As of the end of July 2026, the number of individual professional investors in South Korea reached 26,282, an increase of 3,787 from the end of the previous year. ^[1] Regular deposits at the five major Korean banks reached 100.5 trillion won at the end of August, marking the first time this threshold was crossed. ^[2] Individual professional investors are individuals who have passed securities firm reviews by meeting specific investment experience and income requirements. ^[3] Reverse trades, where securities firms forcibly dispose of stocks due to falling collateral value, surged 13-fold compared to the same period last year when 3.377 billion won in liquidations occurred. ^[4] The daily average volume of reverse trades by domestic securities firms increased from 2.947 billion won in January to 43.868 billion won in July 2026. ^[5] Credit-based stock buying, where investors borrow money to buy stocks, increased by 14.92% to 33.2 trillion won at the end of August. ^[6] Funds held for stock market investment by investors decreased by 21.9 trillion won from the end of June to the end of August. ^[7] Regular deposits increased by approximately 55.8 trillion won compared to the end of June. ^[8]