Overseas businesses of South Korean securities companies saw their combined net income grow slightly from a year earlier in 2023 amid a sharp increase in their assets and equity, data showed Thursday. The securities firms posted a combined net income of US$140.7 million last year, up 11 percent from $126.7 million the previous year, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). As of year-end 2023, 14 domestic securities companies were operating in 15 countries through 63 subsidiaries and 10 branch offices, with 44 of them based in Asia and 12 in the U.S. The combined assets of the overseas businesses stood at $37.9 billion as of end-2023, up $10.1 billion or 36.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the FSS. Their shareholders' equity gained 1.9 percent on-year to $7.67 billion from $7.53 billion over the cited period. The securities firms enjoyed net profits in 11 countries, including the U.S. and Vietnam, while incurring net losses in three countries, including Britain and T hailand, the financial regulator said. Source: Yonhap News Agency