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.

Korean brokerages are expanding tokenised securities businesses from account management for fractional investing to issuance infrastructure for bonds, funds and other financial products. The Financial Services Commission said it will pursue phased tokenisation of stocks, bonds and funds, starting in February 2027 with private money market funds, private corporate bonds, unlisted shares using trusts and publicly offered fractional investment securities. Firms are building joint platforms and proprietary systems, while overseas examples are also growing.