SEOUL, Dec. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — Amid heightened foreign-exchange volatility this year, South Korea’s major banks have taken markedly different approaches to managing currency risk, newly released filings show. According to third-quarter disclosures from the country’s four largest lenders — KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana and Woori — all maintained “long” positions in foreign currency, meaning they [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Worker productivity at South Korea’s five largest commercial banks jumped nearly 27 percent in the first half of 2025, topping 200 million won ($147,000) per employee for the first time, according to regulatory filings. The gains narrowed a long-standing gap with internet-only banks, whose per-capita profit, while still higher [...]
SEOUL, August 5 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s major banks are ramping up restrictions on home-backed loans and jeonse (long-term rental deposit) financing, signaling a coordinated move to cool the property market and manage household debt more tightly. On August 5, Hana Bank announced it would halt new applications for mortgage and jeonse loans scheduled for [...]
SEOUL, April 9 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean banks will offer English mobile applications and documents this year to help foreign residents get better access to banking services and reduce their inconvenience, the financial watchdog said Wednesday. According to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), the number of foreign customers at local banks stood at 8.13 [...]
SEOUL, Jun. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — The chief of the financial regulator on Wednesday stressed the need to change the very mindset of bank officials to prevent financial incidents such as incomplete sales. Lee Bok-hyun, head of the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), made the remark in a meeting with the heads of 20 banks in [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 4 (Korea Bizwire) – The South Korean government has uncovered widespread discriminatory practices against temporary and part-time employees at major financial institutions, including banks, credit card companies, and credit bureaus. In a labor inspection spanning 35 firms during the first quarter, the Ministry of Employment and Labor found a total of 185 violations pertaining [...]
SEOUL, Mar. 20 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s major commercial banks rewarded employees with significant pay raises last year, despite continuing a cost-cutting drive that saw further reductions in staffing levels and branch networks across the country, according to financial filings. An analysis by Yonhap News of the 2023 business reports disclosed by the nation’s four [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 20 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korean banks’ net profit rose sharply from a year earlier in the third quarter on an increase in interest income, preliminary data showed Monday. The combined net profit of 20 banks in the July-October period came to 5.4 trillion won (US$4.15 billion), up 38.2 percent from a 4.2 [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 13 (Korea Bizwire) – The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in financial services by commercial banks is rapidly gaining momentum. Specifically, the integration of generative AI, which derives new value by learning from existing data, is being hailed as a pivotal driver of growth within the financial sector and a cornerstone of innovation in [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 6 (Korea Bizwire) – An official from a commercial bank expressed, “I am concerned about the government’s apparent effort to stigmatize banks as public enemies and deflect criticism towards us, beyond merely characterizing us as public resources, all in a bid to placate small business owners and the self-employed.” Once again, following earlier actions [...]