South Korea's financial regulator said Monday that it has found suspected cases of naked stock short selling at five more global investment banks (IBs), bringing the total to nine out of the 14 largest global IBs in the country. The additional cases come after the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) reported in January that it has detected suspected illegal stock short-selling activities at two global IBs. The FSS has been conducting an inspection on all 14 global IBs here since it exposed two IBs suspected of placing naked stock short-selling orders worth 55.6 billion won (US$40.3 million) in 2021-2022. The financial regulator, together with the Financial Services Commission, had since imposed a temporary ban on stock short selling, currently set to expire at the end of next month. The FSS said it has "completed imposing fines (26.5 billion won) on the first two companies that engaged in illegal stock short selling, worth 55.6 billion won, and referred them to the prosecution." "While conducting an ins pection of all (global IBs), it has exposed illegal short selling by seven additional companies, worth 155.6 billion won," it added. The inspection on the other five global IBs is still under way, according to the FSS. The financial regulator said it will swiftly take punitive measures once the naked stock short selling allegations are confirmed. Meanwhile, the FSS said it plans to hold a meeting with global IBs in Hong Kong before the end of this month to explain South Korea's stock short-selling system and possible changes that can be anticipated when the temporary ban is lifted. Source: Yonhap News Agency