Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Jin Okdong said in his New Year address that bold transformation is needed in line with the spread of digital technology.

In the address on Thursday, Jin said a major transformation that is changing the history and paradigm of finance has already begun.

He said the industry is at a critical turning point where technology is reshaping the financial order. He said the expansion of digital assets, Web3 wallets and agentic AI is becoming a reality. He added that there are also forecasts that the influence of existing financial companies could decline in deposits, loans and remittances. He said a major transformation that is changing the history and paradigm of finance has already begun.

He stressed that Shinhan must look far ahead and find a breakthrough when faced with the weighty question of whether it will remain in past ways and disappear as a legacy financial group, or prove the reason for Shinhan’s existence.

Jin said the group must be able to answer confidently when asked whether it is proud of Shinhan. He said 2026 should be a year of a new leap based on stakeholders’ trust. To do that, he believes it needs core competitiveness and must secure leadership in the digital asset ecosystem.

He cited the phrase “if you do not advance, you retreat,” adding that stopping means falling behind. He said the group cannot survive on the future financial battlefield if it stops with existing inertia. He said it must constantly change and innovate, and called on staff to unite their passion to create Shinhan’s new history.