[2021 Capital Investment Awards] "Volatile Market for 2 Years... Securities Firms Excelling in IB, Research, and Consumer Protection"

Judgment = Jung Soon-seop, Chief Judge (Professor at Seoul National University School of Law)

In the domestic securities market, which has experienced increased volatility due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic for the second consecutive year, securities firms focused on strengthening their corporate finance (IB) capabilities, providing customized wealth management (WM), delivering balanced research materials, and compensating consumers.

The judging panel selected the companies with the highest evaluations by comparing and analyzing the official materials submitted by securities firms and the evaluation data prepared by the Asia Economy staff across various sectors including IB, WM, research, retirement pensions, financial consumer protection, and funds.

Mirae Asset Securities, honored with the grand prize, received the highest evaluations in each sector. It was the first in the industry to surpass 1 trillion KRW in operating profit and 10 trillion KRW in equity capital. It was also the first to exceed 1 trillion KRW in operating profit for two consecutive years. In the pension sector, it achieved the number one position in returns for defined contribution (DC) and individual retirement pension (IRP) based on the top 10 operators by accumulated funds for six consecutive quarters.

NH Investment & Securities was selected as the best in the IB sector. It recorded top-tier lead underwriting and acquisition shares in the equity capital market (ECM) and debt capital market (DCM) sectors, driving performance in real estate and alternative investments, and achieved the highest annual IB revenue.

Samsung Securities won the best award in the WM sector. This year, it launched Korea’s first fee-free ‘Direct IRP,’ leading the movement of funds into securities firms’ pension accounts with over 50,000 accounts opened within five months.

KB Securities was selected as the award-winning company in the research sector. As of the 12th of last month, it produced 3,045 reports, ranking among the top in the industry, and 379 English reports, ranking second. Additionally, it was the first in the industry to introduce a subscription economy model, providing customers with timely investment information for a small subscription fee.

In the retirement pension sector, Daishin Securities was selected for the defined benefit (DB) category, and Shinhan Financial Investment for the DC category. Daishin Securities excelled with its unique asset allocation system, sourcing capabilities for alternative investment products, and interest rate competitiveness through its affiliated savings banks. Shinhan Financial Investment achieved results by offering fee reductions for small businesses and vulnerable groups and recommending products reflecting the characteristics of retirement pension asset management.

Korea Investment & Securities received the award in the financial consumer protection sector. In June, it announced a plan to fully compensate the principal for 10 poorly performing private equity funds and completed all compensations over two months, which was highly evaluated. This was seen as redefining the role and responsibility of distributors beyond a simple one-time compensation. Despite these compensations, it also achieved record-high performance.

Hana Financial Investment won the product of the year award. Its strength lies in launching differentiated financial products based on gift-type plans. It developed sustainable ‘gift-type plan’ products including installment savings for lump-sum preparation, cyclical sector investment, and long-term investment management in ‘Gift Wrap.’

In the fund sector, Mirae Asset Global Investments was selected for the best fund award, demonstrating excellent performance in both scale and returns. Samsung Asset Management won the best asset management company award in the equity management sector, and Korea Investment Trust Management was selected for ETF management. KB Asset Management was chosen in the target date fund (TDF) sector, with its assets under management more than doubling within a year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.