Hana Bank's dealing room in Jung-gu, Seoul, on Monday. [Yonhap]
Hana Bank's dealing room in Jung-gu, Seoul, on Monday. [Yonhap]

The number of ultra-high-net-worth clients at Mirae Asset Securities has surged sharply, driven by a booming domestic stock market and a broad shift of investment funds from banks to brokerages.

Mirae Asset Securities said Tuesday that the number of its customers holding assets of 3 billion won ($1.95 million) or more reached approximately 9,500 as of the end of last month — a rise of more than 200 percent compared with the roughly 3,000 recorded in May last year. The month-on-month growth rate also reached 26 percent.

The number of clients holding 10 billion won or more — classified as ultra-high-net-worth customers — also more than doubled, rising to about 1,400 from roughly 600 in May last year.

Mirae Asset Securities attributed the growth to a sustained rally in the domestic stock market, fueled by the AI boom and a semiconductor supercycle, as well as a "money move" phenomenon in which deposits have been flowing out of banks and into brokerages.

"Beyond the asset appreciation driven by the broader market rally, we believe high-net-worth investors are choosing Mirae Asset Securities for its global investment opportunities and differentiated wealth management services," the company said.

Among domestic stocks, the most widely held by ultra-high-net-worth clients were Hyundai Motor, SK Hynix, Samsung Electronics, Hanmi Semiconductor and Sanil Electric, in that order. On the overseas side, Broadcom, Nvidia, Micron and Tesla ranked among the top holdings.

Mirae Asset Securities said its clients appeared to have moved early to capture investment opportunities in structurally high-growth sectors leading the market, including AI semiconductors, data centers and mobility.

Looking at the performance of key holdings, SK Hynix posted a return of 1,241.6 percent over the period from December 2024 through May 2026. Micron followed with a gain of 1,058 percent, with Samsung Electronics up 495.9 percent and Sanil Electric up 260.1 percent.

"Investment decisions that identified growth industries through our digital platform and global network translated into strong returns," a Mirae Asset Securities official said. "Based on our customer-alliance philosophy — that client success is corporate performance — we will set a new standard for the VIP wealth management market."


bbo@heraldcorp.com