South Korea Financial Supervisory Service reports asset managers Q1 net income rose 91.2 percent as AUM reached KRW2,355.7 trillion

The South Korea Financial Supervisory Service published first-quarter 2026 earnings and assets under management data for asset management companies, showing stronger industrywide profitability alongside continued asset growth. Total assets under management rose to KRW2,355.7 trillion at end-March 2026, up KRW166.7 trillion or 7.6 percent from end-December 2025, as fund assets increased 8.7 percent to KRW1,490.3 trillion and discretionary assets rose 5.8 percent to KRW865.4 trillion. The FSS also changed its AUM calculation from initial subscription amounts to a net asset value basis to reflect valuation changes in underlying assets as exchange-traded funds account for a larger share of the fund market. Preliminary net income reached KRW1.4664 trillion in the first quarter, up KRW699.5 billion or 91.2 percent from the previous quarter and up KRW1.0202 trillion or 228.7 percent from a year earlier. Return on equity rose to 31.0 percent from 17.1 percent at end-December 2025. Asset growth was led by publicly offered funds, which increased KRW96.1 trillion or 15.8 percent to KRW705.5 trillion, while privately offered funds grew KRW23.1 trillion or 3.0 percent to KRW784.9 trillion. Earnings were supported by fee and commission revenue rising 9.5 percent quarter on quarter to KRW1.8931 trillion and securities investment-related income increasing 14.7 percent to KRW319.6 billion, while selling, general and administrative expenses fell 22.1 percent to KRW911.8 billion. Despite the stronger aggregate result, 319 of 511 firms reported net profit and the share reporting a net loss rose to 37.6 percent from 32.3 percent.