Seoul: The central bank announced a significant increase in its 2025 net income, which doubled from the previous year, primarily due to enhanced gains from foreign currency assets.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the 2025 annual report of the Bank of Korea (BOK) revealed that its net income soared to 15.33 trillion won (US$10.19 billion), marking an approximate twofold increase from the previous year's 7.51 trillion won. This figure represents a new record, surpassing the previous peak of 7.86 trillion won recorded in 2021.
The central bank attributed this substantial rise to increased gains from foreign currency assets, a result of the weakened Korean currency and elevated securities prices. "Foreign exchange trading gains increased during year-end efforts to stabilize the FX market," a BOK official stated.
Late last year, the Korean won depreciated significantly against the U.S. dollar due to supply-demand imbalances and uncertainties related to the aggressive tariff policies under U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. Total revenue for 2025 reached 33.52 trillion won, reflecting a 7 trillion won increase from the previous year, while total expenses decreased by 3.4 trillion won to 12.75 trillion won.
The BOK allocated 70 percent of the net income, amounting to 10.7 trillion won, to government revenue, with the remainder designated for legal revenues. As of the end of December, the BOK's total assets were reported at 631 trillion won, a rise of 35.48 trillion won from the previous year, driven by increased deposits and repurchase agreements.
Foreign currency assets were diversified, with 63.9 percent in directly managed assets, 25.5 percent in externally managed assets entrusted to domestic and global asset managers, and 10.6 percent in cash and cash equivalents. The U.S. dollar comprised 69.5 percent of total holdings, a decrease of 2.4 percentage points from the previous year.
The BOK reported that liabilities rose by 25.63 trillion won to 592.78 trillion won, primarily due to increased currency issuance and deposit balances.