Korean securities firms are overhauling their mobile trading systems (MTS) to step up their push for investors in their 20s and 30s. They are moving beyond offering simple, intuitive UI/UX to expand retail market share through distinctive services such as artificial intelligence (AI) tools and "averaging down."
On the 25th, according to the financial investment industry, Kiwoom Securities added a simple mode to its MTS "Youngmungu S#" this month. Aimed at beginner investors in their 20s and 30s, it removed complex analysis tools and professional indicators. By simplifying the screens, it allows buy/sell orders as well as cash top-ups, foreign exchange, and fractional trading to be handled on a single screen.
The home screen was also streamlined to show, among other items, the top five stocks by real-time buys and sells. It introduced "RepoToon," which delivers reports in webtoon format, along with short-form video content. Kiwoom Securities said this lowered the barrier to entry for investors.
In the industry, there is a visible move to follow the success of Toss Securities, which drew in beginner investors in their 20s and 30s with a simple MTS. In particular, Kiwoom Securities, a retail powerhouse, is facing strong pursuit from Toss Securities over the share of overseas stock turnover, making user growth a key task. With U.S. weeklong trading set to resume next month, brokerages are focused on expanding their retail market share.
NH Investment & Securities has also been rolling out new MTS features in stages since June. In July, it began translating and offering reports from the global investment information platform "Seeking Alpha," and in August it introduced an AI investment agent. Through this, it enabled real-time answers to investor questions such as "Should I buy more Tesla?" and "Is Palantir's stock price fair?"
Distinctive services such as "averaging down" are also drawing attention. Averaging down is a feature that lowers the average purchase price by buying additional shares already held and is mainly used to defend returns when prices fall. Following Toss Securities and Shinhan Investment, NH Investment & Securities also introduced the function. In particular, NH Investment & Securities drew investor interest by offering calculation tools alongside friendly animations.
A NH Investment & Securities official said, "We focused on improving real investment accessibility beyond visual UI changes," adding, "With many younger employees in digital-related departments, we were able to concentrate on feature upgrades aimed at investors in their 20s and 30s."
Samsung Securities also improved its overseas stock screens last month so investors can immediately check their holdings in won terms. It also introduced a service that uses AI to translate and summarize overseas news and disclosures, helping beginners more easily understand overseas investment information.
An employee at a securities firm said, "Lately, there is a noticeable move in the industry to build intuitive MTS platforms similar to Toss Securities," adding, "In particular, by actively using AI services for overseas stock investors, retail investors are being enabled to participate in the market more easily."