. 　　공공기관 관계자 및 주요 학계 전문가 그리고 투자자들을 대상으로 개최되는 이번 행사에는 미디움 김판종 회장과 현영권 대표가 참석해 미디움의 미래가치와 향후 혁신 계획을 소개하고 박윤성 CTO가 보다 자세한 기술 시연을 선보일 예정이다. 　　현영권 대표는 “미디움의 블록체

As blockchain-backed services move to embrace the masses, one startup aims to serve the fast-growing community of enthusiasts, followers, experts, investors and engineers who have yet to find a “go-to” place. China-based BeeChat is the first blockchain-based messenger app that also provides cryptocurrency distribution channels and other functions for the fast-growing industry. Built on QTUM, a decentralized blockchain application platform developed by Singapore-based QTUM Foundation, it has attr

[더인베스터(코리아헤럴드)=박가영기자] 중국 M&A의 큰 손 푸싱그룹 (Fosun Group)이 국내 시중은행 한 곳의 중국지점 지분 획득에 관심을 보이고 있는 것으로 알려졌다. 　베이징주재 한 업계관계자는 11일 더인베스터에 “푸싱그룹이 올 상반기 한 국내 은행에 합작 제안을 했으며 해당 은행 역시 이를 검토 중”이라고 밝혔다. 　푸싱그룹 궈광창회장그는 해당 은행을 구체적으로 밝힐 수는 없다면서도 국민은행, 우리은행, 신한은행 등 소위 '빅3' 중 한 곳이 유력하다고 덧붙였다. 　푸싱그룹은 1992년 궈광창 회장과 4명의 대학동기가 설립한 회사로 컨설팅회사로 시작해 현재 제약, 보험, 부동산 등을 아우르는 대기업으로 성장했다. 최근에는 프랑스의 리조트체인 클럽메드와 푸르투갈 보험사 카이사 세구로스 등을 인수하는 등 적극적인 M&A를 펼치고 있다. 　국내에서도 2014년 현대증권과 KDB생명, 2016년 ING생명 등의 인수전에 뛰어들었으나 번번히 실패했다. 　업계에서는 푸싱이 한국

The head of Woori Bank, South Korea’s recently privatized lender, will soon embark on a trip to find investors to take over the government’s remaining stake, the bank said Friday. Woori Bank CEO Lee Kwang-goo (Yonhap)Woori Bank CEO Lee Kwang-goo will meet potential overseas investors in the first half of the year in an attempt to seek buyers of stake held by the state deposit insurer. Korea Deposit Insurance Corp. holds 21 percent of Korea’s second-largest lender by assets. Lee, whose term was e

South Korean companies will benefit from the upcoming unitary patent system in Europe, which simplifies and lowers the cost of applications, the European Patent Office’s principal director for unitary patents said Friday. “By reducing costs and complexity of the process, the unitary patent system will benefit South Korean companies, one of the most active applicants to the EPO,” Margot Fröhlinger, the principal director for unitary patent, European and international lega

South Korea’s state-owned electricity supplier is toying with the option of joining a nuclear plant project in the UK, weighing the pros of expanding its global account and the cons of entering the shaky venture. Last month, the head of Korea Electric Power Corp. had expressed his interest in joining the nuclear plant project in the UK, confirming market speculation that Kepco might purchase Toshiba’s stake in the project. At that time, Toshiba was holding a 60 percent stake in the

Kakao Bank, the mobile bank of Kakao Corp., won its final regulatory approval Wednesday. The Financial Services Commission held a meeting Wednesday and gave the green light to Kakao Bank to operate as an internet bank that provides banking and financial services without any physical branch network. With the final regulatory hurdle cleared, the bank will begin its services as early as June after final checks and preparation, the company said.  “At the beginning we will provide basi

Cash-strapped Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, a major South Korean shipbuilder whose fate hangs on a meeting of its creditors later this month, has secured a $250 million deal to build three very large crude carriers, the company said Tuesday. Daewoo will deliver three 318,000-ton VLCCs to Maran Tankers Management, a unit of Greece’s largest shipper Angelicoussis Shipping Group by 2018. Since 1994, Angelicoussis, a longtime contractor of DSME, has ordered 92 ships and Daew

Official websites and blogs of Samsung Group, which disbanded its corporate strategy office in February, were shut down Monday in what was seen as an attempt by the country’s largest conglomerate to improve its public image. The group’s website and blogs were used to advertise the conglomerate’s history, philosophy and corporate social responsibly activities of Samsung affiliates. The website www.samsung.com is now automatically redirected to the Samsung Electronics website.

Hyundai Heavy Industries, which launched four separate companies on Saturday, will invest 3.5 trillion won ($3.1 billion) in research and development by 2021 in its efforts to secure new growth engines, the group said Monday. The HHI group officially launched four independent business units on Saturday -- HHI, Hyundai Electric and Energy System, Hyundai Construction Equipment, Hyundai Robotics -- after the spinoff plan was given the green light at the shareholders’ meeting on Feb. 27. Pr

This is the 38th in a series of articles analyzing major companies traded on the tech-heavy Kosdaq market. – EdCJ O Shopping, a leading home-shopping channel in South Korea, is likely to benefit from recovering consumers’ sentiment as the country is set to hold the presidential election in May, as well as an overall improvement in its competitiveness analysts here predicted.Shares in CJ O Shopping, the 12th largest on the tech-heavy Kosdaq market in terms of market capitalization with 1.3 trilli

POSCO, the country's top steelmaker, said Thursday that its first-quarter net profit is estimated to have more than doubled from a year earlier, driven by firm demand and higher prices.In a regulatory filing, POSCO said its net profit is estimated at 800 billion won (US$716 million) on a consolidated basis in the January-March period, compared with a profit of 338 billion won a year earlier.Its operating income is forecast to be some 1.2 trillion won, up 82 percent from a year earlier, and its s