Industry

AI investment boom drives ICT exports to record $75.15 billion in September

South Korea\'s information and communications technology exports jumped to a record $75.15 billion in September, up 195.8 percent from a year earlier, as global AI investment expanded. Imports rose 55.3 percent to $21.43 billion, producing a $53.71 billion trade surplus. Semiconductors accounted for 80.3 percent of ICT exports and rose 262.8 percent, helped by higher-value product demand and rising memory chip prices.

Crypto

Money flows into \'digital dollar\' stablecoins, shaking banks and national monetary systems

Stablecoins are spreading as a near real-time, 24-hour tool for moving money, raising concerns they could accelerate outflows from bank deposits and national currencies during financial stress or sharp currency declines. The European Central Bank has flagged potential liquidity mismatches between round-the-clock redemptions and reserve assets that move on traditional settlement schedules. The BIS also found stablecoin flows tend to rise alongside foreign-currency deposits in crisis situations.