The Korea Financial Investment Association said on Wednesday that, as of end-January, the number of subscribers to Individual Savings Accounts (ISA) totalled 8.07 million and subscription amounts were tallied at 54.7 trillion won.

The subscriber count exceeded 8 million two months after it passed 7 million, with about 7.19 million subscribers as of end-November 2025. Subscription amounts topped 50 trillion won seven months after surpassing 40 trillion won at end-June last year.

In particular, the total rose 6.4 trillion won in January alone, marking the biggest monthly increase on record. Brokerage-type ISAs accounted for 5.9 trillion won, leading the overall growth in subscription amounts on the back of, among other factors, a rally in the domestic stock market.

The size of ISAs has been steadily increasing since the introduction in 2021 of brokerage-type ISAs, in which subscribers directly invest in and manage financial products.

By ISA type, brokerage-type accounts, in which subscribers directly select financial products to invest in and manage, had 7.01 million subscribers, or 86.9 percent of all ISAs. Subscription amounts totalled 37.7 trillion won, or 68.8 percent.

By contrast, trust-type accounts, in which trustees (banks, securities firms and others) manage customised products under subscribers' management instructions, had 917,000 subscribers, or 11.4 percent, down 802,000 from 1.719 million at end-2020. Subscription amounts totalled 15.7 trillion won, or 28.6 percent.

Discretionary-type accounts, in which assets are entrusted to asset management experts based on model portfolios presented by securities firms and banks, also fell by 78,000 over the same period, to 142,000 subscribers, or 1.8 percent, from 220,000. Subscription amounts stood at 1.4 trillion won, or 2.6 percent.

By financial sector, due to the popularity of brokerage-type accounts, subscriptions through securities firms were the largest at 7.044 million subscribers, or 87.3 percent. Subscription amounts totalled 37.9 trillion won, or 69.3 percent.

Banks, which mainly handle trust-type accounts centred on deposits and instalment savings, posted 1.025 million subscribers, or 12.7 percent, and subscription amounts of 16.8 trillion won, or 30.7 percent.

Of brokerage-type subscription amounts, 46.8 percent is managed in ETFs and 34.2 percent in stocks. For trust-type accounts, deposits and instalment savings accounted for the biggest share at 91.4 percent, while funds made up the largest portion for discretionary-type accounts at 97.1 percent.

With the government announcing in January the creation of a productive finance ISA that strengthens tax benefits when investing in domestic stocks and funds, the National Growth Fund and business development companies (BDC), domestic investment via ISAs is expected to become more active going forward.

Han Jae-young (한재영), head of the K Capital Market Division at the Korea Financial Investment Association, said public interest in ISAs is growing, supported by government policies to promote long-term investment in domestic stocks, including the introduction of a productive finance ISA. He said he hopes ISA incentives will be expanded further so ISAs can serve as a key driver of a virtuous cycle in the K capital market as well as help people build wealth.