Kyobo Life Insurance

Kyobo Life has tried and failed to list on the KOSPI repeatedly since 1989, abandoning a 2018 attempt and then being rejected by the Korea Exchange in July 2022 on governance grounds tied to its put-option dispute with minority shareholders Affinity Equity Partners and GIC. That dispute closed in March 2025 when Affinity (9.05%) and GIC (4.5%) sold out at KRW 234,000 per share to SBI Group and to a vehicle formed by Shinhan and Korea Investment & Securities, removing the main obstacle; remaining financial investors IMM Private Equity and EQT were reported in March 2026 to be weighing a revaluation of their put options at the eventual IPO price. Chairman Shin Chang-jae, who holds about 33.8% directly and roughly 36.9% with family and related parties, is assembling a financial holding company first: Kyobo completed the purchase of a 50%-plus-one-share stake in SBI Savings Bank in April 2026 for about KRW 900 billion, and in August 2026 opened talks to buy AXA General Insurance to add a non-life arm. Reports indicate the holding-company conversion is to follow the IPO rather than precede it, and market watchers have put Kyobo's listing enterprise value at KRW 3-5 trillion. No listing application was pending as of September 2026, so the company remains private.

Kyobo Life Insurance shares can be purchased through any standard brokerage account — including Fidelity, Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade, and online platforms like Robinhood or E*TRADE. Search for the ticker to place an order.

Kyobo Life Insurance went public in 2018 via ipo. Kyobo Life has tried and failed to list on the KOSPI repeatedly since 1989, abandoning a 2018 attempt and then being rejected by the Korea Exchange in July 2022 on governance grounds tied to its put-option dispute with minority shareholders Affinity Equity Partners and GIC. That dispute closed in March 2025 when Affinity (9.05%) and GIC (4.5%) sold out at KRW 234,000 per share to SBI Group and to a vehicle formed by Shinhan and Korea Investment & Securities, removing the main obstacle; remaining financial investors IMM Private Equity and EQT were reported in March 2026 to be weighing a revaluation of their put options at the eventual IPO price. Chairman Shin Chang-jae, who holds about 33.8% directly and roughly 36.9% with family and related parties, is assembling a financial holding company first: Kyobo completed the purchase of a 50%-plus-one-share stake in SBI Savings Bank in April 2026 for about KRW 900 billion, and in August 2026 opened talks to buy AXA General Insurance to add a non-life arm. Reports indicate the holding-company conversion is to follow the IPO rather than precede it, and market watchers have put Kyobo's listing enterprise value at KRW 3-5 trillion. No listing application was pending as of September 2026, so the company remains private.

Kyobo Life Insurance raised $826.8M across 1 disclosed funding rounds prior to its public listing.

Kyobo Life Insurance is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.