U.S. Dollar Starts 2026 Weak as Yen, Euro and Sterling Hold Firm Amid Rate Cut Expectations 
Asian Stock Markets Start New Year Higher as Tech and AI Shares Drive Gains 
FAA Says It Is Not Blocking Boeing 737 MAX 7 and MAX 10 Certification 
Asia Manufacturing PMI Rebounds as Exports and Tech Demand Drive Growth into 2026 
South Korea Factory Output Misses Forecasts in November Amid Ongoing Economic Uncertainty 
Walmart to Cut PhonePe Stake in IPO as Tiger Global and Microsoft Exit 
Baidu Shares Surge After Official Launch of Advanced Ernie 5.0 AI Model 
Lululemon Founder Chip Wilson Escalates Proxy Fight to Remove Advent From Board 
Lynas Rare Earths Shares Surge as Quarterly Revenue Jumps on Strong Prices 
South Korea Inflation Rises to 2.3% in December, Matching Market Expectations 
Brazil Supreme Court Orders Asset Freeze of Nelson Tanure Amid Banco Master Investigation 
U.S. Vaccine Policy Shifts Under RFK Jr. Create Uncertainty for Pharma and Investors 
Singapore GDP Growth Surges in 2025 but Outlook Remains Cautious Amid Global Trade Risks 
Valero Makes First Venezuelan Crude Purchase Under New U.S.-Caracas Deal 
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Plans China Visit Amid AI Chip Market Uncertainty 
Gold Prices Rebound in Europe as Geopolitical Tensions and Fed Outlook Support Bullion 
Netflix Stock Slips After Earnings as Soft 2026 Guidance Overshadows Subscriber Milestone 
SK materials announced this week that it had renamed the company, and it is now doing business as SK Specialty. The South Korean chemicals firm said that it made this move to underscore its new material business.
SK materials is one of SK Group's subsidiaries, and it will be expanding its business portfolio from its current trade model that is focused on specialty gas for semiconductors and high value-added products or modified raw materials such as wet chemicals and secondary battery materials.
According to Pulse News, the newly renamed SK Specialty is aiming to increase its revenue which has stayed in the mid-600 billion won range or $484 million last year, to more than one trillion won by the year 2025.
The company revealed its new name earlier this week, and with this small change, SK Specialty is hoping to achieve its goal not just in terms of profits but its aim to become a global environmentally-friendly gas and chemical technology firm. Moreover, the new name is said to contain the company's will to lead in the special gas trading sector as well as with its new chemical biz.
Korea's ET News further reported that SK Specialty is banking on its existing and new business to successfully reach its goal. Tit will be boosting its production of monosilane to grow in the battery market, which is also one of its ventures. The said material is a key component in the production of silicon anode materials that are used for making the next-generation battery technology.
"Our new name reflects the company's long-term vision and aspiration to become a sustainable specialty gas and chemical company," SK Specialty president, Kyu Won Lee, said in a press release. "In order to not settle with our current status, we will become the company that our society and customer need."
Finally, SK specialty is also pushing for its research and development (R&D) unit to further strengthen its material commercialization capabilities. The R&D has been set up at the Sejong Campus, and it will focus on advanced materials. This division was launched this year, and it strives to develop new technologies for various materials fit for the next generation.
