Finance

Four major financial groups' net profit tops 11 trillion won, competition shifts from banks to capital markets

South Korea’s four major financial holding groups posted combined first-half net profit of 11.34 trillion won, up 9.8 percent from a year earlier, helped by steady interest income and rising fee income from capital-market businesses such as securities, wealth management and investment banking. As non-bank earnings contributions expanded, the competitive focus among groups increasingly shifted to capital markets. In banking, Shinhan Bank led in net profit, while Woori Bank was the only one to decline.

Finance

Woori Bank to strengthen data, AI-driven sales in second half, expand cross-group collaboration

Woori Bank plans to strengthen sales in the second half of 2026 by overhauling its sales territories and marketing system using public data and customer information and introducing AI agents to improve productivity. The bank said it will also expand collaboration among business groups and tighten internal controls. It cited a broader customer base, asset rebalancing and improved capital ratios as groundwork for growth, and noted Fitch raised its viability rating to A from A- in July.