SEOUL- South Korea will ease registration requirements and reporting rules for foreign firms so that they can trade in the onshore foreign exchange market more easily, the finance ministry said on Wednesday.
Foreign exchange authorities plan to allow foreign financial institutions to utilize credit lines from domestic institutions or other foreign firms when they register with authorities for trading, the ministry said.
Currently, it takes two or three years for foreign firms to enter the market as they are required to set up credit lines with at least 10 domestic firms to register as a participant, according to the ministry.
The ministry also said it has decided to no longer require foreign firms to report daily borrowings, positions and trades. For local financial institutions, authorities are allowing them to hand over foreign exchange transactions of domestic residents, such as major exporting companies, to their overseas branches.
The ministry said it would offer more incentives for local firms to trade during nighttime hours, as there was a need to boost liquidity after 11 p.m. local time (1400 GMT), although trading during extended hours had been largely stable.
