Boston Dynamics’ announcement of a partnership with Google DeepMind to integrate AI into humanoid robots sent Hyundai Glovis, which holds an 80% stake in the robotics company, surging as much as 7% on the Korea Exchange. The partnership marks a transition in the AI robotics field from research demonstration to commercial deployment preparation. DeepMind’s reinforcement…
SK Hynix announced on Tuesday that it will invest 19 trillion won ($12.9 billion) to build a new advanced chip packaging facility in Cheongju, South Korea. Construction is set to begin in April, with completion targeted for the end of 2027 and full operations expected by 2028. The investment, one of the largest single commitments…
SK Hynix’s announcement on Tuesday of a 19 trillion won ($12.9 billion) investment in a new advanced chip packaging facility in Cheongju generated immediate reactions across the Asian semiconductor value chain. SK Hynix shares dipped approximately 2.5% on the session, a response that reflected near-term concern about the scale of capital expenditure relative to existing…
The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security has begun enforcing the latest round of semiconductor export control updates, which extend restrictions to additional categories of AI-capable chips, advanced packaging equipment, and semiconductor manufacturing software. The controls, first imposed in October 2022 and progressively tightened through 2024 and 2025, now cover a broader range…
South Korea’s KOSPI closed at an all-time high of 4,624.79 on Monday, adding 0.84% in a session that underscored the market’s transition from a purely AI-driven rally to a broader governance-led rerating. While Samsung and SK Hynix remain the index’s gravitational center, the day’s standout performer was Hyundai Glovis, which surged as much as 7%…
South Korea’s Financial Services Commission is preparing to implement the final phase of its short-selling regulatory overhaul, which has been one of the most consequential market structure changes in the KOSPI’s history. The ban on naked short-selling, implemented in late 2023 and extended multiple times since, is being replaced with a permanent regulatory framework that…
The VAT Law was adopted by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress in December 2024 after extended public consultation. While the government has emphasized that the new framework is designed to maintain the existing tax burden rather than increase it, the implementation regulations introduce several adjustments that multinational finance teams are reviewing carefully….
The Japanese yen began 2026 trading near 157 to the U.S. dollar, a level that confounds the straightforward narrative that Bank of Japan rate hikes should strengthen the currency. The BOJ raised its policy rate to 0.75% in December, the highest in three decades, yet the yen has barely responded. The disconnect between a tightening…
The first trading week of 2026 sent a clear message to global investors who had been underweighting Asian equities: this region is not waiting for permission to rally. South Korea’s Kospi closed at a record 4,309.63 on January 2, climbing 2.27% in a single session. Samsung Electronics surged roughly 7% after reports that customers praised…
Japan has long been an anomaly among developed economies in its reliance on cash transactions. As recently as 2019, cash accounted for approximately 80% of consumer payments, a figure that placed Japan behind not only its regional peers in South Korea (approximately 30% cash) and China (less than 20%) but behind many developing economies that…
