South Korea’s Hanwha Investment & Securities Invests

-Strategic partnership will help companies and investors in South Korea connect to global private markets opportunities

-South Korean companies can work with Hanwha and CapBridge for private capital raising, as well as list on 1exchange – Singapore’s only regulated private securities exchange

-The private equity market in South Korea is the third largest in Asia with returns significantly outstripping the public market

Singapore global private markets platform CapBridge Group today announced that it has brought onboard Hanwha Investment & Securities Co., Ltd. (“Hanwha”) as an investor and strategic partner. Hanwha will invest US$4m for a stake and partner CapBridge in further promoting the growth of the private markets ecosystem in South Korea and Southeast Asia.

(L: Kwon Hee-baek, CEO of Hanwha Investment & Securities, R: Johnson Chen, founder and CEO of CapBridge, at the partnership agreement signing ceremony in Seoul, South Korea)

Part of the South Korean multi-profile business conglomerate, Hanwha Group, Hanwha is a leading provider of comprehensive asset management services, including brokerage and acquisition of stocks, bonds, and derivatives.

Johnson Chen, founder and CEO of CapBridge, said, “We are pleased to welcome Hanwha as our shareholder and strategic partner. We look forward to further building out the private markets ecosystem and offering more private markets opportunities to companies and investors in South Korea. Together with Hanwha, we will also work on developing more innovative financial services and products for the global private markets.”

Kwon Hee-baek, CEO of Hanwha Investment & Securities, said, “With this partnership, we will actively collaborate with CapBridge and the private securities platform 1exchange, to introduce private markets opportunities to our customers across the region. Through this partnership, we are expanding our global digital business and look forward to extending our footprint further in South Korea as well as the growing Southeast Asia private markets.”

Through this partnership, pre-IPO, family-owned businesses, and growth stage companies in South Korea and Asia can work with Hanwha and the CapBridge private markets platform to match with international investors.

CapBridge and Singapore’s first and only regulated private securities exchange 1exchange (“1X”) together form a holistic global private markets ecosystem, with Singapore Exchange is a shareholder and strategic partner. CapBridge offers companies intelligent and integrated solutions to access private markets for capital, as well as a liquidity pathway via a private listing on 1X. With a private listing, companies and owners have the benefit of liquidity while remaining private for optimal control and flexibility.

Investors seeking higher-than-average returns from private equity will also be able to access such opportunities via the CapBridge private markets platform.

According to a McKinsey & Co report, the private equity market in South Korea is the third largest in Asia and poised for more growth[1]. Global and local acquisitions and private capital committed have been steadily increasing, and returns from private equity have significantly outstripped the public market.

Investors interested to participate in private equity capital raising campaigns by global growth companies can access such opportunities on CapBridge (www.capbridge.sg), where institutional investors lead deals with individual co-investors jointly investing on the same terms. Individual investors can also gain access to private equity via the innovative Preferred Access route, from as low as S$5,000 – enabling individuals to commit smaller investment amounts across multiple deals as a way to diversify portfolios.

[1] The Continued Rise of South Korean Private Equity, July 2018

/Public Release.