A three-way takeover battle for MG Non-Life Insurance began Thursday, with Meritz Fire & Marine Insurance entering the prolonged race as a new contender. According to local reports, three companies submitted letters of intent to participate in the fourth preliminary bidding for MG Insurance on Thursday. The contenders include Meritz Fire & Marine Insurance and private equity firms Dayli Partners and JC Flowers. Meritz Fire, the non-life insurance arm of local financial holding company Me

Woori Investment & Securities, a brokerage house under Woori Financial Group, is poised to bolster its presence in investment banking, backing the potential of its group affiliates. The securities firm, formed through the merger of Woori Investment Bank and Korea Foss Securities, officially launched Thursday. The launch comes nearly 10 years after Woori Financial Group sold its securities firm to NongHyup Financial Group in 2014. “Woori Investment & Securities will be a key affilia

After a four-year legal battle, Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo has escaped regulatory punishment imposed for internal control failure involving the misselling of derivatives-linked funds. On Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld the appellate court's decision to cancel the major disciplinary action taken by financial authorities on Ham over the losses from the overseas interest rate-linked derivative fund incident in 2019. The top court confirmed the lower court’s ruling, wh

Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo (right) shakes hands with members of the South Korean Paralympics badminton team at the KPC Icheon National Training Center in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. Ham visited the center to show support and deliver an encouragement fund for the athletes participating in the upcoming 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris. (Hana Financial Group)

Hana Financial Group announced Wednesday that it has provided an encouragement fund to support the South Korean national team participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The fund will be used to support the training of 144 athletes competing in the 33rd Summer Olympics, set to take place in France from July 26 to Aug. 11. From left, Korean Sport & Olympic Committee President Lee Kee-heung, Hana Financial Group Vice Chairman Lee Eun-hyung and Jeong Gang-sun, chef de mission for South Korea fo

Hana Financial Group kicked off its financial technology talent nurturing program, “Hana Digital Power On,” Monday, aiming to strengthen digital innovation in the finance sector. Marking its third year, the program seeks to train young talents to develop tech solutions for the financial industry. This year, the finance service provider has put forward the slogan of "Keep Calm and Hana Digital Power On" to encourage program participants. Financial Supervisory Service Gov. Le

Seoul shares closed lower to snap their three-day rise Monday as investors moved to lock in profits. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 4.47 points, or 0.16 percent, to 2,857.76. Trade volume was moderate at 420.2 million shares worth 9.8 trillion won ($7.1 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 518 to 344. The Kospi declined as retail investors and institutions sold shares worth 184.2 billion won and 347.6 billion won, respect

Seoul shares opened slightly higher Monday as last week's US jobs data buoyed hopes the Federal Reserve will start cutting its rates this year. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 2.23 points, or 0.08 percent, to 2,864.46 in the first 15 minutes of trading. On Friday, Wall Street closed higher as data showed US hiring moderated in June, bolstering expectations the Fed's policy pivot would start in September. The eyes of investors are now on Fed Chairman Jerome Powell

South Korean shares hit the highest level in nearly two and half years on Thursday, with much-awaited tax incentive plans for the Korean government’s program to boost the stock market taking shape. The benchmark Kospi rose 1.11 percent to close at 2,824.94, reaching the highest since January in 2022. Institutional and foreign investors were net buyers of shares worth 1.11 trillion won ($803.8 million) and 321.5 billion won, respectively, while retail investors sold off 1.41 billion of sh

South Korean stocks finished more than 1 percent higher to hit this year's high Thursday as investor sentiment was boosted by revived hopes for a rate cut in the United States and Samsung Electronics' upcoming earnings guidance. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 30.93 points, or 1.11 percent, to 2,824.94. It marked the highest closing price since Jan. 21, 2022, when it finished at 2,834.29. Trade volume was slim at 386.4 million shares worth 12.8 trillion won ($9.26

Hana Bank’s foreign exchange trading room in Seoul, the largest in South Korea, completed its first extended trading session on Tuesday. Starting Monday, Korea extended its foreign currency trading hours, pushing the closing time from 3:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. the following day. This move is part of Korea’s strategy to enhance its financial market and attract more foreign capital, with won-dollar trading now available until 5 p.m. in London and 1 p.m. in New York. Additionally, foreign fin

Foreign investors’ net purchases on the South Korean stock market during the first six months of this year surged to an all-time high of over 23 trillion won ($16.6 billion), according to the nation's sole bourse operator, the Korea Exchange, on Sunday. Overseas investors amassed a total of 23.28 trillion won worth of local shares in the first half of this year, the highest since the Korea Exchange began compiling related data in 1998. The previous high was set at 12.23 trillion won

Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo discussed the importance of green financing with Australia’s high-ranking government official in a meeting held in Canberra, the firm said Sunday. Ham met with Alex Heath, the first assistant secretary of the Australian Treasury’s climate and energy division, during his three-day visit to the country as part of efforts to expand the firm’s global presence. "Hana Financial has achieved nearly 45 percent of what was announced in it

Hana Financial Group Chairman and CEO Ham Young-joo met with overseas investors in Hong Kong via a two-day event to promote the banking group's strategies to elevate its corporate and shareholder values, the firm said Wednesday. At the event that took place Monday and Tuesday, Ham stressed how the market value of the financial group has increased since the announcement of the capital management and shareholder return plan in early 2023. It was the first global investor relations event for H

South Korean stocks opened sharply higher Friday backed by gains of big-cap tech and financial shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 38.36 points, or 1.43 percent, to 2,727.86 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the US stock market closed mixed as investors remained cautious ahead of key jobs data to be released later in the day, which will likely set the tone for the Federal Reserve's rate policy. In Seoul, market bellwether Samsung Electronics gained 0.9