South Korea banks exceed loan targets, retail leverage up

Timeline

1. 1 day ago

   [BUSINESS] 5 sources

   South Korea leveraged trading collapse hits millions of young investors

   South Korea’s KOSPI fell 40% after a record high, wiping $2 trillion in value; leveraged ETFs caused losses of $22 billion, affecting up to 700,000 young investors, prompting a finance‑minister apology and new‑

2. 13 days ago

   [BUSINESS] 5 sources

   South Korea's leveraged retail stock trading sparks regulator alarm

   A 24‑year‑old South Korean student lost a 300 million‑won margin‑loan fortune, underscoring the risk of leveraged retail trading as Korea’s margin loan balances hit a record 38.6 trillion won.

3. 15 days ago

   [BUSINESS] 2 sources

   Woori Financial Group Sets H2 Strategy to Accelerate Bank Profitability and Customer Growth

   Woori Financial Group's chairman outlined a H2 plan to restore bank profits, boost non‑bank units, expand AI, raise productive‑finance funding to 90 trn won, and focus on customer acquisition.

4. 16 days ago

   [BUSINESS] 3 sources

   South Korean banks surpass loan growth targets as central bank weighs further rate hike

   South Korea’s top five banks have exceeded their household loan growth targets, while the Bank of Korea signals a possible further rate hike pending Q2 GDP data.

5. 19 days ago

   [BUSINESS] 2 sources

   South Korea tightens household loan caps, deepening credit‑access challenges

   South Korea’s stricter household loan caps have cut mortgage limits, spurred record‑high card loans and a surge in P2P and deposit‑backed borrowing, tightening credit access.

6. 20 days ago

   [BUSINESS] 2 sources

   South Korea's retail investors face massive margin calls as banks exhaust loan limits

   South Korean banks have used 85% of home‑loan quotas, while over 1.2 million retail investors faced margin calls, with 320‑360 k accounts liquidated, exposing systemic household risk.

7. 22 days ago

   [BUSINESS] 4 sources

   KB Kookmin Bank halves mortgage loan ceiling to 300 million won, prompting criticism and housing‑market worries

   KB Kookmin Bank cut mortgage limits to 300 million won, drawing criticism from Ahn Cheol‑soo and raising concerns that tighter credit will lift jeonse prices and pressure Korea’s rental market.

8. 25 days ago

   [BUSINESS] 2 sources

   KB Kookmin Bank halves mortgage loan limit to 300 million won

   KB Kookmin Bank will halve its mortgage loan cap to 300 million won nationwide from 10 Oct, part of tighter household‑loan controls amid rising home prices.

9. 28 days ago

   [BUSINESS] 2 sources

   South Korea's internet banks see average credit score rise to 915, loan rates slip

   South Korea's Kakao, K‑Bank and Toss Bank saw May’s average borrower credit score climb to 915, pushing overall loan rates down to 5.58%, while rates for sub‑600 scores rose to 7.89%.

10. 28 days ago

    [BUSINESS] 2 sources

    South Korea regulator Lee Chan-jin warns of soaring household leverage and sparks debate over regulatory scope

    South Korea's financial regulator Lee Chan-jin called for expanding loan rules to non‑financial firms and warned that household stock‑borrowed investing jumped by 10 trillion won, prompting calls for tighter le

11. about 1 month ago

    [BUSINESS] 3 sources

    Woori Financial Group trails peers as Korea's big banks post record H1 profit

    Korea’s KB, Shinhan and Hana banks are set for double‑digit H1 profit growth, while Woori Financial lags with only a 0.2% rise, hampered by bank underperformance, loan rules and insurance‑acquisition costs.

12. about 1 month ago

    [BUSINESS] 2 sources

    South Korea's New Leap Fund to buy 1 trillion won of delinquent bonds, easing debt for 108,000 borrowers

    South Korea's New Leap Fund will buy about 1 trillion won of long‑term delinquent bonds, halting collection and cancelling debts for roughly 108,000 vulnerable borrowers.

13. about 1 month ago

    [BUSINESS] 2 sources

    South Korea's household loan surge fuels market plunge

    South Korean household loans surged, with credit balances up 2.2 trillion won and overdraft accounts rising ~1 trillion won daily, while the KOSPI fell 5.81% to 8,411, triggering circuit breakers and heavy net‑

14. about 1 month ago

    [BUSINESS] 2 sources

    KB Kookmin Bank boosts debtors' mental‑health counseling with 300 million KRW funding

    KB Kookmin Bank added 300 million KRW to its debtors’ “Mind Care Counseling” programme, raising total resources to 800 million KRW to expand psychological support for financially vulnerable customers.

15. about 1 month ago

    [BUSINESS] 3 sources

    South Korea sees surge in small‑business loan delinquencies and tighter debt‑relief fund rules

    South Korea’s small‑business loan delinquencies hit 14.6 trillion won in Q1 2024, leading to stricter New Start Fund rules that lower debt write‑offs to 30 % and tighten eligibility.

16. about 1 month ago

    [CRIME] 2 sources

    South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service warns of illegal vehicle‑collateral loans with interest up to 229%

    South Korea's financial regulator warns that illegal loans using vehicle collateral impose fees that push annual rates to 229%, urging victims to report and highlighting criminal penalties.

17. about 1 month ago

    [BUSINESS] 2 sources

    South Korea's bank bad loans surge to 17.7 trillion won, highest in seven years

    South Korea's banks see non‑performing loans hit 17.7 trillion won, driven by a surge in SME and elderly self‑employed debt, the highest level in seven years.

18. about 1 month ago

    [BUSINESS] 2 sources

    South Korean banks overshoot loan targets, warning of loan cliff

    South Korea’s five major banks have exceeded the credit‑loan growth limits set by regulators, sparking fears of a mid‑year loan cliff as interest rates for high‑credit borrowers rise above 5%.

19. about 1 month ago

    [BUSINESS] 2 sources

    South Korean banks expand ESG financing and sustainable practices

    Woori Bank issued a 2025 ESG report, Shinhan Bank launched a 6.9% cap mid‑rate loan for sub‑prime borrowers, and NH Agricultural Bank strengthened ESG execution, expanding green loans and renewable‑energy deals

20. about 1 month ago

    [BUSINESS] 2 sources

    South Korea card loan balance reaches record 43 trillion won

    South Korean card loans hit a record 43.25 trillion won in May, driven by investment demand and tighter bank credit limits; regulators have summoned major issuers to manage household debt and rising interest‑to

21. about 2 months ago

    [BUSINESS] 2 sources

    South Korea bank loan delinquency rate climbs to 0.61% in April

    South Korea’s bank loan delinquency rate rose to 0.61% in April, with new delinquent balances up to 2.9 trillion won and write‑offs falling, prompting regulators to urge higher loss provisions and borrower aid.

22. about 2 months ago

    [BUSINESS] 2 sources

    South Korean banks slash credit loan limits to curb household debt

    South Korean banks, including Toss Bank and NH Agricultural Bank, are cutting household credit‑loan limits to about 100 million won amid tighter debt‑to‑investment controls.

23. about 2 months ago

    [BUSINESS] 2 sources

    South Korea's COFIX index climbs, pushing up variable mortgage rates

    South Korea's COFIX index rose for a second month, reaching 2.90% for new loans and 2.89% for balances, prompting banks to lift variable‑rate mortgage rates from mid‑July.

24. about 2 months ago

    [BUSINESS] 2 sources

    South Korean banks tighten credit loan limits as household debt surges

    KB Kookmin and Shinhan banks in South Korea are capping new credit loans and reducing minus‑account limits amid a sharp rise in household debt, while keeping support for vulnerable borrowers.

25. about 2 months ago

    [BUSINESS] 2 sources

    South Korean banks cap credit loan limits as debt‑investment surge pressures lenders

    South Korean banks, led by KB Kookmin, are capping credit loan amounts and tightening terms as a rapid rise in debt‑investment drives credit balances up 1.6 trillion won and pushes loan rates above 6 %.

26. about 2 months ago

    [BUSINESS] 4 sources

    South Korean banks tighten credit loan limits amid debt‑investment surge

    South Korean regulators push banks to tighten credit loans after rapid debt‑investment growth; NH Nonghyup, Hana, Shinhan and Woori impose higher rates, lower caps and platform bans.

27. about 2 months ago

    [BUSINESS] 2 sources

    South Korea's housing loan market faces tighter regulation and surge in variable-rate mortgages

    South Korea's finance ministry is cautiously reviewing stricter jeonse‑loan rules, while banks see a rush to lower‑rate variable mortgages as rate‑rise fears grow.