Pic Credit: Siebert Financial

Miami has spent the past several years attracting hedge funds, fintech startups and financial services firms from around the world. Now, one of the city’s own financial companies is taking that international momentum a step further.

Miami-based Siebert Financial announced a new partnership with South Korea’s Kakao Pay Securities that could eventually give American investors easier access to South Korean stocks while creating new opportunities for investors in both countries.

Rather than simply offering another international trading option, the companies say they’re building a long-term relationship designed to connect two major financial markets. Their joint initiative, called the K-Stock Global Gateway, combines Siebert’s U.S. brokerage capabilities with Kakao Pay Securities’ digital investing platform, which serves roughly 9 million stock accounts across South Korea.

The first milestone is expected to arrive in the first half of 2027, when Siebert clients are slated to gain direct access to South Korean equities. From there, the companies plan to explore tokenization technology that could allow Korean stocks to be traded outside traditional exchange hours, making it easier for investors separated by thousands of miles—and vastly different time zones—to participate in each other’s markets.

For Siebert CEO John J. Gebbia, the partnership is about building financial infrastructure that reaches well beyond a single product launch.

“Kakao Pay Securities choosing Siebert as its U.S. partner is a strong validation of the financial infrastructure we are providing,” said John J. Gebbia, Chief Executive Officer of Siebert Financial. “Our goal is to help remove the barriers between global markets. Tokenization is an important first opportunity, but we see the potential of this partnership going much further. By combining Siebert’s U.S. infrastructure with Kakao Pay Securities’ technology, scale and leadership in South Korea, we can create new ways for investors in both markets to access financial products and opportunities that were previously difficult to reach.”

The relationship works both ways. Kakao Pay Securities gains a U.S. partner with an established brokerage platform, while Siebert expands its reach into one of Asia’s most active investing communities.

“We want to build a global gateway for K-shares by combining Kakao Pay Securities’ technology, content, and community capabilities with Siebert’s access to the U.S.,” said Simon Shin, Chief Executive Officer of Kakao Pay Securities.

The companies also plan to examine additional cross-border investment products and faster settlement technology, including real-time, or T+0, settlement. They say the partnership will eventually extend beyond stock trading to include investor education, market insights and other financial services intended to make investing across borders more accessible.

Any future products will be introduced only after meeting regulatory and investor protection requirements in both the United States and South Korea.

For Miami, the announcement reinforces the city’s growing reputation as more than a destination for tourism and real estate. As global financial firms continue expanding their presence in South Florida, local companies like Siebert are increasingly finding themselves at the center of international deals that connect investors around the world.

Written in partnership with Tom White