Seoul, February 15 – Major South Korean brokerage firms achieved record earnings last year due to a strong performance in the local stock market, according to industry data released on Sunday.
The combined net profit of the country's 27 securities firms is estimated to be 10.23 trillion won (US$7.03 billion) for 2025, a significant increase from the previous year's 6.97 trillion won, reports Yonhap news agency.
Korea Investment & Securities Co. posted the largest net income of 2.01 trillion won last year, up 79% from a year earlier, followed by Mirae Asset Securities Co. with 1.59 trillion won in net profit.
Kiwoom Investment & Securities Co. reported a net profit of 1.12 trillion won, while NH Investment & Securities Co. and Samsung Securities Co. posted net profits of 1.03 trillion won and 1.01 trillion won, respectively.
Their strong performance was partly driven by commission fees from increased trading of local stocks by retail investors.
The average daily turnover in the local stock market stood at 16.9 trillion won in 2025, representing a remarkable 57% increase from the previous year, according to the data.
Analysts predict that the brokerage firms will continue to see increased profits as the daily turnover is widely expected to further rise.
Analysts believe the daily turnover could reach as high as 45 trillion won this year, given that the country's stock market is on an upward trajectory.
The country's key stock index, the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), surged over 75% last year and has advanced around 30% so far this year.
In January alone, the average daily turnover reached 62 trillion won, according to the data.
Meanwhile, South Korea's main bourse operator said its value-up index reached a record high at the end of last month.
The Korea Exchange's (KRX) value-up index stood at 2,330.7 as of the end of January, up 134.9% from the index's introduction on September 30, 2024. It outperformed the broader benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), which rose 101.5% during the cited period, the bourse operator said in a release.
The value-up index comprises 100 companies that demonstrate strong performance based on various qualitative metrics, such as profitability and shareholder returns.
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