Kakao Pay Securities said Monday it has launched a fractional share trading service that lets investors buy domestically listed stocks for as little as 1,000 won ($1).
The service marks the company's first retail offering since it obtained a securities dealing license last month. Kakao Pay Securities first introduced fractional trading for overseas stocks in 2022 and has now extended it to domestic listings.
The minimum trade unit has been lowered to 0.0001 share, allowing investors to buy high-priced stocks with small amounts of money. The move is expected to widen access for young professionals and small investors who previously faced barriers under the conventional whole-share trading model.
The service is available through a general account after users agree to the relevant terms. Purchases can be made by amount or by quantity, while sales are limited to fractional shares and must be placed by quantity.
Fractional orders are collected and processed in batches at set times; orders placed outside those windows are accepted as scheduled orders. When a user's fractional holdings reach one full share, they are automatically converted to a whole share and can be traded like any regular stock.
The ordering interface is designed to be intuitive. A standout feature is the "mixed order," which lets investors buy whole and fractional shares in a single transaction on one screen. An investor wanting 2.5 shares of a given stock, for example, can simply enter "2.5 shares" rather than placing separate orders for 2 whole shares and 0.5 of a fractional share. Order history and portfolio balances display whole and fractional holdings together without distinction.
Trading launches with three stocks — Samsung Electronics, SK hynix and Ecopro — with more to be added in stages. Fractional trading will also apply to existing features such as "Share Accumulation" and "Reward Orders." Purchase commissions for Share Accumulation, covering both whole and fractional shares, will be waived through the end of this year.
"We wanted to create an environment where anyone can start investing with a small amount, free of burden, by extending fractional trading from overseas stocks to domestic ones," a Kakao Pay Securities official said. "We will continue to expand the range of tradable stocks and improve usability so that users can build investing habits suited to their own financial situations."
Kakao Pay Securities is also running a series of promotions to attract new customers. The company is offering every couple getting married this year a stock gift worth up to 100,000 won per household, and starting next year it plans to give every newborn a 100,000 won stock gift to mark their birth.
jiyun@heraldcorp.com
