[Edaily Reporter Shin Ha-yeon ] KONA I CO.,LTD.(052400)is trading higher in early trading on news that it will secure a local production and sales base through the acquisition of a U.S. credit card manufacturing and issuing company.

According to MP Doctor on the 1st, as of 9:13 a.m., KONA I CO.,LTD. is trading at 41,450 won, up 5.07% from the previous trading day.

KONA I CO.,LTD. announced after the market closed yesterday that it would acquire 100% of the shares in the U.S. card manufacturing company “Protec Secure Card, LLC (PSC).” The acquisition will be carried out through “KONA America Holdings Inc.,” a holding company to be established in the U.S., and the company will invest $22 million (approximately 30.283 billion won) for this purpose.

The purchase price for the PSC stake is approximately $20.1 million, and the transaction is expected to close by the end of this month.

KONA I CO.,LTD. plans to combine its metal card manufacturing technology and chip/operating system (OS) solutions with PSC’s production and personalization infrastructure. In particular, the company intends to establish a structure where KONA I CO.,LTD.’s COB (Chip On Board) chips are directly integrated into PSC’s card manufacturing process and sold as finished products.

It is believed that expectations of being able to expand its customer base to include not only major U.S. financial institutions but also small and medium-sized banks by leveraging PSC’s local sales organization and customer channels have stimulated investor interest.

By securing a production base in the U.S., KONA I CO.,LTD. aims to enhance its resilience to changes in the trade environment, such as tariffs, and plans to consider further expanding local production facilities depending on future order volumes and policy changes.

Meanwhile, KONA I CO.,LTD., a fintech company founded in 1998, ranks among the top in global market share in the smart card and IC chip sectors and has secured the number two global position specifically in the premium metal card business. In addition, the company operates local currency platforms with approximately 60 local governments nationwide and is expanding its business scope to include the MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) service “MONA” as well as blockchain and stablecoin initiatives.