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Busan Metropolitan City Attracts Five Companies in Digital, Maritime, and Innovative Finance to the 63rd Floor of BIFC, Accelerating Its Leap Toward a Global Financial Hub

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that, following a public call for tenants for “D-space,” a financial innovation hub established on the 63rd floor of the Busan International Finance Center (BIFC), a total of four companies were selected through final evaluation, and the KDX Consortium (a preparatory corporation for an over-the-counter fractional investment exchange) has also been confirmed for occupancy.

The companies confirmed for occupancy are leaders in the three strategic sectors of Busan’s financial hub—digital finance, maritime finance, and innovative finance—and include a total of five firms: in digital finance, the KDX preparatory corporation and DB Financial Investment; in maritime finance, Waterline Partners and Clarksons Korea; and in innovative finance, Synergy IB Investment.

This achievement reflects the results of Busan Metropolitan City’s ongoing efforts to attract and promote domestic and international financial institutions, as well as its strategic initiatives to attract companies to revitalize the financial hub.

In the digital finance sector, the nation’s first over-the-counter fractional investment exchange (KDX Consortium) preparatory corporation and consortium participant DB Financial Investment will establish operations at D-space.

The over-the-counter fractional investment exchange aims to activate a new investment market and support corporate financing by establishing a system for issuing and distributing revenue securities backed by tangible assets.

DB Financial Investment plans to foster an ecosystem for tokenized securities (STO) tailored to Busan, particularly in maritime and shipping sectors, and to serve as a hub for digital finance innovation through collaboration with fintech and blockchain companies.

In the maritime finance sector, global shipbroking firm Clarksons Korea and maritime-specialized asset management company Waterline Partners will join, further strengthening Busan’s competitiveness in maritime finance.

Clarksons Korea, headquartered in London, United Kingdom, plans to establish a Busan branch to strengthen its network with domestic shipping companies and expand its maritime finance advisory functions by linking with global shipping market information.

Waterline Partners, based on its experience in establishing ESG shipping funds, will expand investment and financial services in the maritime industry and plans to relocate its headquarters from Seoul to Busan in the second half of this year to establish a “Busan Innovation Fund” centered on port infrastructure.

Synergy IB Investment in the innovative finance sector will play a role in discovering and nurturing promising venture companies and startups. Through investment in startups and growth support, it is expected to contribute to strengthening the growth foundation of innovative companies in the Busan region.

Through this, a virtuous cycle will be established in which financial capital leads to innovation in the real economy, supporting Busan’s leap forward as a hub of technology finance where innovative technology and capital converge.

Busan Metropolitan City expects that the attraction of these companies will strengthen cooperative networks among digital finance, maritime finance, and innovative finance sectors within the Busan financial hub, foster an active financial ecosystem, and lay the foundation for becoming a global financial center.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “The attraction of these five companies serves as an opportunity to demonstrate that Busan possesses strong competitiveness not only domestically but also in the global financial market,” adding, “Based on Busan’s differentiated financial model that integrates digital, maritime, and technology sectors, we will confidently advance into a global financial city standing alongside London and New York.”