[Digital Today reporter Lee Ji-young] Hana Financial Group is moving to eliminate blind spots in finance by expanding mid-rate loans, writing off delinquent debt and introducing insurance to protect young people from rental fraud.

Hana Financial said on May 28 it will pursue an inclusive finance roadmap that includes early execution of a total 3 trillion won in inclusive finance in 2026.

The group plans to expand support for vulnerable groups and small merchants, focusing on three tailored on-site measures: easing financial polarisation, supporting financial self-reliance and expanding inclusive infrastructure.

Hana Financial explained that of its 3.1 trillion won annual target for inclusive finance this year, it had already executed 1.3 trillion won as of April, posting an implementation rate of about 42 percent.

First, Hana Financial will supply specialised financial products totalling 3 trillion won to help ease financial polarisation.

Hana Bank, a key affiliate, will launch in June a non-face-to-face product for mid- to low-credit borrowers called Hana 1Q Mid-Rate Loan. The supply 규모 is 2 trillion won. It offers loans of up to 10 million won and a fixed annual interest rate of 5.5 percent to borrowers in the bottom 50 percent or lower of credit scores.

Users can access it through Hana Bank's Hana 1Q app without visiting a branch, and it also supports refinancing loans from second-tier financial institutions such as savings banks.

It will also newly introduce Hana The SOHO Success Ladder Loan for small merchants. The total supply is 1 trillion won. It targets individual business owners who are faithfully repaying Hana Bank loans or have a history of full repayment. It offers unsecured credit loans of up to 10 million won, with a minimum annual interest rate of 4.5 percent and no early repayment fee.

To support financial self-reliance, it will also 추진 a write-off of overdue bonds totalling 200 billion won.

Hana Financial plans to write off about 200 billion won worth of personal financial bonds of 50 million won or less that are five years past being included as special bonds, without extending the statute of limitations. It will also additionally write off about 4 billion won in remaining principal and interest after subrogation for guaranteed loans of less than 30 million won.

It will also push to upgrade its alternative credit evaluation system to support thin filers. It plans to build a database at the financial sector's highest level with seven types of data by adding Korea Financial Telecommunications and Clearings Institute information and tax refund data to existing alternative data such as telecom, commerce and card merchant information.

From the second half, it will apply this to personal credit evaluation models, and in August it will pilot a Small Merchant Specialised Credit Evaluation Model (SCB) for screening new products.

To expand inclusive infrastructure, it will also move to prevent rental fraud damage among young people and broaden support for retail finance.

Hana Bank and Hana Insurance will jointly launch Youth Guardian Rental Fraud Guarantee Insurance and plan to provide free insurance to 30,000 young people who newly apply for rental deposit loans.

Hana Financial also plans to contribute an additional 100 billion won to the Hana Miso Microfinance Foundation to use as funding for the Korea Inclusive Finance Agency's support products for the financially underserved.

In addition, Hana Card is operating an early settlement scheme for card sales proceeds for small merchants, and Hana Capital is expanding support for preferential interest rates for low-credit livelihood freight truck owners. Hana Savings Bank is also expanding support for Haetsal Loan and implementing its own debt restructuring.

Hana Financial Chairman Ham Young-joo (함영주) said, "Inclusive finance is not simply support but the inherent role of finance," adding, "We will continue to act as a market facilitator that resolves blind spots in finance through structural changes, not stopgap measures."