AI drives an overseas "gold rush"! Citibank: Korean companies’ global equity and bond financing expected to reach record highs in 2026

According to Golden Ten Data, Citi Group anticipates that South Korean companies will achieve record-breaking financing in global bond and equity markets by 2026. As firms seek international investors to fund their growth, South Korean companies' capital market issuance activities are expected to surge, with SK Hynix’s (SKHY.US) milestone $26.5 billion US listing deal serving as an important driving force.

As one of the underwriters of SK Hynix’s listing, Citi has so far this year helped South Korean clients raise approximately $60 billion in global bond and equity markets. The bank expects M&A activity across multiple sectors—including technology, consumer goods, and healthcare—to further increase, encompassing South Korean firms’ overseas acquisitions as well as foreign firms’ acquisitions in South Korea. Additionally, Citi currently ranks fourth in equity capital market underwriting and third in international bond underwriting in South Korea so far this year.

Park Jang-ho, CEO of Citi Global Markets Korea, said in a statement on Wednesday: “South Korea is home to a growing number of world-class companies and emerging industry leaders, and these firms are increasingly utilizing capital markets on competitive terms to fund their growth ambitions.”

Citi's optimistic outlook comes as South Korea’s two major chipmakers—SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics—become key beneficiaries in global artificial intelligence infrastructure development. The worldwide AI boom is fueling a surge in demand for memory chips. South Korea is seeking to mobilize at least 1,350 trillion won (about $975 billion) in corporate investment, including investments from Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix in chips and data centers, though many of these projects are still in early planning stages.

SK Hynix’s American Depositary Receipt (ADR) was listed last month, marking the largest initial equity offering by a foreign company and highlighting strong global investor demand for South Korean tech stocks. Last week, Kakao Mobility, supported by TPG Capital, secretly filed for a US listing. According to informed sources, Samsung Electronics has also held preliminary discussions with banks regarding a potential US listing, though no decision has yet been made to pursue the plan.