Breaking down barriers

Obstacles preventing South Korea’s securities firms from accessing the country’s retail investors still persist, but there are hopes these barriers will diminish in coming months. Saima Farooqi reports

Regulatory changes that opened up South Korea’s over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives market to securities firms last July were hailed as a momentous step in boosting the country’s OTC derivatives market. But with a surfeit of regulations still in place, securities firms are, at least for now, prohibited from penetrating the country’s potentially explosive retail investor base.

Having made extensive investments in both derivatives personnel and technology, the country’s securities firms are hoping