Seoul: Sales of derivatives-linked securities in South Korea increased in 2025 from a year earlier on a boom in the local stock market, data showed Wednesday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the combined value of equity-linked securities (ELS) and derivatives-linked securities (DLS) issued last year came to 94.9 trillion won (US$65.2 billion), up a solid 21.3 trillion won from a year earlier, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service. Their outstanding value came to 95.1 trillion won at the end of December, up 13.6 trillion won from the end of last year, the latest findings showed.

Sales of ELS products came to 21.8 trillion won last year, up 35.4 percent from a year earlier, while those of DLS products rose 28.6 percent on-year to 25.8 trillion won over the cited period. ELS refers to hybrid debt securities whose returns are determined by the performance of underlying equities. ELS products track benchmark stock indexes, including the Korea Composite Stock Price Index 200.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) surged 75.7 percent in 2025 alone, marking the highest return since 1999 during the dot-com bubble, driven by the government's stock market support measures and strong gains in artificial intelligence (AI)-related stocks.