Samsung Asset Management KODEX Surpasses 40 Trillion KRW in Net Assets

Samsung Asset Management announced on the 1st that the net assets of KODEX ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) have surpassed 40 trillion KRW.

This comes about two years after surpassing 30 trillion KRW in net assets (AUM, Asset under Management) in May 2021. Currently, the domestic ETF market is approximately 97 trillion KRW in size, with KODEX ETFs holding about a 42% market share.

The reason Samsung KODEX ETFs were able to increase net assets by more than 10 trillion KRW in just over two years is attributed to introducing various customer-tailored products that attracted new investment demand.

In April last year, Samsung Asset Management launched Korea’s first ETF tracking the risk-free benchmark interest rate (KOFR), ▲KODEX KOFR Interest Rate Active, which led a ‘loss-free parking account-type’ ETF boom, growing the product to a net asset size of 3.9 trillion KRW within about a year.

Additionally, in November last year, they listed ▲KODEX 23-12 Bank Bond Active, a maturity-matching bond product, which quickly grew to 1.5 trillion KRW in just four months, establishing a ‘deposit-type’ product in the ETF market.

Besides these, Samsung has consistently introduced innovative ETFs previously unavailable domestically, such as KODEX TDF ETF, KODEX SOFR Interest Rate Active, and four types of KODEX US S&P 500 Sector ETFs.

Currently, Samsung KODEX ETFs have listed a total of 164 products, the largest number domestically. Among these, 11 products have net assets exceeding 1 trillion KRW, including ▲KODEX 200 (6.0 trillion KRW), ▲KODEX KOFR Interest Rate Active (3.9 trillion KRW), ▲KODEX Comprehensive Bond (AA- or higher) Active (2.8 trillion KRW), ▲KODEX Leverage (2.1 trillion KRW), ▲KODEX 200TR (2.0 trillion KRW), ▲KODEX 200 Futures Inverse 2X (2.0 trillion KRW), ▲KODEX 23-12 Bank Bond (AA+ or higher) Active (1.7 trillion KRW), ▲KODEX Short-term Bond PLUS (1.3 trillion KRW), ▲KODEX Secondary Battery Industry (1.2 trillion KRW), ▲KODEX Top5Plus TR (1.2 trillion KRW), and ▲KODEX Samsung Group (1.0 trillion KRW). Among domestic ETF products, there are a total of 23 with net assets over 1 trillion KRW, with Samsung KODEX ETFs accounting for nearly half.

Since launching the first domestic ETF, KODEX 200 ETF, which tracks the KOSPI200 in October 2002, Samsung KODEX ETFs have been recognized for significantly contributing to establishing ETFs as a popular financial investment product through innovative product development, professional asset management, and providing diverse investor education content over more than 20 years.

Starting with KODEX 200, Samsung Asset Management was the first to list sector ETFs, overseas ETFs, bond ETFs, and derivative ETFs consecutively. In 2007, they listed Korea’s first overseas ETF, KODEX China H, and in 2008, the thematic ETF KODEX Samsung Group Stocks. Furthermore, in 2009 and 2010, they listed KODEX Inverse and KODEX Leverage, introducing new investment methods using ETFs to domestic retail investors.

Im Tae-hyuk, Executive Director of Samsung Asset Management’s ETF Management Division, stated, “Since introducing ETFs to the domestic market for the first time, Samsung Asset Management has focused its capabilities on providing new types of products needed by investors as a leading domestic operator. We will continue to supply innovative products to meet the diverse investment demands of financial consumers and fulfill our role as the number one asset manager.”