South Korea\'s National Participation Growth Fund effectively sold out on its first day of sales, with more than 87 percent of supply taken up and some online allotments closing in 10 minutes. Financial authorities are reviewing options to bring forward next year\'s supply or add more, with additional sales in the second half also discussed. Markets also saw spillover effects, while financial institutions and fintech firms moved to expand payment ecosystems and data-driven services.

KakaoPay applied its alternative credit scoring model, KakaoPay Score, to the Korea Housing Finance Corp’s screening for jeonse loan guarantees. The company plans to use AI-based credit assessment leveraging mydata and payment data to improve financial access for thin-file customers and sole proprietors with limited credit histories. KakaoPay said it introduced the model, jointly developed with Korea Credit Bureau, into the guarantee process.