Siebert Financial and Kakao Pay Securities Expand Strategic Collaboration to deliver Daily U.S. Market Insights to 8 Million Korean Investors

Rhea-AI Summary

Siebert Financial (NASDAQ:SIEB) announced on December 4, 2025 that Chief Investment Officer Mark Malek is providing daily U.S. market commentary to about 8 million Kakao Pay Securities account holders via the platform’s “Very Useful Investment News” channel.

Since late November, Kakao Pay Securities has published Malek’s translated CIO column four to five times weekly timed to the Korean trading day. Content covers U.S. equities, interest rates, economic trends, and corporate earnings, using Siebert Financial’s research as source material. Kakao Pay Securities uses an AI-first translation followed by human editorial review, with plans to evolve to more advanced AI-assisted workflows and expanded content formats and asset classes.

Insights

Strategic Partnerships Analyst

Siebert and Kakao Pay Securities expand a content distribution partnership to deliver daily U.S. market commentary to ~8 million Korean users.

The arrangement delivers Siebert’s CIO commentary into Kakao Pay Securities’ “Very Useful Investment News” channel multiple times per week, translated by an AI-first, human-reviewed workflow. This creates a scalable information pipeline that directly connects a U.S. research voice, represented by Siebert Financial and Mark Malek, to roughly 8 million account holders on the Kakao Pay platform, widening reach without requiring a new local operating entity.

Key dependencies include the quality and timeliness of translations, editorial controls, and alignment of publication timing with the Korean trading day; failures in any of these could reduce user trust or perceived value. The firms also plan to iterate toward more advanced AI-assisted workflows and additional content formats, which will hinge on data quality and successful editorial governance.

Watch for three concrete signals over the next 6–12 months: frequency and consistency of column publication, any announced expansion into new asset classes or content formats, and evidence of sustained editorial quality as measured by user engagement or feedback. The formal start is noted on Dec. 04, 2025, and further announcements should clarify scope and commercial terms.

Initiative advances joint vision to build a global investment gateway

NEW YORK and SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Siebert Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: SIEB) announced today that Chief Investment Officer Mark Malek is now providing daily U.S. market commentary to approximately 8 million Kakao Pay Securities account holders through the platform’s “Very Useful Investment News” channel.

Since late November, Kakao Pay Securities has been translating and publishing Malek’s CIO column four to five times per week, timed to coincide with the Korean trading day. The analysis covers key drivers of the global investment landscape, including the U.S. equity markets, interest rate movements, economic trends, and corporate earnings, and draws from material originally issued through Siebert Financial’s official research and communication channels.

“This initiative marks an important milestone in our strategy to build a seamless global investing experience across regions,” said John J. Gebbia, Chief Executive Officer of Siebert Financial. “Delivering Siebert’s CIO perspective directly into Kakao Pay Securities’ ecosystem helps equip Korean retail investors with the same insights used by institutional decision-makers.”

To support accuracy and scalability, Kakao Pay Securities employs a hybrid translation model: an AI system first generates a full translation of the column, followed by professional human editorial review to ensure tone, context, and clarity. As the dataset expands, the firms expect to evolve this workflow into a more advanced AI-assisted system capable of powering new content formats, additional asset classes, and further automation.

“Investors in Seoul and New York are reacting to the same data, interest rates, earnings cycles, policy signals, and innovation themes,” said Mark Malek, Chief Investment Officer of Siebert Financial. “By publishing translated insights multiple times per week directly to millions of Kakao Pay Securities users, we are helping investors filter noise, identify meaningful signals, and participate in global markets with confidence.”

“The two companies are also discussing additional content to provide a multifaceted view of the U.S. market,” a representative from KakaoPay Securities said. “We will continue to expand content to narrow the information gap on overseas markets and provide materials that can support investment decisions.”

The combined initiative allows both firms to deliver consistent, localised U.S. market intelligence several times per week, setting the foundation for continued content, platform, and market expansion.

About Siebert Financial Corp.
Siebert is a diversified financial services company and has been a member of the NYSE since 1967 when Muriel Siebert became the first woman to own a seat on the NYSE and the first to head one of its member firms.

Siebert operates through its subsidiaries Muriel Siebert & Co., LLC, Siebert AdvisorNXT, LLC, Park Wilshire Companies, Inc., RISE Financial Services, LLC, Siebert Technologies, LLC, StockCross Digital Solutions, Ltd, and Gebbia Media LLC. Through these entities, Siebert provides a full range of brokerage and financial advisory services including securities brokerage, investment advisory and insurance offerings, securities lending, and corporate stock plan administration solutions. Gebbia Media LLC provides entertainment and media productions including in-house marketing and advertising services for Siebert. For over 55 years, Siebert has been a company that values its clients, shareholders, and employees. More information is available at www.siebert.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
The statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts, including statements about our beliefs and expectations, are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words “may,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “estimate,” “target,” “project,” “intend” and similar words or expressions. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections, or other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements.
These forward-looking statements, which reflect beliefs, objectives, and expectations as of the date hereof, are based on the best judgment of management of Siebert. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in such statements, including, without limitation, the following: economic, social and political conditions, global economic downturns, including those resulting from extraordinary events; changes and volatility in tariffs and trade policies; securities industry risks; interest rate risks; liquidity risks; credit risk with clients and counterparties; risk of liability for errors in clearing functions; systemic risk; systems failures, delays and capacity constraints; network security risks; competition; reliance on external service providers; new laws and regulations affecting Siebert’s business; net capital requirements; extensive regulation, regulatory uncertainties and legal matters; failure to maintain relationships with employees, customers, business partners or governmental entities; the inability to achieve synergies or to implement integration plans; and other consequences associated with risks and uncertainties detailed in Part I, Item 1A - Risk Factors of Siebert’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and Siebert’s filings with the SEC.
Siebert cautions that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive, and new factors may emerge, or changes to the foregoing factors may occur, that could impact its business. Siebert undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise these statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by the federal securities laws.

For inquiries, please contact:
Deborah Kostroun
dkostroun@zitopartners.com
+1-201-403-8185

FAQ

What did Siebert Financial (SIEB) announce on December 4, 2025?

Siebert Financial said CIO Mark Malek will provide daily U.S. market commentary to roughly 8 million Kakao Pay Securities users, starting in late November.

How often is Mark Malek’s CIO column published on Kakao Pay Securities for SIEB content?

Kakao Pay Securities has been publishing the translated CIO column four to five times per week, timed to the Korean trading day.

What topics does SIEB’s translated commentary cover for Kakao Pay Securities users?

The commentary covers U.S. equity markets, interest rate movements, economic trends, and corporate earnings.

How does Kakao Pay Securities translate Siebert Financial’s (SIEB) CIO column?

They use a hybrid model: an AI system generates the initial translation, followed by professional human editorial review for tone and clarity.

Will Siebert Financial (SIEB) and Kakao Pay Securities expand the content offering?

Yes; both firms said they expect to expand content, formats, and asset classes and evolve toward more advanced AI-assisted workflows.

What investor benefit did Siebert (SIEB) cite for delivering CIO commentary to Kakao Pay Securities users?

Siebert noted the commentary aims to help investors filter noise, identify signals, and participate in global markets with greater confidence.