K-Bank Raises Deposit Rate to Fend off Kakao Bank | Be Korea-savvy

K-Bank Raises Deposit Rate to Fend off Kakao Bank


(image: K-Bank)

(image: K-Bank)

SEOUL, Aug. 9 (Korea Bizwire)K-Bank, South Korea’s first Internet-only bank, said Wednesday it has raised its deposit rate, in an apparent bid to fend off its competitor, Kakao Bank.

K-Bank increased the rate it offers on a 1-year time deposit by 10 bps to 2.1 percent, compared with 2 percent offered by Kakao Bank.

The rate hike came as Kakao Bank has far outpaced the growth of K-Bank in terms of customer base and loans.

K-Bank, which began formal operations April 3, has attracted about 440,000 customers and made loans worth 630 billion won (US$558 million).

In comparison, Kakao Bank’s number of accounts exceeded 2 million, and it has made loans worth 770 billion won in just 13 days since launching operations.

K-Bank is led by KT Corp., the nation’s biggest fixed-line Internet operator, while Kakao Bank is led by Kakao Corp., operator of the nation’s dominant messaging app KakaoTalk.

(Yonhap)

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