Nexon aims to bring gaming to stock exchange platform

Nexon’s holding company NXC said Monday it is developing an online trading platform in the form of a game, targeting young people held back by the complexity of conventional systems.

The company has established a subsidiary Arques, to develop a friendly trading platform with a user interface of tycoon games for Generation MZ -- millennials and Gen Z -- who are discouraged by intricate systems despite their deep interest in investments.

“Arques aims to develop a service where users can trade conveniently and escape from candlesticks and charts that always pop up whenever you launch investment apps,” said Arques CEO Kim Sung-min.

When users first access the platform, a chat bot will appear to introduce the service and recommend an algorithm-based investment. Then, users can select names for their virtual firms just like they select nicknames for game characters. This is expected to give users the feeling that they are actually growing their firms and investments, just like they do in business simulation games.

Though Korean fintech firms such as Toss, Kakao Pay and Bank Salad have been leading the first investment experiences of Korean MZ Generation, NXC’s experience with user traffic and data management as a game company is likely to give it a competitive edge, according to industry sources.

By Kim Byung-wook (kbw@heraldcorp.com)