Shareholders of Shinhan Financial Group on Thursday approved the appointment of Jin Ok-dong, its flagship banking unit’s former CEO, as the group’s new chairman. “I feel a great sense of responsibility to meet the expectations of customers and shareholders and lead the growth of Shinhan,” Jin said in his address at the general shareholders’ meeting held at the group’s headquarters in Seoul. Having worked in Japan for almost 20 years, the new Shinhan chief is c

The umber of customers who use internet banking in South Korea continued to grow in 2022, thanks to increased availability of online services and people’s preference to make transactions on the go, Bank of Korea data showed. Registered customers for mobile banking totaled some 207.04 million at the end of last year, up 8.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the BOK. The figure includes customers who hold multiple accounts. The daily average transactions made through in

The Export-Import Bank of Korea is making strides to expand its network with financial institutions based in Latin America to clear the path for South Korean companies to enter emerging markets in the region. Eximbank Chairman Yoon Hee-sung attended the 2023 Annual Meeting held by the Inter-American Development Bank in Panama from March 16 to 19. At the event, he signed a Confirming Bank Agreement with James Scriven, CEO of IDB Invest -- the private sector arm of IDB Group -- to solidify Eximban

KB Financial Group has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry jointly to provide special loans for small and medium-sized enterprises making environmental, social and corporate governance efforts. KB Financial Group Vice Chairman Yang Jong-hee and Woo Tae-hee, executive vice chairman of the KCCI, gathered at the KCCI headquarters in Seoul on Thursday to sign the memorandum. "Based on this MOU, KB Financial Group plans to provide various and ex

South Korea's financial regulator said Friday it will expand the disclosure of information on loan-deposit rate differences as part of efforts to promote competition in the banking sector amid criticism that it has been bent on making profits from the "interest business" without diversifying income sources. Banks have been providing information on deposit-loan spreads on new lending and savings since mid-2022 in a bid to enhance transparency in their operation and provide customer

JB Financial Group announced Thursday that it has named Senior Vice President Song Jong-keun as its new chief financial officer. An industry veteran, Song has extensive experience in finance and business management as well as a deep knowledge and understanding of the challenges facing the traditional banking industry, JB said. Born in 1965, he received both his bachelor's and master's degrees in international economics at Seoul National University before completing his MBA at the Unive

As banks announce outreach ‘support effect’ of up to W10tr, criticism continues

Mirae Asset Global Investments has made a big stride forward in the US exchange-traded funds market in the last five years following its acquisition of New York-based fund management firm Global X. ETF provider Global X had about 8 trillion won ($6.29 billion) in managed assets when it was taken over by the Korean asset manager in 2018, the current AUM increased by six times to 45 trillion won as of end of 2022, according to Mirae Asset Global Investments on Tuesday. Global X’s five-year c

JB Financial Group said Thursday its net profit hit a record high last year on higher net interest income and operational efficiency. The financial group logged 601 billion won ($477.5 million) in net profit in 2022, up 18.6 percent from a year ago, according to its earnings report. The amount marks the largest since the financial holding company was launched in 2013. “The group will seek to continue its stable growth this year by focusing on profitability-oriented and substantial manage

South Korea will continue to revamp its market policies to attract more foreign investors to join the World Government Bond Index this year, the finance ministry said Thursday. The remark came after Second Vice Finance Minister Choi Sang-dae held a meeting with David Sol, the global head of London-based FTSE Russell, which operates the index Wednesday. The WGBI is a broad index designed to measure the performance of government bond markets, including local currencies and sovereign bonds of major

Citibank Korea announced Friday that it signed a syndicated loan agreement with Posco Argentina to support the development of a salt lake with lithium reserves for Posco Holdings. As a joint mandated lead arranger, Citibank arranged a $412 million (505.4 billion won) syndicated loan for Posco Argentina with support from Korea Trade Insurance Corp. The agreement was reached on Jan. 25. “This deal is meaningful as it provides financing support for enhancing Korean companies’ competitiv

South Korea's tax revenue rose 51.9 trillion won ($42 billion) in 2022 from a year earlier on the back of an increased collection of corporate income taxes, coupled with revitalized consumption, the finance ministry said Monday. The government collected 395.9 trillion won in taxes last year, up 15.1 percent from the 344.1 trillion won tallied in 2021, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. In 2020, the tax revenue fell by 7.9 trillion won due to the fallout of the COVID-19 pandem

Mirae Asset Global Investments has gobbled up nearly half of target-date fund market share, recording 3.5 trillion won ($2.84 billion) under management as of the end of 2022. TDF refers to an investment scheme where a portfolio’s asset allocation mix automatically rebalances throughout an account holder’s lifecycle to make it less prone to volatility as the target date draws near. Analysts attributed Mirae Asset's top position to the group's chairman, Park Hyun-joo, who has

Marking 20th year of global business, investment firm outpaces crosstown rivals in overseas profits

Tough conditions mean high interest rates advertised for savings accounts are often a mirage