Siebert Financial
Siebert Financial

Siebert Financial Corp. announced Thursday that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Kakao Pay Securities to develop a new platform designed to expand U.S. investors' access to South Korean equities, including plans to explore tokenized securities and extended trading hours.

The companies said the collaboration will focus initially on creating a direct pathway for Siebert clients to invest in South Korean stocks, with the first phase of the service targeted for launch during the first half of 2027.

A central component of the initiative involves evaluating the use of tokenization to make Korean stocks available to U.S. investors outside traditional market hours. The firms said the approach is intended to help address the time difference between U.S. and South Korean exchanges while potentially improving settlement speed and simplifying cross-border investing.

The project, known as the K-Stock Global Gateway, combines Kakao Pay Securities' digital investing platform and presence in South Korea with Siebert's brokerage infrastructure and access to U.S. financial markets. Kakao Pay Securities currently serves approximately 9 million stock accounts.

Beyond enabling access to Korean equities, the companies said they plan to evaluate additional financial products and services as the partnership evolves, with a broader goal of increasing investment opportunities between the United States and South Korea.

"Kakao Pay Securities choosing Siebert as its U.S. partner is a strong validation of the financial infrastructure we are providing," said John J. Gebbia, Chief Executive Officer of Siebert Financial. "Our goal is to help remove the barriers between global markets. Tokenization is an important first opportunity, but we see the potential of this partnership going much further. By combining Siebert's U.S. infrastructure with Kakao Pay Securities' technology, scale and leadership in South Korea, we can create new ways for investors in both markets to access financial products and opportunities that were previously difficult to reach."

The companies also said they expect to examine whether tokenized securities could support real-time, or T+0, settlement, allowing proceeds from completed trades to become available more quickly than under traditional settlement timelines.

"We want to build a global gateway for K-shares by combining Kakao Pay Securities' technology, content, and community capabilities with Siebert's access to the U.S.," said Simon Shin, Chief Executive Officer of Kakao Pay Securities.

In addition to trading capabilities, the partnership is expected to include educational content intended to help American investors better understand South Korean companies and the country's equity markets.

The companies said any products or services developed through the initiative will remain subject to applicable regulatory requirements and investor protection standards in both the United States and South Korea.

Founded in 1967, Siebert Financial provides brokerage, wealth management, investment banking and other financial services through a group of subsidiaries. The company traces its roots to Muriel Siebert, the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange.