South Korea's top five commercial banks held $70.9bn in USD deposits as of July 9, the highest level since Dec 2022, after a sharp July increase. Corporate USD deposits totaled $58.69bn, up $5.6bn versus end-June and accounting for about 96% of the rise; household USD deposits rose to $12.2bn, up $244m. Banks say corporates received large dollar inflows after 1H financial settlements and are retaining USD for import payments and FX risk management. Market participants note the won’s appreciation

South Korea's top five commercial banks held $70.9bn in USD deposits as of July 9, the highest level since Dec 2022, after a sharp July increase. Corporate USD deposits totaled $58.69bn, up $5.6bn versus end-June and accounting for about 96% of the rise; household USD deposits rose to $12.2bn, up $244m. Banks say corporates received large dollar inflows after 1H financial settlements and are retaining USD for import payments and FX risk management. Market participants note the won’s appreciation from roughly KRW1,500/USD to around KRW1,400 has eased profit-taking and spurred dip-buying of dollars.