Link to the original article :
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/path/A2025051414450005055
By Lee Kyung-min
The Korean online stock trading market will be able to grow immensely, underpinned by strong interest in trading U.S. equities among retail investors, a U.S.-based expert said Wednesday.
Korea’s large number of active retail investors in U.S. equities presents a unique opportunity for global stock trading service providers, according to 24X National Exchange (24X) CEO Dmitri Galinov. The company is a regulated stock exchange that provides overnight trading in competition with Blue Ocean.
Success in Korea will demonstrate the ability of platforms such as 24X to serve sophisticated retail and institutional clients outside the U.S., establishing a blueprint for expansion into Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and beyond, he said.
“Korean financial institutions have strong regional influence and partnerships, creating potential multiplier effects as 24X seeks to expand access and connectivity into other Asia-Pacific markets,” he said in a recent interview with The Korea Times. “A key reason we are so optimistic about the potential of 24X in Korea is because of retail investor enthusiasm.”
This is augmented by the fact that Korean retail investors are tech-savvy.
“They are very comfortable with mobile trading apps and real-time data, as evidenced by our experience whereby 30 percent of the volume traded across our foreign exchange (FX) platform is in Korean currency,” Galinov said.
The CEO visited Korea from March 15 to March 22 to speak at the Market Vision Summit at the Fairmont Ambassador Hotel in Seoul.
“We are hopeful that Korea’s large pool of retail investors will successfully utilize our exchange to trade U.S. equities on our platform approved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and that they will demonstrate the global benefits of regulated after-hours trading,” he said.
Last November, the U.S. entity became the first exchange in the U.S. licensed by the SEC to offer trades in U.S. securities 23 hours each weekday.
According to Galinov, this decision carries major implications for retail investors in Asia, where a growing number of investors will have access to convenient new opportunities to trade U.S. securities through broker-dealers on the fully licensed exchange.
“Traders based in Korea will have transparency and unique access to U.S. equities,” he said. “Once we launch 23-hour-a-day trading, Korean investors will no longer need to wait overnight to react to economic data, corporate earnings or geopolitical events impacting U.S. equities. Further, Korean broker-dealers and retail platforms will be able to offer their clients 24X trading access, enhancing liquidity solutions and reducing overnight exposure to risk.”
The exchange plans to offer Korean-language support for trading access and client support to make trading more accessible and intuitive.
“We are also working to integrate 24X into the platforms Korean investors already use and trust ? enabling them to access extended U.S. trading hours through their local brokers.”
During the visit, he engaged in initial conversations with the Korea Financial Investment Association as well as financial institutions, brokerages and advisory groups familiar with the regulatory environment.
While he has not yet formally engaged directly with the Financial Services Commission or the Financial Supervisory Service, he plans to build a long-term relationship with the two.
“We are seeking to build the right relationships to approach the regulatory authorities thoughtfully at an appropriate time,” he said.
The CEO seeks to foster partnerships with leading Korean brokerages and financial entities for business development. “We hope that the launch of 24X is just the start of a long and fruitful partnership between our company and the growing community of Korean traders in U.S. stocks.”
Serving both retail, institutional investors
Both retail and institutional investors are the firm’s core customer base, set to benefit from the robust regulatory oversight and protections provided by the SEC.
“This is particularly relevant to retail investors. Korea’s large community of sophisticated, self-directed retail investors who already use U.S. platforms through Korean brokers will benefit immensely from the ability to trade during their daytime hours, rather than late at night,” he said.
“Since 24X is a fully SEC-licensed exchange based in the U.S. ? not a dark pool or alternative trading system, we will offer trading in U.S. equities with enhanced transparency as price quotes will be displayed and available to all traders,” Galinov added.
