In a week marked by innovation and digital transformation, South Korea’s leading securities firms have rolled out a suite of new financial services aimed at everyone from young savers and their parents to retirees and tech-savvy investors. With the financial landscape evolving rapidly, these new offerings underscore a broader shift toward digital convenience, tax efficiency, and inclusive investment opportunities.
On May 11, 2026, Samsung Securities announced the simultaneous launch of its ‘Installment Gift Service’ and ‘Child Asset Management Service,’ both designed to help families manage and grow the assets of minor children with unprecedented ease. According to coverage from WikiLeaks Korea and Newsworks, these digital tools support everything from the initial formation of a child’s assets to gifting and even tax filing, all in one seamless process.
The Installment Gift Service is especially notable for its tax-saving features. Parents can now digitally gift a fixed amount to their children over a set period—say, approximately 190,000 KRW per month for ten years—while taking advantage of a 3% discount offered by the ‘유기정기금’ (organic regular fund) evaluation system. This allows for tax-free gifting up to 22,680,000 KRW, which is 2,680,000 KRW more than the one-time gift exemption limit of 20,000,000 KRW. The process is streamlined, offering parents a one-stop digital solution: they can simulate expected taxes, set up automatic monthly transfers, handle gift tax filings in a single step, and track cumulative gift histories at a glance.
“Installment gifting is the optimal solution for starting with small amounts, achieving both tax savings and long-term investment,” a Samsung Securities spokesperson told WikiLeaks Korea. “We expect that asset management for children’s futures will become much easier through these services.”
The Child Asset Management Service, meanwhile, takes a holistic approach to family finances. It provides features such as prenatal alerts—allowing expectant parents to register an unborn child’s expected birthdate and receive reminders to open an account when the time comes. The service also facilitates switching child allowance deposit accounts to Samsung Securities through the mPOP app, which is integrated with the national ‘복지로’ (Bokjiro) welfare system. Parents can manage multiple children’s profiles and balances in one place, monitor asset growth over time, and even simulate the long-term returns of regular investments in stocks and ETFs before their child reaches adulthood.
To celebrate the launch, Samsung Securities is running a promotional event through October 2026. New minor clients under age 19 who open accounts online are eligible for a 10,000 KRW cash bonus, while those who switch their child allowance account to Samsung Securities receive an additional 20,000 KRW investment bonus. Achieving a balance of 1,000,000 KRW in a child’s account can net families a share in a KOSPI 200 stock, and first-time minor customers can claim a 20,000 KRW domestic stock investment bonus, plus discounted online trading fees for three months.
Not to be outdone, Mirae Asset Securities has also made headlines with its May 2026 individual investor government bond subscription. From May 11 to May 15, investors can subscribe to a total 200 billion KRW issuance across various maturities—3, 5, 10, and 20 years—with interest rates and yields tailored to different investment horizons. As reported by WikiLeaks Korea, the 10-year bond, for example, offers a total pre-tax yield of 59.28% (an annual average of 5.92%), while the 20-year bond boasts a whopping 160.80% (annualized at 8.04%).
This surge in demand for government bonds is no accident. Following regulatory reforms in 2026, all maturities—3, 5, 10, and 20 years—have seen four consecutive months of oversubscription. In the first quarter alone, 15.67 trillion KRW was subscribed for a total offering of 7 trillion KRW, reflecting a robust appetite for stable, government-backed investments. Mirae Asset Securities attributes this to a combination of enhanced investment appeal, the security of government bonds, and the expansion of bonus rates for long-term holdings.
“Individual investor government bonds are drawing nationwide attention, thanks to their stability, attractive bonus rates, and tax benefits for up to 200 million KRW in purchases,” a Mirae Asset Securities representative explained. “As the exclusive sales agency, we are committed to providing clear information and making these products accessible to more people.”
Meanwhile, Kiwoom Securities is turning its focus to retirement, launching a pre-registration event for its Individual Retirement Pension (IRP) service set to debut in June 2026. Interested customers can sign up through the ‘영웅문S#’ mobile trading system and receive Kiwoom points and account opening guidance. The IRP offers annual tax deductions on contributions up to 9 million KRW, making it a powerful tool for reducing year-end tax burdens.
Kiwoom is also promising differentiated services, including ‘Pension Crew’—a community for pension investors—personalized pension payout planning, and a trading environment for retirement ETFs that mirrors the firm’s acclaimed stock trading platform. “We’ve strengthened service accessibility and convenience so that customers can naturally extend their investment experience into retirement planning,” a Kiwoom Securities official stated. “We aim to provide an easy and comfortable pension investment experience, similar to regular stock trading.”
Hanwha Investment & Securities, for its part, is running a ‘Brokerage-type ISA Net Deposit Event’ through June. New and dormant account holders who deposit and trade more than 1 million KRW in domestic stocks, bonds, or ETFs will be eligible for cash rewards ranging from 10,000 to 1 million KRW. Notably, transfers from other firms’ brokerage-type ISA accounts count double toward the deposit tally. The brokerage-type ISA (Individual Savings Account) is gaining traction as a tax-efficient, all-in-one account for managing a variety of financial products, offering both tax exemption and low-rate separate taxation on investment income.
Finally, DB Securities is stepping into the future of digital finance as the preferred negotiator for Busan’s Security Token Offering (STO) platform project, which is set to kick off in late May 2026. The initiative, supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Internet & Security Agency, aims to develop a blockchain-based carbon reduction token investment platform. Partnering with Marina Chain and other tech specialists, DB Securities will tokenize carbon reduction rights generated by energy-saving equipment installed in Busan’s logistics centers.
The project will test the viability of turning carbon assets—traditionally the domain of institutional capital—into tradable digital tokens on a blockchain platform. The goal is to make these assets accessible to individual investors, ensuring both liquidity and technical reliability. DB Securities will design the STO structure to comply with capital market regulations and will coordinate with related institutions from its new office in the Busan International Financial Center. The hope is that this venture will not only validate the technology but also lay the groundwork for Busan’s emergence as a digital finance hub.
From digital gifting for children to blockchain-powered carbon trading, South Korea’s securities industry is embracing a new era of financial services—one where innovation, accessibility, and inclusivity are front and center.