Mirae Asset Global Investments said Thursday that its TIGER Tech-Transfer Bio Active exchange-traded fund (ETF) has surpassed 100 billion won ($72 million) in net assets.
The ETF's net assets stood at 114.1 billion won as of Wednesday's closing price, according to Korea Exchange (KRX), expanding to the 100 billion won level in approximately two weeks since its listing on May 17. The steady capital inflows since launch suggest sustained investment demand for the KOSDAQ market.
The product is an actively managed ETF that primarily invests in KOSDAQ-listed biotech companies, with a focus on the "tech-transfer" theme that has drawn attention amid global pharmaceutical firms' intensifying competition to secure new drug pipelines. The fund reflects tech-transfer momentum through a biotech-centered portfolio and employs an active strategy that flexibly adjusts holdings and weightings based on global medical conferences and tech-transfer deal flows, the company said.
In the domestic stock market, liquidity inflows have continued as the government's KOSDAQ revitalization policies and expectations of capital inflows converge. The pharmaceutical and biotech sector in particular accounts for six of the top 10 KOSDAQ stocks by market capitalization, underscoring its dominant presence.
According to Mirae Asset Global Investments, this trend is also linked to structural changes in the global pharmaceutical industry. Global big pharma companies are expanding external technology acquisitions to cope with blockbuster drug patent expirations, structurally expanding tech-transfer opportunities for Korean biotech firms. Tech-transfer deals have been increasing in both the number and scale of contracts.
"As interest in the KOSDAQ market grows, tech-transfer demand is expanding due to global pharmaceutical patent expirations, creating bigger investment opportunities for Korean biotech companies," said Jeong Won-taek, head of equity management division 3 at Mirae Asset Global Investments. "The TIGER Tech-Transfer Bio Active ETF is a product that selectively invests in companies reflecting tech-transfer capabilities and global healthcare trends, serving as an effective vehicle for investing in the KOSDAQ biotech growth story."
