[KB 2025 Korean Wealth Report ②] "Buying Art, Gold, and Also Adding Crypto"... Survival Investment Strategies of the Rich in an Era of Uncertainty

The investment keywords for wealthy Koreans entering 2026 are 'diversification' and 'safety'. As the stagnation of the real estate market is expected to prolong, the wealthy are expanding their asset territories beyond traditional investments into alternative investment destinations such as gold, artworks, and virtual assets. At the same time, they are strengthening their aspect as 'smart investors' who respond to market volatility by building their own financial knowledge.

■ The Rebellion of 'Other Assets'... Money Move to Gold, Art, and Virtual Assets The most prominent feature in this year's report is the leap of 'other assets'. Although they account for only about 6% of total assets, their presence as an investment destination of new interest to the wealthy is greater than ever.

The most preferred are gold and jewelry. As geopolitical risks and economic uncertainties have grown, the demand for gold, a representative safe asset, has surged. In addition, along with the 'Art-Tech' craze, investments in artworks have also taken a place in the portfolios of the wealthy.

A change in perception regarding virtual assets (cryptocurrency) is also detected. Bitcoin and others, which were considered speculative assets in the past, have begun to be incorporated into the investment portfolios of the wealthy. This is analyzed as an increase in the number of wealthy individuals approaching them from the perspective of portfolio diversification rather than asset accumulation, as their incorporation into the institutional system accelerates with the approval of spot virtual asset ETFs.

■ 2026 Investment Strategy: 'Wait and See' for Real Estate, 'Expand' for Stocks Regarding next year's asset management plans, the wealthy are placing more weight on financial assets than real estate. In the case of real estate, the dominant opinion is to choose the 'status quo' rather than additional purchases or sales, and take a wait-and-see approach to market conditions. This is interpreted as an intention to avoid unreasonable investments in a situation where the aftermath of high interest rates, loan regulations, and real estate PF risks remain unresolved.

On the other hand, they revealed a relatively positive outlook for the stock market. Movements to increase the proportion of stocks have been captured due to expectations of liquidity supply following the entry into an interest rate cut cycle. The strategy is to hold safe financial products such as savings and deposits as a base, while flexibly adjusting the proportion of investment-type financial assets such as stocks and bonds to maximize returns.

■ No. 1 Success Habit of the Wealthy is 'Financial Knowledge' What did wealthy Koreans, leading the era of 3,000 trillion won in assets, choose as the core success factor for asset management? The report stated that 'continuous acquisition of financial knowledge' is a common habit among the wealthy.

While the wealthy consulted advice from experts such as private bankers (PB), there was a strong tendency for final investments to rely on their own learning and judgment. This was followed by 'surplus funds' and 'investment timing' as important factors in wealth proliferation. This means that they were able to protect and grow their wealth not simply because they had a lot of money, but because their efforts to read and study market trends supported them.

Wealthy Koreans are showing agility in flexibly changing their asset composition according to market conditions. In particular, it is projected that interest in alternative investment destinations such as artworks and virtual assets will increase further in 2026, and the use of asset management services utilizing digital technologies such as AI will also expand.