In March, Individual Investors Surge with 430,000 New Accounts Opened at Kiwoom Securities... Market Share Exceeds 23%

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] In March, as individual investors surged in the domestic stock market, Kiwoom Securities also saw a significant increase in the number of new account openings.

On the 6th, Kiwoom Securities announced that the number of new accounts opened in the previous month reached 431,000. This represents an increase of more than 200% just two months after attracting market attention with over 143,000 new accounts opened in January alone. Notably, on March 19, when the stock market plummeted, the number of new accounts opened in a single day reached a maximum of 30,752.

Based on this, Kiwoom Securities, which has maintained the number one market share in the stock market for 15 consecutive years, continues to hold a market share exceeding 30% in the individual investor segment. As of the 31st of last month, its market share in the overall stock market, including institutions and foreigners, exceeded 23%. A Kiwoom Securities official stated, "This is the highest record again after achieving 22% in November last year, just over four months ago."

Not only in domestic stocks but also in overseas stock trading such as the U.S. and China, Kiwoom Securities recorded a contract amount of 3.2 trillion KRW in March, expanding its dominance with an increase of over 150% compared to the previous month. In overseas derivatives, the platform's dominance effect pushed the market share above 40%.

Kiwoom Securities explained that amid historically volatile market conditions, the contract conversion amount for March reached 211.7 trillion KRW, marking an increase of 194% year-on-year and 67% month-on-month. In particular, on the 27th, it recorded a daily maximum contract conversion amount of 16.7 trillion KRW, driving solid performance growth across all retail sectors.

Kim Hee-jae, Head of Retail Division at Kiwoom Securities, said, "Thanks to the active market participation of individual investors aiming to buy quality stocks at low prices, we were able to achieve an all-time high record in the retail sector."

Meanwhile, in the first quarter, as uncertainty in domestic and international financial markets persisted and volatility expanded, the trading volume in the domestic stock market in March surged to 565.4 trillion KRW, an increase of 138% year-on-year and 68% month-on-month.