[2026 Asia Fund Awards] Jury Chairman Jeon Jin-gyu: "Asset Managers’ Performance Matches Rapid Market Growth"

Review by Jin-Gyu Jeon,
Chairman of the Judging Committee and President of the Korean Securities Association

Last year, as the KOSPI surpassed the 4,000 mark for the first time in history and the market boomed, the domestic fund market also posted record-breaking growth. In 2025, domestic fund net assets reached 1,376.3 trillion won, up 25.3% from the previous year, marking the highest growth rate since 2007. Asset management companies also delivered strong performance in line with the rapid expansion of the fund market.

Jeon Jinkyu, President of the Korean Securities Association (Professor at Dongguk University)

The judging committee for the "2026 Asia Fund Awards," now in its 17th year, selected this year’s award-winning asset management firms based on data provided by FnGuide, following document review and both quantitative and qualitative evaluations.

The grand prize went to Mirae Asset Global Investments. Mirae Asset Global Investments’ total assets under management have exceeded 510 trillion won. With balanced growth across all segments, including ETFs, pensions, outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO) mandates, and real estate, the firm has ushered in the 500 trillion won era. It received high marks for its leadership in the pension market, including ranking first in pension fund assets under management, first in target date fund (TDF) market share, and first in pension-only default option fund assets under management.

Samsung Asset Management was selected as the Best ETF Asset Manager. Its ETF brand "KODEX" holds the top spot in the domestic ETF market with a 39.6% market share.

KB Asset Management and Korea Investment Trust Management were chosen as Best TDF Asset Managers. KB Asset Management’s total TDF assets under custody are nearing 2.21 trillion won, giving it a 13.6% share of the TDF market. Korea Investment Trust Management’s "Korea Investment TDF Alaseo ETF Focus Fund" series posted three-year returns ranging from 51.08% to 81.19%, ranking first by vintage among TDFs established in Korea.

Shinhan Asset Management was selected as Best Retirement Pension Asset Manager. Its "Shinhan Big Cycle Asset Allocation Fund (Mixed Equity Type)" recorded the largest capital inflows in the retirement pension default option class last year. Mirae Asset Global Investments was chosen as Best Robo-Advisor Asset Manager. It launched "M-ROBO," the first robo-advisory service dedicated to retirement pensions offered by a full-service asset management company in Korea. Korea Investment Trust Management was selected as Best Didim Fund Asset Manager. It received positive evaluations for using an asset allocation strategy optimized for long-term pension investment to diversify across various assets with different levels of investment risk.

In the domestic category of the Best Fund Award, NH-Amundi Asset Management’s "Pilseung Korea Fund" was selected. The flagship public offering fund, Pilseung Korea Fund, delivered a return of 113.01% last year, far outperforming the KOSPI’s 75.63% gain over the same period. In the overseas category, KCGI Asset Management’s "KCGI China Fund" was chosen. Since its inception, KCGI China Fund has consistently delivered strong performance over both the short and long term.

Korea Investment & Securities, KB Securities, and NH Investment & Securities were selected as Best Distributors, earning high scores in terms of both sales balance and returns.