Samsung's KODEX tops net individual purchases among newly listed H2 ETFs with 92% share

Among the 28 exchange-traded funds newly listed on the domestic stock market in the second half of this year, Samsung Asset Management's KODEX ETFs ranked first in net individual purchases.

Samsung Asset Management said Tuesday that net individual purchases of its three newly listed H2 ETFs reached 686.3 billion won ($499 million), giving KODEX a 92.2 percent share of net individual purchases among newly listed ETF brands — the highest of any brand.

A total of 28 ETFs were listed on the domestic market in July and August, with combined net individual purchases across all new listings reaching 744 billion won.

KODEX 200 Covered Call Active alone drew 680.9 billion won in net individual purchases during the second half. The fund pursues stable monthly distributions and excess returns by concentrating investments in Korea's leading industries and core companies while employing a flexible options-selling strategy.

The fund is built on KOSPI 200 index exposure and uses a covered call strategy that generates premium income by selling call options. In rising markets, it reduces the proportion of options sold to participate more actively in share price gains. In sideways or high-volatility markets, it increases the options premium weighting to secure more stable returns.

On the equity management side, the fund overweights market-leading industries — including AI semiconductors — relative to its benchmark index, and selects companies that actively return value to shareholders through dividends and share buyback and cancellation to pursue excess performance.

The product also carries tax advantages. Domestic options premium income and capital gains from domestic share trading are exempt from taxation under applicable law. Only dividends from equities are subject to a 15.4 percent tax.

Samsung Asset Management also introduced a range of other products in the second half of this year. KODEX US CPU Semiconductor focuses on the shift in the AI industry's center of gravity from GPUs toward AI agents and data centers, investing primarily in global CPU leaders such as ARM, AMD and Intel.

On Tuesday, the company launched KODEX Korea TDF2065 Active Eligible, an ETF structured as a target-date fund that invests 100 percent in domestic assets including shares and bonds.

A Samsung Asset Management official said the key is "how clearly we can present the investment solutions that investors actually need," adding that the company plans to "continue introducing differentiated products not only in covered calls but also in areas where investor demand is rapidly expanding, such as semiconductors and pensions."