Jang Won-jae, representative of the S&T and institutional sector at MERITZ Securities, noted, "We expect a maximum of 100 billion won in expenses such as fee exemptions for the SUPER365 account by the end of 2026," and "We see this as a long-term investment to create synergy in the retail sector."
After announcing the management performance of Meritz Financial Group on the 19th, Jang revealed this during a conference call. Super365 is a non-face-to-face dedicated investment account of MERITZ Securities. Since November of last year, MERITZ Securities has been conducting an event that allows for fee-free trading of domestic and U.S. stocks and dollar exchanges through Super365.
As the event gained popularity, the deposit assets for Super365 surged from 920 billion won to 5 trillion won, and the number of customers increased from about 23,000 to 100,000. However, Jang stated, "The promotion costs for the SUPER365 account (fee exemption) will not be a significant financial burden," adding, "We will continue to introduce innovative products by launching a new digital investment platform."
MERITZ Securities recorded 34.785 trillion won in sales and 1.0549 trillion won in operating profit on a consolidated basis last year. Sales decreased by 26.69% compared to 2023, but operating profit increased by 19.69%, marking a return to the "1 trillion club" for operating profit for the first time in two years since 2022. The net profit for MERITZ Securities last year was 696 billion won, which is a 17.97% increase over 2023.
MERITZ Securities stated it would expand beyond its core business of real estate finance to foster corporate finance and retail sectors.
Kim Jong-min, head of the IB (Investment Banking) sector at MERITZ Securities, remarked, "Maintaining our strong position in real estate finance for several years, we have successfully engaged in financial contracts with general corporations such as Lotte Group, Homeplus, and Korea Zinc," and "We will expand our areas to complete a balanced IB portfolio."