Clients can trade select Korean shares from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM KST
Interactive Brokers has launched select Korean equities through Nextrade, South Korea’s first Alternative Trading System, adding a second venue alongside the Korea Exchange for eligible clients.
The rollout builds on the broker’s earlier launch of the Korea Exchange, or KRX. That move made Interactive Brokers the first major US-based broker to give global investors direct access to Korean equities.
Clients using Nextrade can trade about 650 securities from the KOSPI and KOSDAQ markets. They also get a 12-hour trading window from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM KST.
Interactive Brokers has enabled IB SmartRouting across both KRX and Nextrade. As a result, the system routes orders to the venue offering the best available price.
That setup helps clients seek best execution. It also adds liquidity and more flexibility in Korean stocks.
650 KOSPI and KOSDAQ securities
Nextrade operates across three daily sessions. Pre-Market runs from 8:00 AM to 8:50 AM, Standard runs from 9:00 AM to 3:20 PM, and After-Market runs from 3:30 PM to 8:00 PM KST.
Because of those longer hours, clients can react to overnight global developments. They can also coordinate trades across multiple time zones outside traditional exchange hours.
Interactive Brokers offers trading in stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds and funds across more than 170 markets worldwide. Korean equities through KRX and Nextrade now sit within that single platform.
Korea’s equity market ranks among the top global exchanges by market value. It includes companies such as Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and Hyundai Motor.
David Friedland, managing director for Asia Pacific at Interactive Brokers, said: “Korea is home to some of the world’s most innovative companies, and its equity market has become increasingly central to global investment strategies.”
Nextrade also offers competitive fees. However, access to Nextrade through Interactive Brokers is not available to residents of Korea.
Availability varies by Interactive Brokers affiliate and by a client’s country of residence. Meanwhile, eligible investors can use KRX for direct access and Nextrade for extended trading and added liquidity.
Friedland added: “By adding Nextrade alongside the Korea Exchange, we’re giving clients greater flexibility and more ways to capture opportunities in one of Asia’s most compelling markets, while further demonstrating our commitment to providing broad, cost-efficient market access worldwide.”
