Stocks can also be given as gift vouchers... One share of Samsung Electronics can be given as a birthday gift.

The Korea Economic Association formally proposed to the government to introduce a new concept of Financial Service, allowing domestic stocks to be gifted in the form of mobile gift vouchers. People expect that if stock gift vouchers are commercialized, they will enhance the accessibility for individual investors and contribute to the long-term activation of the domestic stock market.

The Korea Economic Man Association stated that it proposed the “stock gift voucher” service to the State Adjustment Office on December 23 last year. This service refers to the method of purchasing stocks of listed companies such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, and gifting them to others in the form of mobile gift vouchers. Compared to the “gift stocks” or points-based financial vouchers offered by some securities companies currently, its advantage is that consumers can choose specific stock varieties and easily transfer them.

The Korea Economic Association explained that such gift voucher services can increase the inflow of domestic individual investors and bring back part of the recent investment demand concentrated on overseas stocks to the domestic market. In fact, the trading volume of domestic individual stocks decreased from 1,231 trillion won in the first quarter of 2020 to 1,221 trillion won in the third quarter of 2023, while the trading volume of overseas stocks surged from 27.4 billion USD to 157.5 billion USD during the same period. This indicates that individual investors are gradually seeking attractive investment targets overseas.

According to a public opinion survey conducted by the Korea Economic Association from December 10 to 15 last year among 500 adults under the age of 40 nationwide, 44.8% of all respondents expressed an intention to use stock gift vouchers if they were introduced. Among respondents with stock investment experience, this proportion was even higher, reaching 54.7%, indicating a very high likelihood of actual usage. The scenarios they proposed for gifting varied widely, from birthdays and holidays to investment education for children or acquaintances.

To improve the effectiveness of services, the Korean Economic Association has proposed four policy issues. These include promoting the Financial Commission's innovative Financial Service designation for achieving the purchase of stock gift certificates in online malls, as well as proposing to set the tax exemption standard as the basic deduction limit for stock transfer income, which is 2.5 million won per year. In addition, it was proposed to reduce transaction fee burdens and encourage participation from securities firms by establishing a public platform, and to set a monthly usage limit of 1 million won to prevent excessive investment or adverse effects.

Stock gift vouchers are evaluated as a means to lower the psychological threshold for financial investment and to transform the focus on asset accumulation into a more accessible form of creativity. In particular, as a means of financial education and the dissemination of investment culture, it may have a high utilization rate, and with institutional support, it is expected to become one of the innovative models of K-finance.