Key Takeaways
- • Korea Investment & Securities has signed strategic collaboration agreements with Fidelity (managing ~$7.8 trillion in assets), Pimco, and Carlyle, expanding access to global research, fixed income products, and alternative investments for Korean retail and institutional investors.
- • KIS and Fidelity's first joint product—a technology-focused fund covering Korea, China, and the US—is currently under development, representing the concrete outcome of their partnership announced Monday.
- • With Pimco, KIS will enhance exclusive research content through its mobile trading platform and expand distribution of Pimco fund products to Korean investors, strengthening access to global fixed income opportunities.
- • KIS is deepening its alternative investment collaboration with Carlyle (partnership since 2023) through a new discretionary asset management agreement focused on short-term money market vehicles, with KIS committing $300 million to Carlyle funds and securing access to $4 billion in overseas credit products.
- • The partnerships represent KIS's strategic shift toward concrete execution of its long-standing global business strategy, leveraging leading asset managers' capabilities across macro research, equities, fixed income, and alternatives.
Summary
Korea Investment & Securities, a subsidiary of Korea Investment Holdings, has formalized a series of strategic partnerships with three global investment powerhouses—Fidelity, Pimco, and Carlyle—to significantly deepen its global asset management capabilities and expand Korean investor access to international markets. The announcements, made across Monday and Wednesday of this week, underscore KIS's pivot from strategy to execution in its international expansion efforts.
The partnership with Fidelity, signed Monday, positions KIS to provide Korean investors exclusive access to Fidelity's expansive research infrastructure spanning global macro, equities, fixed income, and multi-asset strategies. The collaboration includes joint product development and co-investment opportunities, with the first tangible outcome already in motion: a technology-focused fund covering Korea, China, and the US currently under development. Fidelity, which manages approximately $7.8 trillion in assets globally, brings substantial research depth and product sophistication to the partnership.
Simultaneously, KIS signed separate agreements with Pimco and Carlyle on Wednesday in New York. The Pimco partnership, formalized through a memorandum of understanding, focuses on expanding discretionary asset management services. For retail customers, KIS and Pimco will co-develop exclusive research content integrated into KIS's mobile trading platform, leveraging Pimco's global market outlook and event-driven analysis. The partnership also commits to regular introduction of a broader range of Pimco fund products to the Korean market, with enhanced sales collaboration aimed at improving domestic investor access to global fixed income opportunities.
The Carlyle agreement deepens an existing relationship that commenced in 2023. Under the new discretionary asset management agreement, the two firms will pursue investments through short-term money market vehicles. According to partnership details, KIS commits $300 million in investment to Carlyle funds while securing sourcing rights to $4 billion in overseas credit products, substantially expanding KIS's alternative investment portfolio and distribution capabilities.
Collectively, these partnerships reflect KIS's strategic objective to leverage global asset manager expertise and product offerings to enhance both retail and institutional investor access to international markets, while positioning the firm as a primary distribution channel for global investment products within South Korea.
The partnership with Fidelity, signed Monday, positions KIS to provide Korean investors exclusive access to Fidelity's expansive research infrastructure spanning global macro, equities, fixed income, and multi-asset strategies. The collaboration includes joint product development and co-investment opportunities, with the first tangible outcome already in motion: a technology-focused fund covering Korea, China, and the US currently under development. Fidelity, which manages approximately $7.8 trillion in assets globally, brings substantial research depth and product sophistication to the partnership.
Simultaneously, KIS signed separate agreements with Pimco and Carlyle on Wednesday in New York. The Pimco partnership, formalized through a memorandum of understanding, focuses on expanding discretionary asset management services. For retail customers, KIS and Pimco will co-develop exclusive research content integrated into KIS's mobile trading platform, leveraging Pimco's global market outlook and event-driven analysis. The partnership also commits to regular introduction of a broader range of Pimco fund products to the Korean market, with enhanced sales collaboration aimed at improving domestic investor access to global fixed income opportunities.
The Carlyle agreement deepens an existing relationship that commenced in 2023. Under the new discretionary asset management agreement, the two firms will pursue investments through short-term money market vehicles. According to partnership details, KIS commits $300 million in investment to Carlyle funds while securing sourcing rights to $4 billion in overseas credit products, substantially expanding KIS's alternative investment portfolio and distribution capabilities.
Collectively, these partnerships reflect KIS's strategic objective to leverage global asset manager expertise and product offerings to enhance both retail and institutional investor access to international markets, while positioning the firm as a primary distribution channel for global investment products within South Korea.
Go deeper than the headline
Research every firm in this story, track the ones that matter and get the daily briefing — free for 7 days.