Shinhan Securities acquires stake in Vietnam’s top trading platform FireAnt

Shinhan Securities Co., a leading South Korean brokerage house, has acquired a strategic equity stake in FireAnt, Vietnam’s largest retail trading and financial information platform, to strengthen digital capabilities across Southeast Asia.

The investment, disclosed on Monday, was directly made by Shinhan Securities, with its Vietnamese subsidiary, Shinhan Securities Vietnam (SSV), leading business activity and future partnership initiatives.

The stake size and financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Founded in 2018, FireAnt has emerged as the dominant player in Vietnam’s online investment community, boasting more than 1.3 million monthly active users.

The platform offers real-time stock data, AI-driven investment insights and a social community that has drawn comparisons to a “community-driven Bloomberg” for Vietnamese retail investors.

Shinhan’s move signals a growing appetite among Korean financial institutions to tap into the rapid digitalization of Southeast Asia’s capital markets.

The firm said the partnership would go beyond a stake purchase, with plans to integrate FireAnt’s platform features with SSV’s services to enhance customer acquisition, co-develop AI-powered tools and drive joint marketing campaigns.

VIETNAM: SHINHAN’S BRIDGEHEAD FOR GLOBAL DIGITAL INNOVATION

"Vietnam is both a strategic starting point and a vital bridgehead for our vision of global digital innovation," said Lee Sun-hoon, chief executive of Shinhan Securities. "Through our collaboration with FireAnt, we aim to lay the groundwork for leading Asia’s digital investment ecosystem."

The partnership underscores the intensifying competition among regional brokers to dominate Vietnam’s fast-growing retail investment landscape, where smartphone adoption and rising incomes have fueled a boom in online trading.

Shinhan is among a growing cohort of Korean financial players seeking to export their fintech expertise. By aligning with a local digital-native platform, it hopes to replicate the digital transformation strategies that have reshaped Korea’s brokerage industry in recent years.

Analysts said the deal could mark a turning point in the Vietnamese market, where local fintech firms are increasingly attracting foreign capital and technical know-how. For Shinhan, it offers access to a large and engaged user base and a potential testing ground for next-generation online brokerage services in one of Asia’s most promising frontier markets.

Shinhan Securities’ parent, Shinhan Financial Group, offers various financial services ranging from banking to life insurance, non-life insurance, securities, credit card services and asset management in Korea and abroad.

Last November, Shinhan Securities Vietnam (SSV) launched a mobile trading system, New San Xin Ha, and chose popular Vietnamese singer and actress Hoàng Yến Chibi as its brand ambassador.

Write to Ara Cho at rrang123@hankyung.com
In-Soo Nam edited this article.