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hot_img Expected direction of South Korea's secondary regulations on security tokens: allowing asset pooling and setting trading limits for general investors

According to the expected plan compiled by the Korea Digital Convergence Industry Association, the secondary regulations for Security Token Offerings (STO) in South Korea may include: allowing "pooling" issuance of similar types of underlying assets, setting over-the-counter trading limits for general investors, clarifying the licensing conditions and business scope for non-standard securities over-the-counter exchanges, and developing a phased roadmap for the tokenization of standard securities. In addition, the technical and financial requirements for issuer account management institutions are also expected to be included in the regulations.This expected plan is based on publicly available policy directions and industry discussions and is not an official version. Specific standards still need to be determined through legislative announcements, regulatory reviews, and other procedures. Previously, the STO market was primarily focused on single assets; if pooling is allowed, it could promote the issuance of multi-asset composite products such as music copyrights and real estate. The over-the-counter trading limits for general investors are expected to be higher than existing sandbox cases, but the final limits still need to balance investor protection and market liquidity. The status of non-standard securities over-the-counter trading platforms and existing operators, as well as the future path for the tokenization of standard securities (stocks, bonds), will be key focuses moving forward. The industry warns that after the regulations are implemented, the preparation time for related companies' systems and internal controls may be quite urgent.

The effect of South Korea raising the margin threshold is becoming apparent: retail investors are reducing their holdings in leveraged ETFs and turning to spot purchases

According to Daum, after South Korea's financial regulatory authorities raised the base margin for domestic and foreign single-stock leveraged products from 10 million won in securities to 30 million won in pure cash starting July 31, South Korean retail investors began to rapidly adjust their portfolios.According to data from the Korea Securities Depository, Tesla's 2x leveraged product TSLL recorded a net purchase of 14.58 million USD on August 3, but the purchase amount on the 4th plummeted from the previous day's 15.6 million USD to 1.56 million USD, while the selling amount rose to 8.68 million USD, resulting in a net sell of 7.11 million USD for the day. During the same period, Tesla's spot net purchases reached 42.3 million USD, more than five times the net purchase amount of TSLL.Micron Technology and SanDisk also showed similar divergence—Micron's 2x leveraged product flipped from a net purchase of 10.81 million USD on the 3rd to a net sell of 15.98 million USD on the 4th, while SanDisk's 2x leveraged product changed from a net purchase of 17.74 million USD to a net sell of 33.74 million USD. Meanwhile, the spot net inflows for the two companies were 148 million USD and 145 million USD, respectively, indicating a significant trend of funds shifting from leveraged tools to the underlying stocks.The tightened regulations require that the base margin must be paid in cash, with alternative securities such as stocks, ETFs, and bonds no longer counted, and existing investors must also meet the new standards when making additional purchases; selling is unrestricted, but the funds from sales must be settled after T+2 days before they can be counted as cash margin.The new rules were originally planned to be implemented in phases in August, but due to concerns that limiting it to Korean products would lead to a capital influx into overseas leveraged products like Tesla and Nvidia, creating a balloon effect, South Korean regulators moved the implementation date up to July 31 and simultaneously covered both domestic and foreign products.South Korean investors have reacted strongly, believing that extending measures aimed at local market volatility to overseas products constitutes excessive intervention, and that only South Korean investors must meet the 30 million won cash threshold, putting them at a disadvantage in global competition.

Zhibao Technology signs a $154.7 million PIPE agreement, with investors paying 2,380 bitcoins and gaining control of the board

According to CryptoSlate, Nasdaq-listed company Zhibao Technology (a Chinese insurtech company) signed a PIPE (Private Investment in Public Equity) agreement worth approximately $154.7 million on July 31, with investors paying in 2,380 bitcoins (calculated at a fixed price of $65,000 per bitcoin).The agreement lists 10 investor entities, each allocated 44.2 million units, totaling $154.7 million, paid in 238 bitcoins. Investors will purchase 442 million units at $0.35 per unit, with each unit consisting of 1 share of Class A common stock and a 2-year warrant (to buy 1 additional share at an exercise price of $0.35), with a potential total issuance of up to 884 million shares.After the transaction is completed, investors will designate 4 out of 5 directors and choose a new CEO and CFO. The existing 4 directors and the current CEO and CFO will resign. This issuance will significantly dilute the shareholding ratio prior to the PIPE transaction. The 49,001,662 shares will account for approximately 9.98% of the share base after the transaction is completed, while Class B shareholders will lose their 20-to-1 voting advantage.If all new warrants are subsequently exercised, the share base will increase to at least 933,001,662 shares, while the shareholding ratio prior to the PIPE transaction will drop to about 5.25%. The agreement is intended to be settled within 12 business days after July 31, or on another date agreed upon in writing by both parties, but the required capital increase and approval issues remain unresolved.

Bloomberg: South Korean retail investors accuse the government of turning the stock market into a "casino," and some investors have decided to stop investing in the South Korean stock market

According to Bloomberg, the KOSPI index in South Korea plummeted in July, causing significant losses for many retail investors. Despite the index rebounding a record 18% on Friday, retail investors still recorded a record net sell-off of KOSPI stocks that day; the index fell a cumulative 22% in July, marking the largest monthly decline since the global financial crisis, with the total market capitalization of the South Korean stock market around $3.9 trillion.Influenced by President Lee Jae-myung's push for stock market reforms and the listing of single-stock leveraged ETFs, South Korean retail investors bought approximately 78 trillion won ($54.2 billion) worth of KOSPI stocks from May to June. After the sharp market decline in July, many investors on social media pointed fingers at the government.A 30-something investor in Seoul stated that he entered the Korean stock market for the first time in May and has now decided "not to invest in the Korean stock market anymore"; another 40-year-old investor borrowed 50 million won against his home to trade stocks and criticized the government for introducing leveraged ETFs, turning the market into a "casino."During July, the KOSPI triggered trading halts due to circuit breakers four times, setting a monthly record. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix together accounted for over 50% of the KOSPI's weight, with their stock prices falling 21% and 35% respectively in July; however, since early 2025, Samsung Electronics has still risen over four times, and SK Hynix has increased nearly tenfold.Analysts say this is a typical result of crowded trading combined with leverage, and deleveraging is difficult to complete in a matter of days. In the coming months, technology and semiconductor stocks may still experience significant volatility, but this should not be seen as a complete collapse of the AI investment logic.The South Korean government suspended the listing of new single-stock leveraged ETFs in mid-July and promised to introduce more measures to stabilize the stock market and limit retail participation in high-risk products.However, the head of the Korean Shareholders Alliance stated that retail investors' anger and criticism towards the government have reached a peak, with many investors believing that the relevant measures have come too late.
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