South Korean financial services conglomerate Woori Financial Group is seeking to diversify its business portfolio beyond banking in an apparent move to take on its bigger rivals here. Among the nation’s top four financial groups, Woori has long remained the smallest in terms of sales. Last year, Woori was the only one to post less than 3 trillion won ($2.2 billion) in earnings, with its net profit standing at 2.51 trillion won. KB, the No. 1 financial group, recorded 4.63 trillion won in n

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday while investors remained watchful over mixed signals for the US Federal Reserve's future monetary policy. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 9.42 points, or 0.35 percent, to 2,737.05 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Last week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained ground for the fourth consecutive week, and the S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq posted increases for the third straight week. But on Friday, Wall Street closed

bp Ventures and Templewater each invest $10m to co-lead the $111.3m USD Series B round Hysata is developing high-efficiency electrolysers with a simpler, cheaper and modular system  WOLLONGONG, Australia, May 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Australia-based company Hysata is developing new high-efficiency electrolysers that aim to produce green hydrogen at scale with higher energy efficiency and lower costs than alternative technologies. The company's technology combines engi

South Korean stocks fell slightly Thursday following the US Federal Reserve's decision to hold the key rate flat. The Korean won rebounded against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 8.41 points, or 0.31 percent, to 2,683.65, ending the three-session winning streak that started last Friday. Trade volume was slim at 342.7 million shares worth 8.9 trillion won ($6.5 billion). Decliners outnumbered gainers 513 to 357. Individual and foreign investors bought a ne

Korean banking groups maintained solid capital adequacy despite significant payouts for consumer compensation due to misselling equity-linked securities tracking a Hong Kong index. Industry sources reported that the average capital adequacy ratio, or Common Equity Tier 1, among five major Korean financial groups -- KB, Shinhan, Hana, Woori, and NongHyup -- was 12.8 percent in the first quarter of this year, a slight decline from 13 percent in the previous term and 12.9 percent from the same peri

Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Jin Ok-dong on Friday cleans up the home of a family with multiple children, as part of the group’s volunteer program to support financially vulnerable groups. Shinhan plans to donate 150 million won ($109,000) to aid financially vulnerable families with multiple children. Following Friday's activity, Jin noted, "Shinhan Financial Group will continue paying attention to families with many children and will spare no effort in addressing the natio

The competition to acquire Lotte Insurance, South Korea's seventh-largest nonlife insurer, is intensifying, with Woori Financial Group recently joining the race. Woori Financial Group's Chief Financial Official Lee Sung-wook stated Friday that the company is reviewing the acquisition of the insurer "to fortify our competitiveness in the nonbanking sectors." The remarks came during the company's quarterly conference call. The move represents Woori's effort to reenter

Korea’s top finance firms -- KB, Shinhan, Hana, Woori and NongHhyup -- have set aside a total of nearly 1.7 trillion won ($1.2 billion) in reserve for the compensation of losses related to the misselling of equity-linked securities products tracking the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index in Hong Kong. While KB Financial Group, the top seller of the ELS products, set aside 862 billion won to cover the compensation, NongHyup and Shinhan each allocated 341.6 billion won and 274 billion won.

SEOUL, South Korea, April 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Shinhan Financial Group (NYSE: SHG) (KRX: 055550) filed its Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on April 18, 2024. The report is available at Shinhan Financial Group's Homepage, http://www.shinhangroup.com/en/invest/filing/oversea_filing02.jsp, as well as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission website, www.sec.gov. A hard copy of the annual report will be p

South Korean stocks started lower Friday despite overnight US gains as investors await the Bank of Korea's rate decision later in the day. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index dropped 16.61 points, or 0.61 percent, to 2,690.35 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.7 percent and the S&P 500 rose 0.7 percent on a tech rally, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was almost flat. Apple soared 4.3 percent, Nvidia surged 4.1 percent, and Amazon c

South Korean stocks ended almost flat Thursday thanks to gains in techs and autos despite higher-than-expected US inflation that dimmed hopes for the Federal Reserve's early rate cuts. The Korean won sharply fell to the lowest point in 17 months against the US dollar. After starting 1.45 percent lower, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index pared earlier losses by rising 1.8 points, or 0.07 percent, to close at 2,706.96. Trade volume was moderate at 522.4 million shares worth 12.5

South Korean stocks started sharply lower Thursday as higher-than-expected US inflation data poured cold water on investors' hopes for early rate cuts. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index plunged 39.34 points, or 1.45 percent, to 2,665.82 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, major US indexes lost ground as the release of a key measure of inflation dashed investors' hopes that the Federal Reserve may start cutting its rates soon. The US' consumer price index f

South Korean stocks ended slightly higher Monday on the back of autos and batteries following stronger-than-expected US jobs data. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 3.44 points, or 0.13 percent, to 2,717.65. Trade volume was moderate at 611.2 million shares worth 10.36 trillion won ($7.6 billion), with decliners outpacing gainers 590 to 277. Foreigners bought 207.6 billion won worth of local shares, while retail investors and instit

Shinhan Bank, a major commercial lender in South Korea, is bolstering its footprint in India through a strategic share acquisition of the local student loan provider, Credila. The bank announced Thursday that it successfully secured an equity investment agreement with Mumbai-based HDFC Credila Financial Services the previous day. As per the agreement, Credila will undergo a capital increase, with Shinhan Bank injecting around $180 million through the acquisition of new shares. This transaction w

Hyundai Motor Group has become the largest shareholder of the nation's telecom giant, KT Corp. -- a rare move that is driving speculation about the carmaker's investment strategy and the possible impacts on KT's business direction. The change came as the National Pension Service, previously the largest shareholder of KT, sold some 2.88 million shares on March 20, lowering its stake to 7.51 percent from 8.53 percent, the regulatory filing showed Tuesday. This is the first time that