Korea Investment & Securities announced on October 17, 2025, that the amount invested in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) through retirement pension accounts (defined contribution, DC · individual retirement pension, IRP) increased by 1.6359 trillion won over approximately 10 months.
The balance of DC · IRP accounts, which stood at 8.4 trillion won at the end of 2024, grew to 11.5 trillion won as of this month. Among this, ETF investment rose from 1.7648 trillion won to 3.3845 trillion won, nearly doubling (an increase of 93.6%), and the proportion of ETFs within the accounts climbed by 8.6 percentage points, from 20.8% to 29.4%.
This expansion of direct ETF investment is attributed to the global stock market rally and rising demand for investments in major country benchmark indices and growth theme products. By age group, subscribers in their 50s led the increase in ETF investments. The continued interest in not only benchmark index ETFs such as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 but also in global tech and artificial intelligence (AI) related products is cited as a key factor behind the surge in ETF balances.
Another notable trend this year is the diversification of investment beyond the United States to global markets. There has been an increase in ETFs investing in the Chinese and domestic markets, as well as growth in balances for China tech, AI, and humanoid ETFs, in addition to domestic shipbuilding, defense, and semiconductor sector ETFs. Demand for gold spot ETFs also remained steady in line with the strong gold price.
In addition, fund investments increased by 957.7 billion won (51.7%) compared to the end of the previous year, raising their share from 22.1% to 24.4%. The company explained that global asset management products available exclusively through Korea Investment & Securities retirement pension accounts, such as the Goldman Sachs US Tech (equity) fund and MAN Dynamic Income (bond) fund, have gained significant popularity.
Previously, Korea Investment & Securities enhanced retirement pension investment convenience by providing an MTS-based bond trading service and adding features for expected return and tax calculation. The company has also introduced automated regular ETF investment and an AI-based robo-advisor discretionary management service, further expanding a customized asset management environment for investors.
Kim Soonshil, Head of Retirement Pension Management at Korea Investment & Securities, stated, "We are expanding a variety of services so that retirement pension clients can easily manage their assets on their own," adding, "We will continue to broaden investment options for retirement pension clients through differentiated products and tailored solutions."
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