The Korea Securities Finance Corporation (KSFC) celebrated its 70th anniversary on September 30 by hosting an international conference at the Fairmont Ambassador Hotel in Yeouido. The event brought together around 250 participants, including officials from domestic and overseas financial authorities, researchers from policy institutions, academics, and financial-industry experts. The discussions centered on investor protection, growth strategies for emerging markets, and the evolving role of digital finance in shaping global capital markets.
KSFC President Jeong-Kag Kim opened the conference by highlighting the corporation's role in supporting Korea's capital market over the past seven decades. He stated that KSFC would expand both domestic and international business infrastructure in step with government initiatives to increase the supply of venture capital. He also emphasized the corporation's commitment to strengthening investor protection in an era of digital transformation, underlining the importance of maintaining trust and stability in capital markets.
The first session of the conference explored the role and challenges of investor protection and financial safety nets in global capital markets. Dr. Jung-Han Koo of the Korea Institute of Finance served as moderator and introduced the speakers. Ina Budh-Raja, Global Head of Securities Finance Product and Strategy at the Bank of New York Mellon in London, shared insights into the UK's investor protection framework and its forward-looking direction. Sugiura Nobuhiko, Professor at the Graduate School of Business at Chuo University in Japan, discussed the structure of Japan's investor protection system and highlighted regulatory gaps that remain. Hemant Sharma, Deputy General Counsel at the U.S. Securities Investor Protection Corporation, presented the SIPC's role in ensuring investor safety during financial firm failures and stressed the need for resilient systems in times of market volatility.
The second session examined case studies and experiences from emerging capital markets, focusing on the conditions and strategies that enable capital-market development in low- and middle-income countries. Professor Sunyoung Park from Dongguk University moderated the discussion, which began with a keynote speech by Sergio Schmukler, Research Manager at the World Bank. He emphasized the importance of well-functioning capital markets in promoting firm growth and long-term economic development. Melis E. Tabojer, Managing Director at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and Susan Olsen, Unit Head for Southeast Asia at the Asian Development Bank, shared their institutions' initiatives aimed at developing capital markets in emerging economies through infrastructure investment and private-sector collaboration. Yutaka Okada, Senior Managing Executive Officer at Japan Securities Finance, described how JSF has contributed to Japan's capital-market infrastructure and investor trust. Emelly Mutambatsere, Manager at the International Finance Corporation, introduced strategies involving green and sustainable bonds that support capital-market growth while promoting environmental and social impact.
The conference concluded with a special lecture by Jun-Hwan Kim, Executive Director and Head of the Digital Division at Shinhan Financial Group. Kim addressed the rapid rise of AI technologies in the financial sector and emphasized how financial institutions must innovate to remain relevant. He noted that the adoption of AI agents is not merely a technological shift but a fundamental transformation that will reshape how financial services are designed, delivered, and governed.
Following the main conference, KSFC hosted the World Securities Finance Forum, where leaders of securities-finance institutions from Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, and Indonesia gathered to discuss regional cooperation. During the forum, KSFC renewed its Memoranda of Understanding with the Financial Regulatory Commission of Mongolia and the Securities and Exchange Regulator of Cambodia. These agreements, originally signed in 2015 and 2018 respectively, aim to deepen bilateral cooperation in areas such as information sharing, research collaboration, and personnel exchange.