How to Register a Lending Business with the Financial Services Commission

Procedure

Procedure

1. 01

   1. Check whether Financial Services Commission registration applies — Businesses that purchase and collect loan claims and businesses that broker loans through a loan brokerage system register with the Financial Services Commission. A loan brokerage system means setting up and running an internet bulletin board for loan brokerage that discloses or provides borrowers' personal information or the contact details of lenders and brokers. Businesses with offices in two or more cities or provinces, members of business groups subject to cross-shareholding restrictions, companies whose largest shareholder is a credit financial institution, and corporations with assets over 10,000,000,000 won and loan claims of 5,000,000,000 won or more at the end of the previous fiscal year must also register with the Financial Services Commission.

2. 02

   2. Meet the equity, office and IT requirements — Equity must be at least 500,000,000 won for loan claim purchase and collection, 100,000,000 won for online loan brokerage, 30,000,000 won for other brokerage-only businesses, and 300,000,000 won for other lending businesses, and it must be maintained throughout the registration period. The office must be in a building listed in the building register, excluding detached houses, multi-unit housing and lodging facilities, with a right of use for at least 6 months. Online loan brokers also need information and communication equipment, data storage and loss prevention equipment, IT protection equipment, a system for handling personal information and responding to security incidents, at least 1 specialist to operate them, and a management plan.

3. 03

   3. Major shareholder and officer requirements and training — Major shareholders must meet social credit requirements, such as having no fine or heavier sentence in the last 5 years for violating the lending business act, financial laws, the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act or the Punishment of Tax Offenses Act. The company may not also run a facilities-based telecommunications business, a speculative business, a hostess bar or entertainment bar business, or a multi-level marketing business. Training must be completed by the representative and the general business manager plus at least 10% of all officers and employees, and the training certificate submitted with the application must be from within 6 months before the application date.

4. 04

   4. File the application and deposit the guarantee — Submit the registration application to the Financial Services Commission with proof of the office location, a copy of the training certificate, proof of equity, and proof of a guarantee deposit or insurance or mutual aid coverage. The guarantee for businesses registered with the Financial Services Commission is at least 50,000,000 won and must be kept for the registration period. If the application does not match the facts, a correction may be requested within a deadline of up to 30 days, and the registration fee is 100,000 won per office.

5. 05

   5. Change registration, change of registering authority and company acquisition — If the trade name, shareholders and their stakes (except changes in investors holding 5% or less of total capital), officers, offices or advertising phone numbers change, file a change registration within 15 days of the change. If a business registered with a city or province starts loan claim purchase and collection or online loan brokerage so that the registering authority becomes the Financial Services Commission, it submits change application documents to its current registering authority within 15 days of the change. The registration certificate itself cannot be transferred, acquired or lent, so acquiring an existing corporation requires a change registration of shareholders and officers and a check of the major shareholder requirements.

Filing route

Filing route

Deadlines & processing notes

Deadlines & processing notes

Fees & official charges

Fees & official charges

Included in the basic fee — Initial document review, required-document guidance, basic form preparation, one filing support and one ordinary supplement.

Conditional success fee — For this service, any conditional success fee may be separately agreed within the lawful service scope and stated in a written engagement agreement. No outcome is guaranteed.

Displayed amounts are starting estimates, not statutory or standard rates. The final fee is confirmed after consultation and document review in the engagement agreement. Government fees and actual expenses may change.

Basic documents

Basic documents

Failing to maintain the equity or office requirements, or having no business activity for 6 months or more, is grounds for cancellation of registration, and reports as of June 30 and December 31 must be submitted by the end of the following month. A loan claim purchase and collection business with assets of 1,000,000,000 won or more at the end of the previous fiscal year must set user protection standards and appoint at least 1 protection supervisor by board resolution.