Strong in All Biz Areas

Korea Investment & Securities to be “true friends” to customers in all areas of operation under “4+1” strategy

"Korea Investment and Securities Co. will be a strong manager of assets and a service provider during all of its life selling 4 trillion won worth of financial products and 1 trillion won in retirement funds under its management,” said President Ryu Sang-ho of KIS during an interview with local media on April 1.
CEO Ryu said KIS will continue to be strong in securing deposits and assets for management under the “4+1” strategy, in fact, a top investment and securities firm in the country with retirement fund management on one wing and customer asset management service on another wing.
Ryu got the idea to run the company in such a way during recent tough times to keep the company above water to fight off the financial crisis. He said he regretted very much that the company was unable to help customers to minimize their losses from investments in stocks during the difficult times.
He has been caught up with the idea that there ought to be some way to solve the conflicts of interest between the company and its customers. He came up with the idea that the company and its customers should have a permanent partnership. KIS started a campaign to secure customers under the catch phrase “I’m You” in the area of asset management services from early March.
Ryu thought 2010 would be a very critical time for the company in terms of asset management as installment-type funds and savings-type insurance mature this year. The CEO believed that “I’m You” would awaken the customers to the fact that the company will use its “KIS Investment Clock” to tell when is the right time to sell or buy shares, greatly reducing the number of missed opportunities for customers.
The clock will also analyze the characteristics of customers and stock market trends and determine the right amount of shares a special customer should hold on to.
The “I’m You” strategy has been able to help the company attract 200 billion won in under a month since it was launched, with some 10 billion won in investment funds flowing in daily since its launch.
Ryu expects the retirement funds market will grow to around 30 trillion won in scale from the current 16 trillion won and he has secured the necessary manpower for such areas as marketing and consulting to be ready for the growing market.
He said the company is prepared to take charge of every aspect of its operation as “I’m You” is for the management of investment assets, while the retirement fund consultation is for the rest of life after retirement.
The CEO said the company will pick up where it left off when the global financial crisis developed by expanding its global operations.
He said the company will be able to open its branch in Vietnam in the first half, while an investment consulting firm in China will be set up in the second half.
Ryu said the company will also go ahead with its plan to issue bonds in the Arab world as soon as the draft law on exempting tariffs on special import goods passes in parliament this year.
He also said he will manage the company so that its operating profit would total around 350 billion won this year with all of its operating areas performing well this year as projected including IPO management, especially for Samsung Life, real estate development project financing, managing corporate bonds, derivatives and investment banking.
Korea Investment & Securities Co. was re-formed in June 2005 when the company was merged with Dongwon Securities. The previously-named Korea Investment & Securities Co., Ltd. (KITC) was Korea’s leading distributor of investment trust products, mainly those of its wholly owned subsidiary, while Dongwon Securities was one of Korea’s main securities brokerages. Both of these companies previously played important roles in the development of the Korean capital market and the Korean economy. KITC was a major institutional investor specializing in asset management and sales of Korean funds, while Dongwon Securities was a specialist in securities brokerage, investment banking and derivatives trading, among others.
The CI of the new Korea Investment & Securities symbolizes “True Friend,” meaning that two representative financial firms have become a single entity and will be a true friend to all their customers by providing the best available services. The logo, modeled after the Chinese character for friend and the letter F for friend, represents the vision that Korea Investment & Securities will become a financial hub of Asia and the whole world. nw

President Ryu Sang-ho of Korea Investment and Securities Co.(true friends).