Financial Services Commission of Korea: Promoting the expansion of tokenized securities to the bond and fund sectors

The Financial Services Commission of South Korea is promoting the expansion of the tokenized securities market from fragmented investments in real estate and art to the fields of bonds and funds. The relevant amendments to the Electronic Securities Act and the Capital Markets Act have been legislatively announced from the 2nd of this month until the 11th of next month, with the supporting regulations officially implemented on February 4th next year, to refine the rules for issuance and circulation.

The amendments clearly include traditional securities such as stocks, bonds, and funds within the scope of tokenization, initially prioritizing the launch of private currency funds, private bonds, and non-listed stock tokenization based on trusts for institutional investors, while piloting public fragmented investment securities; public bonds and funds for ordinary investors will be expanded after market stabilization. Meanwhile, regulators plan to set an annual net purchase limit of 100 million Korean Won for ordinary investors on over-the-counter trading platforms and allow non-financial institutions to directly manage investor accounts after meeting conditions such as having 4 billion Korean Won in their own capital.