KB Financial Group has formed a 100 billion won strategic investment fund to invest in companies in digital assets and artificial intelligence. It plans to find firms that can be linked to the group’s digital strategy and connect that to actual business cooperation.

KB Financial said on July 16 it set up the 100 billion won 'KB AX Digital Asset Fund' on July 15.

KB Kookmin Bank, KB Securities, KB Insurance, KB Kookmin Card and KB Life Insurance will participate as investors in the fund. KB Investment will manage it.

Key investment targets include technology companies in South Korea’s digital asset market and firms in AI model and application services and data inference and analysis that can support AI transformation.

KB Financial plans to preemptively identify related companies in South Korea’s digital asset market, which is at an early stage, link them with the group’s businesses and invest in AI technology companies in parallel to strengthen the group’s digital transformation capabilities.

The fund will be managed as a strategic investment focused on alignment with the group’s strategy, rather than a financial investment aimed solely at investment returns. It will also consider applying the investee companies’ technologies and services to KB Financial affiliates’ businesses or pursuing joint projects.

Through this, it plans to build an 'investment-business linkage-mutual growth' structure and pursue growth of invested companies and stronger digital competitiveness at KB Financial at the same time.

A KB Financial official said the investment is intended to find companies in digital assets and AI that can be linked to the group’s future strategy and connect that to new business opportunities. The official added the group will expand the digital finance ecosystem through collaboration with investee companies.