South Korea\'s financial authorities expanded the scope of eased network separation rules for AI use to secondary financial institutions and electronic financial business operators. The number of firms to be selected rises to as many as 15, and eligibility thresholds are lowered. Selected institutions can use external AI and security SaaS after putting alternative controls in place. Industry expectations are mixed, with some firms cautious. Global fintech investment rose to $103.1 billion in the first half, with focus expected to shift to AI and financial infrastructure.

South Korea plans to consolidate facility and customer management subsidiaries scattered across policy finance institutions into function-based entities, under a broader push to reform public-sector functions. Five facility management firms will be merged into a tentatively named Policy Finance FMC, while two customer management firms will be integrated as Policy Finance CS. The government also plans mergers of certain subsidiaries into parent institutions. Separately, it will review criteria for keeping public bodies in the capital region as it prepares a second relocation plan to be finalised in the fourth quarter.