▲On the 13th (local time), Lee Bok-hyun, Governor of the Financial Supervisory Service (right), and Ham Young-joo, Chairman of Hana Financial Group (left), who attended the 'Joint Financial Sector Hong Kong IR (INVEST K-FINANCE: HONG KONG IR 2024)', are directly explaining the value-up plan to increase corporate value and shareholder value to global investors. [Photo by Hana Financial Group]
"We will actively pursue shareholder return policies that meet the expectations of the global market."
On the 13th (local time), Ham Young-joo, Chairman of Hana Financial Group, attended the 'Joint Financial Sector Hong Kong IR' event held in Hong Kong and reaffirmed the value-up plan and specific implementation measures while making this statement.
Hosted by the Financial Supervisory Service and with Hana Financial Group acting as the secretariat, this event was organized to promote the competitiveness and vision of K-finance to the world. Major financial institutions including Hana Financial, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Busan Metropolitan City, and the Korea Exchange participated. The panel discussion session of the Hong Kong IR was attended by over 230 people, including Lee Bok-hyun, Governor of the Financial Supervisory Service, representatives from Shinhan Financial Group, Korea Investment & Securities, Korean Re, and global investors.
Chairman Ham’s trip to Hong Kong was his first overseas activity following the group’s announcement last month of its 'Corporate Value Enhancement Plan (Value-Up),' attracting investor attention.
At the event, Chairman Ham personally explained the value-up plan and specific implementation measures aimed at the continuous increase of corporate and shareholder value. Through this, he expressed the management’s strong will to recover undervalued shares and enhance shareholder value.
Chairman Ham emphasized, "Shareholder returns that meet market expectations must be supported by sustainable profitability," adding, "To this end, we will actively pursue shareholder return policies that align with the standards of the global market."
Hana Financial Group’s value-up plan focuses on ▲shareholder return ratio ▲Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio ▲Return on Equity (ROE).
Hana Financial plans to expand the proportion of treasury stock repurchases and cancellations to achieve a total shareholder return ratio of 50% by 2027, and through improved capital management policies, maintain the CET1 ratio between 13.0% and 13.5%, implementing consistent shareholder return policies within this range.
Investor interest also centered on domestic financial institutions’ response strategies to changes in South Korea’s population structure. Hana Financial introduced its senior-specialized brand 'Hana The Next,' launched last October as a core strategy encompassing not only profit generation but also financial social responsibility and the spirit of the times.
Chairman Ham stated, "Our response strategy is to become a financial partner for senior customers beyond simple profit generation."
▲On the 13th (local time), prior to the joint Hong Kong IR by the financial sector, Chairman Ham Young-joo (second from the right in the back row in the photo) explained the value-up plan and implementation measures during an individual meeting with investors. Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Bok-hyun (second from the left in the back row in the photo) also attended the meeting and explained the support from South Korean financial authorities and efforts to advance regulations for value-up. [Photo by Hana Financial Group]
Prior to the joint IR, Hana Financial Group held individual meetings with major global asset management firms that have long-standing relationships with the group as key overseas investors.
Notably, Lee Bok-hyun, Governor of the Financial Supervisory Service, attended Hana Financial Group’s individual investor meetings, directly explaining the support from South Korean financial authorities and efforts to advance regulations for K-finance value-up, and responded to questions from overseas analysts and portfolio managers present at the meetings.
Governor Lee emphasized, "We are striving to create a predictable and reasonable regulatory environment to enhance the credibility of the South Korean financial market," adding, "Currently, the domestic financial industry possesses sufficient loss-absorbing capacity, and the financial authorities are working to organize systems and regulatory environments to enable the implementation of capital policies that meet global standards."
Chairman Ham stated, "The background behind Hana Financial Group’s ability to announce a value-up plan that meets market expectations was the support from domestic financial authorities and efforts to advance regulations," adding, "As a leader of K-finance, we will continue sincere communication with investors through various global communication activities and do our best to ensure the success of value-up for South Korean financial stocks."
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