South Korea Loosens Grip on ICOs
Initial coin offerings (ICOs) will not be banned in South Korea after all, according to a recent decision by the central government. Although the market will still be governed by strict regulations, institutional players will have the opportunity to invest in the burgeoning market.
Chinese Investors Boost Danish Crypto Exchange's Blockchain Projects
Danish-headquartered decentralized exchange OpenLedger has received seed funding from a group of Chinese, American and European investors after a recent tour of blockchain and cryptocurrency events in the U.S., China and South Korea designed partly to sound out and attract potential crypto investors.
Japan’s Tasaki Management, MBK Partners To Buy Out Firm For $283M
<p>Management of Japan’s pearl retailer Tasaki & Co will buy out the company with private equity firm MBK Partners for 3,1.5 billion yen ($283 million), Tasaki said on Friday.</p> <p>MBK Partners, a private equity firm targeting assets in Japan, South Korea and China, will buy all of Tasaki’s shares, except treasury stock, for 2,205 yen per share through a tender offer on Monday, Tasaki said.</p>
Korea Electric Eyes Toshiba's Stake In UK Nuclear Venture
Korea Electric Power is keen to buy a stake in a U.K. nuclear venture from Toshiba, President Cho Hwan-eik said Wednesday, as the Japanese company pares its overseas nuclear business.
South Korea Invests In Infrastructure, Electricity Projects
At the Indonesia-Korea Business Summit, the BKPM and the Korea Trade Investment Agency (KOTRA) signed a MoU as a way to promote investments.
Goodwater Capital Leads $48M Series C Investment in Fintech Startup
PayPal has joined a 55 billion won ($48 million) investment by Silicon Valley venture capital firms in South Korean fintech startup Viva Republica, the world's fastest-growing payments company by transaction volume. The deal marks the U.S. payment company's first fintech investment in the East Asian country, home to a $1 trillion consumer loan industry and one of the world's most active mobile banking markets.
South Koreans Surge Into Real Estate Debt
South Korea is experiencing a surge of interest in real estate debt as the country continues another record year in outbound real estate investment. Real Capital Analytics (RCA) has revealed that net acquisitions by South Korean investors was likely to have hit US$4.6 billion last year, with additional real estate transactions worth US$2.5 billion finalised when 2016 wrapped up. And 88 percent of South Korean investors are already planning to invest in real estate debt in the next 12 to 18 months according to a recent survey done by ANREV as bond yields remain compressed. “As governments around the world...
S. Korea NPS Plans To Hire New Investment Managers
South Korea's national pension fund operator said Thursday it is moving to employ dozens of new investment managers following a recent staff exodus. Late last year, the Investment Management Office of the National Pension Service (NPS) saw some 30 staffers quit ahead of its relocation to Jeonju, 243 kilometers south of Seoul. In addition, 11 investment managers have left or offered to resign.
10 Most Important Reads Of The Week - Jan. 20, 2016
It has been an eventful week, and it's easy to fall behind. Here are the 10 most important reads of the week.
A Scandal At Korea's Retirement Giant
With 546 trillion won ($456.5 billion) in assets, South Korea's public National Pension Service is the world's third-largest pension fund, behind Japan's and Norway's. It's also become a part of the widening scandal surrounding impeached President Park Geun-hye.