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

Shinhan Financial first-half net profit rises 13.3 percent on strong brokerage

Shinhan Financial Group posted a record first-half net profit of 3.44 trillion won, up 13.3 percent from a year earlier, helped by growth in its capital markets businesses such as brokerage and asset management. Net interest income rose 7.7 percent and non-interest income increased 19.7 percent, lifting the non-interest share of total earnings to 30 percent. The board set a second-quarter dividend of 740 won per share and plans additional share buybacks and cancellation.