KB Securities

Name

KB Securities

Legal name

KB Securities

Website

https://kbsec.co.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Brokerage Commission: Commission-based revenue from executing securities trades for retail and institutional investors through digital trading platforms and broker-dealer services.
2. Investment Banking - IPO Underwriting: Fees earned from serving as lead underwriter for IPOs on KOSPI and KOSDAQ markets. KB Securities acts as bookrunner and lead manager for public offerings.
3. New Technology Business Finance: Direct equity investments in portfolio companies through venture capital-style financing, generating returns ranging from 1.3x to 14x on invested capital. Supports companies through IPO sponsorship.
4. Trading Revenue: Revenue from proprietary trading activities and market-making services. Q1 2026 saw record trading activity with combined net profit of 1.23 trillion won from five largest brokerage units.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

KB Securities is a full-service securities firm providing retail and institutional brokerage on KOSPI/KOSDAQ, lead underwriting for IPOs, equity research and analyst coverage, block trade execution, and proprietary venture-style direct investments through its New Technology Business Finance Department. The firm operates digital trading platforms integrated with AI-driven research tools and serves as the investment banking arm of KB Financial Group in South Korea.

Product overview

KB Securities operates as a securities brokerage firm offering a platform-based product architecture. The core product is 'The Platform,' a next-generation information system that integrates customer, transaction, and marketing data for real-time analysis and personalized services. Key supporting modules include 'KB OnSight' for AI-powered marketing automation, 'Single View' for unified customer environment, and the 'One-Stop Win-Win Payment System' for supplier payment processing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Platform Next-generation integrated information system that centralizes customer data, transaction histories, and marketing data for real-time analysis and hyper-personalized services, employing Data Lakehouse Architecture enabling both structured and unstructured data utilization.
• KB OnSight Marketing automation module within The Platform that automates campaign planning, performance analysis, and message generation using generative AI technology to deliver hyper-personalized marketing campaigns.
• Single View Unified customer environment within The Platform that provides a comprehensive, integrated view of customer data across all channels and touchpoints for enhanced service delivery.
• One-Stop Win-Win Payment System Win-win payment system for supplier payments that ensures large companies' payments to first-tier suppliers safely reach second-tier and lower suppliers, with cross-institutional payment processing capability.
• Retail and Institutional Brokerage Services Commission-based securities brokerage services for retail and institutional investors executing trades on KOSPI and KOSDAQ through digital trading platforms and broker-dealer services.
• IPO Underwriting and Capital Markets Advisory Investment banking services including lead underwriting for IPOs on KOSPI and KOSDAQ markets, bookrunning, lead management for public offerings, and capital markets advisory for corporate issuers.
• New Technology Business Finance (Venture Investment) Direct equity investments in portfolio companies through venture capital-style financing, including fund formation, due diligence, post-investment management, and IPO sponsorship, generating returns of 1.3x to 14x on invested capital.
• Equity Research and Analyst Coverage Equity research reports and analyst notes on Korean and global companies, raising price targets and making investment recommendations covering sectors including semiconductors (Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix) and AI-driven industries.
• Proprietary Trading and Market-Making Revenue-generating services from proprietary trading activities and market-making services across Korean securities markets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Record Q1 2026 net profit of 1.89 trillion won with 11% YoY growth
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Doosan CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2026KB Securities signed a business agreement with Doosan Corporation to introduce and expand the win-win payment system for supplier payments. KB Securities became the first in the securities industry to introduce this system, ensuring large companies' payments to first-tier suppliers safely reach lower-tier suppliers.
• Korea Environmental Industry Technology InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2026Partner in win-win payment system initiative supporting small and medium-sized enterprises through financial technology solutions.
• Foundation for Cooperation between Large, Medium, Small Enterprises and AgricultureminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2026Partner in win-win payment system supporting SME payment flows and agricultural sector cooperation.
• TipRankscoreTechnology or Integration · 12 November 2025TipRanks and KB Securities signed a strategic partnership Memorandum of Understanding to integrate AI and big data tools into KB Securities' trading platforms. The collaboration aims to provide Korean retail investors with enhanced access to global investment insights and data-driven decision-making capabilities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Morgan Stanley: Morgan Stanley is a global investment bank with institutional securities, wealth management, and investment banking businesses comparable to KB Securities' brokerage, IB, and equity research offerings. It sets the broader incumbent benchmark for global securities firms that Korean brokers compete against for cross-border mandates.
• Goldman Sachs: Goldman Sachs is a global bulge-bracket investment bank and broker-dealer with a securities intermediation, ECM advisory, and trading franchise comparable to KB Securities' investment banking and trading operations. While not a direct Korean competitor, it represents the global incumbent standard for capital markets services that KB Securities emulates at a regional scale.
• JPMorgan: JPMorgan is a global investment bank with institutional securities, ECM advisory, and trading businesses comparable to KB Securities' core IB and brokerage operations. As a broad incumbent, it competes for cross-border Korean IPO and ECM mandates and represents the global standard for technology-driven securities platforms.

Direct peers

• Samsung Securities: Samsung Securities is a major Korean brokerage and investment bank that competes head-to-head with KB Securities in retail trading, IPO underwriting, and equity research. Both firms are top-tier Korean securities houses serving similar retail and institutional client bases.
• Shinhan Investment Corp: Shinhan Investment Corp is the securities arm of Shinhan Financial Group and a direct peer to KB Securities in retail brokerage, investment banking, IPO underwriting, and equity research distribution in Korea. Both firms are consistently among the top five Korean brokerage franchises.
• Mirae Asset Securities: Mirae Asset Securities is a leading Korean securities firm offering retail brokerage, institutional trading, and investment banking services comparable to KB Securities. It is part of the Mirae Asset Financial Group and competes directly for IPO mandates and trading volume.
• NH Investment & Securities: NH Investment & Securities is one of South Korea's largest securities firms and a direct competitor to KB Securities across retail brokerage, institutional sales, and IPO underwriting on KOSPI/KOSDAQ. Both firms are top performers in the Korean brokerage sector and compete for the same institutional and retail mandates.
• Hana Financial Investment: Hana Financial Investment is the securities subsidiary of Hana Financial Group and a direct competitor to KB Securities across Korean brokerage, IB, and asset management. Both firms target similar retail and institutional segments in the Korean capital markets.

Regional players

• CITIC Securities: CITIC Securities is a leading Chinese investment bank and broker with retail brokerage, ECM, and asset management operations structurally comparable to KB Securities' Korean franchise. It is a regional peer for Asia-Pacific capital markets and IPO underwriting benchmarks.
• Nomura Holdings: Nomura is a Japanese-headquartered global investment bank and broker-dealer with strong Asia-Pacific institutional securities and ECM capabilities comparable to KB Securities. It serves as a regional peer for cross-border Asian equity capital markets and institutional brokerage mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments160 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KB Securities