South Korea Watchdog Intensifies Crackdown on China-Linked Notes

January 7, 2024--Regulators to start an investigation into 12 banks and brokers
Authorities unsure if investors understood the product: FSS
South Korea's regulator is launching a wider probe into local banks and brokers which sold exotic notes linked to Chinese stocks amid concerns that the securities may saddle investors with heavy losses.

Authorities will start investigating 12 institutions on Monday to determine if there was any wrongdoing over the sale of equity-linked securities that are tied to the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index, according to a statement from the Financial Supervisory Service. The biggest sellers among the firms to be probed are KB Kookmin Bank and Korea Investment & Securities Co., it added.

China economic database update

November 17, 2025-The monthly update of the China Economic Database highlights a consistent trend of decreasing fixed asset investment in China, including in the real estate sector which shows no signs of bottoming out. This update incorporates data published today by China's National Bureau of Statistic.