Shinhan Bank will fully operate Shinhansol Cluster Jeonnam-Gwangju, a regional hub financial platform, to strengthen financial support for strategic industries in the Jeonnam-Gwangju region.

Shinhan Bank said it held an opening ceremony for Shinhansol Cluster Jeonnam-Gwangju on July 15 and built a public-private cooperation system linking regional industrial policy with companies' on-the-ground financial demand.

Shinhansol Cluster Jeonnam-Gwangju began operations on July 1 in line with the launch of Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City. It is a regional hub financial platform that provides comprehensive support centered on regional strategic industries, from identifying companies and diagnosing funding needs to executing financial support and linking to policy finance and group affiliates.

Beyond lending support for individual companies, it will also analyze changes in local industry and investment plans and proactively identify companies with high growth potential and new projects.

The Jeonnam-Gwangju cluster selected AI, semiconductors, future mobility and energy as its priority industries. It plans to provide working capital and facility investment funding based on companies' growth stages and business characteristics, and to link and offer Shinhan Financial Group services such as supply chain and export finance, investment finance, capital markets solutions and corporate consulting.

Shinhan Bank placed on site specialized corporate finance relationship managers with industry understanding and corporate finance capabilities, as well as professional reviewers from its corporate credit review department.

They will review funding needs and risks from the initial stages of consultation for companies identified by the regional headquarters and branches. If needed, they will connect head office specialist departments, group affiliates and policy finance institutions to raise the bank's ability to execute financial support.

Shinhan Bank CEO Jeong Sang-hyeok (정상혁) said Jeonnam-Gwangju is rapidly emerging as a key hub for AI, semiconductors, future mobility and energy industries. He said the cluster will look beyond individual companies to examine the entire industrial supply chain and practice finance that looks first to the industry's future and companies' growth potential.