Finfluencers and Other Tech Disruptions to Corporate Law—Insights from South Korea and India

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Abstract Technology has disrupted corporate law in many ways and continues to do so. Influencers on social media who have started having influence in the personal finance space, which includes providing ideas and tips about how and where to invest, have come to be known as finfluencers. Whether or not what they do qualifies as ‘financial advice’ has been a matter of regulatory interest across jurisdictions. This article provides an account of the rise of finfluencers with a focus on two Asian jurisdictions—South Korea and India—and argues that social media has enabled them to connect corporations and society like never before. Thus, while the focus of this article is finfluencers, the infrastructure making it possible for finfluencers to operate and have an impact—social media—is also an important consideration. The article further argues that it is key to ensure that any regulation of finfluencers should address the dark side of the finfluencing world without stymieing the many benefits. The aim of this article is to stake out the phenomenon in the context of broader social media disruptions of corporate law.