SEOUL, March 4 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's institutional investment in foreign securities grew in double digits in 2025 due to higher demand for both foreign stocks and bonds, central bank data showed Wednesday.

Outstanding investment in foreign securities, including foreign stocks and bonds owned by local financial institutions, totaled 507.83 billion U.S. dollars at the end of 2025, up 20.7 percent from a year earlier, according to the Bank of Korea.

The double-digit expansion was attributed to the stock market boom in major economies and interest rate cuts in the United States.

The institutional holdings of foreign stocks advanced 66.04 billion dollars from a year earlier to 292.53 billion dollars at the end of 2025, while the ownership of foreign bonds mounted 18.98 billion dollars to 182.89 billion dollars.

The holdings of Korean Paper, which refers to the foreign currency-denominated bonds issued overseas by domestic institutions and companies, gained 2.22 billion dollars to 32.41 billion dollars last year.

Foreign securities possessed by asset managers, insurers, securities firms and foreign exchange banks all expanded in the cited year. ■