- Business
- Kiwoom Asset Management Co., Ltd. is a South Korean asset management firm that provides public fund management, investment advisory services, discretionary investment management, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) including leveraged and inverse products tracking Korean and international indices; it operates mutual funds, hedge funds, and alternative investment vehicles focused on equities, futures, bonds, and thematic sectors such as quantum computing, biotechnology, and blockbuster biotech drugs. The company manages approximately $36.9 billion in assets under management (AUM) and offers services encompassing asset management, investment consulting, futures investment funds, and economic research; notable products include the KOSEF KOSDAQ 150 Futures Leverage ETF (ticker: 291630.KS), which seeks daily investment results of 200% of the F-KOSDAQ 150 Index performance through futures contracts and cash equivalents, as well as recent launches like the KIWOOM KOSEF US Quantum Computing ETF tracking the Solactive U.S. Quantum Computing Index and the KIWOOM KOSEF US Blockbuster Biotech Drugs Plus ETF. Kiwoom Asset Management primarily serves institutional and retail investors in South Korea, with ancillary operations in Vietnam, Singapore via Kiwoom Asset Management Asia Pte. Ltd., and exposure to global markets through U.S. and European-themed ETFs.
Founded originally in 1988 as Lucky Investment Consulting Co., Ltd. and restructured through mergers—including the 2014 combination of Woori Asset Management and Kiwoom Asset Management under Kiwoom Securities ownership—the company is headquartered at 96, Uisadang-daero, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea. It functions as a subsidiary within the Kiwoom Financial Group ecosystem, alongside affiliates like Kiwoom Private Equity and Kiwoom Capital, which support private equity, credit financing, and venture investments.
In recent developments, Kiwoom Asset Management launched the KIWOOM KOSEF US Quantum Computing ETF in December 2024, which grew to over 55.7 billion won in net assets within weeks, and the KOSEF US Blockbuster Biotech Drugs ETF in May 2024, partnering with index providers Solactive for innovative thematic exposure. The firm also achieved rapid success with the Kium KOSPI Reevaluation Expectation Target Convertible Securities Investment Trust in November 2025, hitting its 6% target return in one month and planning a sequel fund, while Kiwoom Private Equity completed a KRW 217.3 billion acquisition of KNE Holdings in November 2024. These initiatives reflect strategic expansions into high-growth sectors like quantum computing and biotech, alongside ongoing ETF innovations and private equity deals amid regulatory scrutiny of group overseas investments in late 2025.