UOB unveils FDI Advisory Centre in South Korea

The bank has helped over 150 Korean companies expand to SEA since 2011.

UOB has launched a Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Advisory Centre in Seoul, aimed at supporting Korean companies that seek to expand into the Southeast Asian region.

The centre will offer customised solutions such as market entry advisory and regulatory support, and financing and risk management services.

The South Korean centre is an expansion of the current dedicated Korea desk in Singapore first established in 2023.

UOB said that it has helped over 150 Korean companies expand in SEA since it started its FDI Advisory Unit in 2011. Projected investments tied to these expansions was close to S$3b.

FDI flows from Korea to Southeast Asia had more than doubled to US$10.9b in 2023, compared to just US$5b in 2017, according to data from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

UOB expects the trend further on the back of several factors such as supply chain shifts, trade tensions, digital economy and the region’s ever-evolving consumer demographics.

To date, UOB’s FDI Advisory Unit has supported 5,000 companies in their regional expansion efforts. These companies have a projected investment of more than S$50b and have created over 250,000 jobs since 2020, according to UOB.