Securities firms post record $1.35 bil. profit from overseas stock brokerage

Major securities companies here have raised a record high commission income of nearly 2 trillion won ($1.35 billion) from overseas stock brokerages this year, the state financial regulator said Friday, urging the firms to refrain from excessive promotion of investment in foreign stock markets. The top 12 securities firms reported a combined profit of 1.95 trillion won in commission income from overseas stock brokerages in the first 11 months of this year, already surpassing their annual total of 1.25 trillion won in 2024, which marked an all-time high, according to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). The 2025 figure is also more than three times higher than the 581 billion won profit recorded in 2023. The FSS said the securities firms raised record profit from overseas stock trading but nearly half of individual investors recorded losses from overseas stock accounts due to increased volatility in global markets. From January to October, retail investors saw a combined loss of 373.5 billion won from overseas securities. Local securities firms have aggressively attracted investors for