The Bank of Korea announced that it will extend the operating hours of BOK-Wire+, its real-time gross settlement (RTGS) system, from 09:00–17:30 to 09:00–20:00 effective March 30, 2026, adding two hours and thirty minutes. Work on the change has been underway since August 2025, including related IT development and testing with participating institutions. The longer window is intended to improve cross-border payment efficiency by increasing overlap with major foreign large-value payment systems, and to improve access to Korea’s payment infrastructure for foreign investors. The Bank of Korea also linked the change to more efficient same-day bond settlement for foreign investors using Korean won funds obtained through CLS foreign exchange settlement, supporting the scheduled inclusion of Korean government bonds in the World Government Bond Index on April 1, 2026.
Bank of Korea 2026-03-29
Bank of Korea extends BOK-Wire+ operating hours to 09:00–20:00 from March 30, 2026
The Bank of Korea will extend the operating hours of its BOK-Wire+ real-time gross settlement system from 09:00–17:30 to 09:00–20:00 effective March 30, 2026. The longer window is intended to enhance cross-border payment efficiency, improve foreign investor access to Korean payment infrastructure, and support more efficient same-day bond settlement ahead of Korean government bonds’ inclusion in the World Government Bond Index on April 1, 2026.