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Korea FSC Opens Legislative Notice on Token Securities Subordinate Regulations, 1 October 2026

The Financial Services Commission issued a legislative notice on 1 October 2026 covering draft amendments to subordinate regulations under the Electronic Securities Act and the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act. The package widens tokenisation beyond investment contract securities to shares, bonds and fund units, sets resource requirements for issuer account managers, and caps annual net purchases by general investors on over-the-counter exchanges. Comments close on 11 November 2026 and the rules are set to apply from 4 February 2027.

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The Korean Financial Services Commission published a legislative notice on 1 October 2026 for draft amendments to subordinate regulations under the Act on Electronic Registration of Stocks, Bonds and Other Securities and under the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act. The notice opens a public comment period running from 2 October to 11 November 2026. The drafts are scheduled to take effect on 4 February 2027, the date the amended parent statutes apply.

Five instruments are amended: the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Electronic Registration of Stocks, Bonds and Other Securities, the Enforcement Decree of the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act, the Regulation on Financial Investment Business, the Regulation on Issuance and Disclosure of Securities, and the Electronic Registration Business Regulation. Eligible securities widen from investment contract securities and non-monetary trust beneficial certificates to shares, bonds and fund units.

An issuer that wants to run its own accounts must register as an issuer account manager and hold capital of at least KRW 4 billion, one account management specialist, one internal control specialist and two IT staff. A distributed ledger used for electronic registration must carry at least two account managers besides the electronic registration institution, and direct fees for using that ledger are barred. Over-the-counter exchange licensing extends to debt securities alongside unlisted shares and non-monetary trust beneficial certificates.

General investors face a cap of KRW 100 million in annual net purchases, counted as total purchases less total sales, at each over-the-counter exchange. The Commission has said it will weigh requests to raise that cap, to reduce the KRW 4 billion capital requirement and to ease the ledger participation rules. After comments close on 11 November 2026 the drafts go to Commission resolution, Ministry of Government Legislation review, and vice-ministerial and cabinet approval.

Licentium advises issuers, exchanges and account managers on digital asset authorisation and market structure questions across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Work we undertake includes licence mapping, registration applications, distributed ledger governance review and responses to regulatory consultations.

Source: Financial Services Commission, legislative notice on draft amendments to subordinate regulations on token securities, 1 October 2026

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