Follow-up to 'KIS Night in New York' event

Targets promising pre-IPO companies

Discussions on launching global investment funds in Korea

Kim Sung-hwan (right), president of Korea Investment & Securities, and George Walker, chairman and CEO of Neuberger, pose for a photo at Korea Investment & Securities' headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on Wednesday after discussing ways to expand the supply of global investment products and strengthen cooperation. [Provided by Korea Investment & Securities]
Kim Sung-hwan (right), president of Korea Investment & Securities, and George Walker, chairman and CEO of Neuberger, pose for a photo at Korea Investment & Securities' headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on Wednesday after discussing ways to expand the supply of global investment products and strengthen cooperation. [Provided by Korea Investment & Securities]

Kim Sung-hwan, president of Korea Investment & Securities, met with George Walker, chairman and CEO of global asset manager Neuberger, to discuss expanding investment products focused on high-growth global companies and deepening strategic cooperation.

Korea Investment & Securities said Wednesday that Kim met with Walker and Kim Dae-yeon, Neuberger's Korea representative, at the firm's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. The meeting was a follow-up to "KIS Night in New York," a global networking event Korea Investment & Securities held in New York in September.

The talks centered on product collaboration that would draw on Neuberger's capabilities in identifying and analyzing high-growth companies worldwide. The two sides discussed plans to give domestic investors access to differentiated thematic investment opportunities — including aerospace and Asian semiconductors — as well as stakes in promising companies ahead of their initial public offerings.

To that end, the firms plan to combine Neuberger's global investment expertise with Korea Investment & Securities' product distribution and asset management capabilities. They also continued discussions on launching related investment funds in the Korean market.

Founded in New York in 1939, Neuberger is a comprehensive asset management firm with offices in 40 cities across 26 countries. As of the end of June, its assets under management stood at approximately $613 billion.

Korea Investment & Securities has been steadily expanding domestic investors' access to high-quality overseas assets through strategic partnerships with global financial firms. The company plans to strengthen its asset management services to better match each customer's investment objectives and risk profile.

Last month, the firm held talks with US quantitative asset manager AQR Capital Management on distributing global investment products in Korea. The two companies plan to gradually expand their joint global product lineup by combining their respective strengths.

"The ability to identify companies with high growth potential in global financial markets and secure investment opportunities is becoming increasingly important," Kim said. "We will combine Neuberger's global investment expertise with Korea Investment & Securities' asset management capabilities to offer domestic investors differentiated investment opportunities."


jiyun@heraldcorp.com