KB Securities Publishes 'ESG Report 2024'

KB Securities announced on the 27th that it has published the 'KB Securities ESG Report 2024,' which comprehensively covers its ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management performance and future strategies, with a focus on sustainable finance.

The KB Securities ESG Report 2024 was prepared in accordance with the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) guidelines, which are global standards for sustainability management reports. In addition, the SASB (Sustainability Accounting Standards Board) industry standards were applied to reflect key issues by industry sector. Through this, the transparency and reliability of ESG information have been further enhanced.

This report, which has been published for the seventh time since 2019, has strengthened its third-party assurance level based on the international verification standard 'AA1000AS (AccountAbility 1000 Assurance Standard)' from the previous AA1000AS Moderate Level Type 1 to Type 2. Type 1 verifies compliance with principles, while Type 2 additionally conducts a comprehensive review of related processes and internal control systems.

Furthermore, in order to provide a more in-depth overview of key ESG performance areas, special pages have been created, including the Impact Investment Report, TCFD Report, Human Capital Report, and Internal Control Report.

The 'Impact Investment Report' covers the objectives and methodologies of impact investments aimed at solving environmental and social issues. The 'TCFD Report' discloses four key topics?governance, strategy, risk management, and metrics and targets?for responding to climate change, as well as their financial impacts. The 'Human Capital Report' collects, analyzes, and evaluates human capital data, and for the first time in the industry, introduces human capital reporting in accordance with the ISO 30414 standard. The 'Internal Control Report' transparently discloses the responsibility management system by introducing a responsibility structure and clarifying the responsibilities and roles of internal controls, thereby enhancing effectiveness and contributing to the prevention of financial incidents.

Under the 'Green Wave 2030' slogan, KB Securities achieved an ESG finance (investment, loans, products) balance of 1.731 trillion won as of the end of 2024, reaching 119% of its target (1.4511 trillion won). Additionally, by referencing the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), KB Securities piloted the disclosure of sustainability information for investment assets (Scope 3), highlighting this as a key achievement in the ESG finance sector.

Co-CEOs Kim Sunghyun and Lee Honggu of KB Securities stated, "KB Securities will actively respond to the climate crisis and faithfully fulfill the social responsibilities of a financial company for the environment and society." They added, "In addition, we will further strengthen our sustainable management system based on risk management and internal controls, diligently perform the essential roles of a financial institution, and create a sustainable future."