South Korea Raises Single Stock Leverage Margin to 30 Million Won, Effective July 31

The Financial Services Commission of South Korea announced that starting July 31, individual investors will be required to hold at least 30 million won in cash as a base margin when purchasing or adding to single stock leveraged ETFs and ETNs. This measure applies to both domestic and overseas listed single stock leveraged ETFs and ETNs. Previously, the base margin requirement was 10 million won, allowing for the inclusion of assets such as stocks, ETFs, and bonds in the margin calculation. Under the new regulations, only cash assets will be recognized, and securities will no longer be accepted for margin calculation. Market data shows that the total market capitalization of 16 single stock leveraged products has increased from 4.4 trillion won on May 27 to 11.9 trillion won on July 15, while the trading volume has risen from 10.4 trillion won to 13 trillion won.