ISA Subscribers Surpass 10 Million... 1 in 4 Adults Now Hold an Account

The number of subscribers to Individual Savings Accounts (ISA) in Korea has surpassed 10 million, reaching this milestone 10 years and 5 months after the system was introduced in March 2016.

According to the Korea Financial Investment Association on September 29, as of the end of August, the number of ISA subscribers stood at 10.05 million, with total deposits in ISA accounts amounting to 7.65 trillion won. This means that approximately 23% of Korea's adult population aged 19 and over (about 44.07 million people) now own an ISA.

It has been only 7 months since the end of January—when ISA subscribers were at 8 million—that the number of subscribers has exceeded 10 million, with roughly 290,000 new accounts being opened each month in 2026. During the same period, the total deposits increased by nearly 2 trillion won, from about 5.5 trillion won to 7.7 trillion won, showing a simultaneous and steep rise in both the number of accounts and total investment amount.

This growth trend is attributed to the surge in investment demand through ISAs, as the KOSPI has continued its sharp upward momentum this year, resulting in expanded participation in the stock market by the general public. Investors have flocked to ISAs, which allow a variety of financial products—such as deposits, funds, and stocks—to be managed within a single account, with the added benefit of tax advantages.

By type, the ‘investment brokerage-type,’ in which subscribers directly select and manage their financial products, accounted for 8.975 million subscribers, or 89.3% of the total. In contrast, the number of ‘trust-type’ subscribers fell by 797,000 from 1.719 million at the end of 2020 to 922,000 (9.2%) as of the end of August. In the trust-type, financial trust institutions (such as banks and securities companies) operate the account as customized products based on the subscriber’s investment instructions. The ‘discretionary-type,’ in which asset management professionals handle the account according to a model portfolio presented by securities companies or banks, also decreased from 220,000 at the end of 2020 to 152,000 (1.5%).

By financial institution, securities companies accounted for the largest share of subscribers at 9.005 million (89.6%). In contrast, banks, which mainly offer deposit-focused trust-type accounts, had 1.045 million subscribers (10.4%), a decrease to about 60% compared to 1.783 million at the end of 2020.

Of the assets managed under the investment brokerage-type ISAs, 50.8% was allocated to Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), and 36.1% to stocks. For the trust-type, deposits accounted for the highest proportion at 88.2%, while in the discretionary-type, funds made up 98.8% of the portfolio.

By age group, the proportion of subscribers in their 20s and 30s increased from 32.8% at the end of 2020 to 41.1% at the end of August 2026, highlighting the growing participation of younger investors. Among subscribers in their 20s and 30s, there were more males (2.11 million males and 2.02 million females), while among subscribers aged 50 and over, females outnumbered males (2.02 million females and 1.66 million males).

An ISA is a tax-advantaged account that enables individuals to manage various financial products—including domestic stocks, funds, ETFs, and savings deposits—in a single account for diversified investment. The government introduced this system to support wealth building among the public through comprehensive asset management. After a certain holding period, net gains from financial products within the account are tax-exempt up to a maximum of 2 million won for general accounts (or up to 4 million won for the preferential accounts for low-income individuals); any amount exceeding this limit is subject to a low separate taxation rate of 9.9%. Additional compound interest benefits can also be expected due to deferred taxation until account closure.

Han Jaeyoung, Head of the K Capital Markets Division at the Korea Financial Investment Association, stated, "Exceeding 10 million ISA subscribers demonstrates that ISA has firmly established itself as the nation's premier investment account," adding, "With the upcoming introduction of the productive finance ISA, we expect to not only support the public’s asset building but also create a virtuous cycle where idle funds flow into the domestic capital markets."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.