Korea Investment & Securities

A leading financial investment company and comprehensive securities firm under Korea Investment Holdings that maintains a top-tier industry position in brokerage, wealth management, IB, and overseas e

Korea Investment & Securities

Overview

Korea Investment & Securities (한국투자증권) is a comprehensive financial investment company (securities firm) under Korea Investment Holdings, and operates across all areas of the securities business, including brokerage, wealth management (WM), investment banking (IB), and sales & trading. Based on a strong individual customer (retail) base and competitiveness in overseas equities and digital platforms, it is a leading securities firm that maintains a top-tier position in the domestic securities industry in terms of equity capital and net profit.

Key Details

History and Governance

The predecessor of Korea Investment & Securities is Korea Investment Finance, established in the 1970s; after obtaining a securities business license, it changed its name to the current one and grew into a comprehensive securities firm. Currently, under the holding company Korea Investment Holdings, affiliates including Korea Investment & Securities, Korea Investment Management, Korea Investment Savings Bank, Korea Investment Capital, Korea Investment Value Asset Management, and Korea Investment Real Estate Trust form a financial group structure. A notable feature is that the group has made securities a core pillar and has expanded its business portfolio into asset management, banking, and capital.

Business Segments

Brokerage: Intermediates domestic and overseas equity, bond, and derivative trading for individual and institutional clients. In particular, it has maintained a leading position for a long time in overseas equity brokerage, covering various markets such as the United States, China, Japan, Hong Kong, and Vietnam.
Wealth Management (WM): Provides comprehensive wealth management services such as wrap accounts, funds, bonds, issued notes, pension savings, and IRP, and also conducts advisory sales for high-net-worth individuals through a private banking (PB) organization.
Investment Banking (IB): Handles overall corporate finance, including initial public offering (IPO) underwriting, rights issues, corporate bond issuance arrangements, acquisition financing, structured finance, and real estate project financing (PF).
Sales & Trading and Proprietary Trading: Diversifies revenue sources through bond, equity, and derivative trading, liquidity supply, and hedge management.

Digital & Platforms

Korea Investment & Securities is evaluated as a securities firm that has actively invested in digital transformation. Representatively, it introduced MiniSTOCK, a fractional (small-amount) overseas equity investment service, expanding the base of individual investors, and centered on its mobile trading system (MTS) 'Korea Investment' app, it provides integrated account opening, ordering, asset management, and content. It also continues to incorporate fintech elements such as robo-advisors, AI-based investment information services, and hyper-personalized asset management functions.

Performance and Standing

Korea Investment & Securities is classified as a large securities firm with equity capital in the trillions of won and net profit among the top in the industry. Retail brokerage commission income, IB fees, proprietary trading gains/losses, and interest income form major revenue sources, and recently it has pursued a strategy of expanding stable revenue bases such as overseas equities, pensions, and issued notes. Based on brand awareness, customer base, and capital strength, it is considered one of the industry's 'Big 5' or top-tier securities firms.

Latest Trends

The main trends surrounding Korea Investment & Securities in 2024–2025 are as follows.

1. Overseas Equities and Global Expansion: As the boom in individual investors' overseas equity investment continues, it is strengthening overseas equity brokerage and global asset allocation services and pursuing expansion of overseas corporations and local services.

2. Revenue Structure Diversification: While risk management in the IB sector, including real estate PF, is being emphasized, the strategy of increasing the proportion of stable interest and fee income such as pensions, issued notes, bonds, and wealth management continues.

3. AI and Digital Innovation: Digital service advancement, including investment information summarization using generative AI, consultation automation, and hyper-personalized recommendations, is underway, and mobile-centered customer touchpoints are expanding further.

4. Response to New Business Regulations: Business preparations are being made in response to institutional changes such as security token offerings (STO), alternative investments, and retirement pension market reform.

5. Strengthened Risk and Compliance: In line with financial authorities' strengthening of capital soundness and internal control regulations, the trend of overhauling risk management systems continues across the industry.

Amid these changes, Korea Investment & Securities is in the process of transforming its business structure from a traditional brokerage powerhouse into a comprehensive financial investment company centered on wealth management, global, and digital.