How Korean Trade Finance Broke Free from the Dollar

Episode 36 of International Business with Fexingo: Lucas and Luna examine how South Korean companies are bypassing the US dollar in trade finance, using won-denominated contracts and direct swaps with trading partners. With Korea's EWZ ETF down 19.2% in a week amid Iran war fears, the hosts drill into a specific shift: the Korea Exchange's new dollar-won futures market launched in April 2026, which saw $4.2 billion in notional volume in its first month. They discuss how Samsung and Hyundai are now settling parts of their China and Southeast Asia trade in won and yuan, and what this means for the dollar's role as the world's reserve currency. Luna pushes back with data showing the dollar's share of SWIFT payments remains above 85%, while Lucas argues that the margin matters more than the average. A detailed look at one country's quiet efforts to decouple from dollar-denominated trade. #SouthKorea #TradeFinance #DeDollarization #Won #Yuan #KoreaExchange #Samsung #Hyundai #EWZ #SWIFT #DollarDominance #CurrencySwaps #SupplyChains #AsiaTrade #Business #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #InternationalTrade Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo