BNK Financial Group Announces Three Key Strategic Directions for the Second Half of the Year

Regional Coexistence, Consumer Protection, AI, and Sound Management
Discussion on Strengthening Marine Finance Measures

On July 7, BNK Financial Group held its '2025 Second Half Business Briefing' in the main conference room at its headquarters, with the group's management and key department heads in attendance, to share the three main strategic directions that will be prioritized in the second half of this year.

During the event, there was a focused discussion on concrete action plans that actively respond to the new government's regional balanced development policy, as well as national strategies and regional characteristics such as revitalizing the southeastern economy and the marine industry.

The strategic directions for the second half of the year presented at this briefing can be summarized into three main areas: regional coexistence and financial consumer protection; advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital finance; and soundness-focused internal management.

First, through the 'Regional Economy Hope Center,' which was launched last month, BNK Financial Group will expand practical financial support and management improvement consulting for small business owners, and actively operate debt adjustment and maturity extension programs to ease debt burdens. These efforts are in line with the new government's policies to support the livelihoods of the public and reflect the group's commitment to increasing tangible benefits for local communities and financial consumers.

To enhance the rights and interests of financial consumers, the group also plans to establish a trust-based financial transaction environment by advancing the consumer protection system and strengthening the obligation to explain financial products. For the advancement of AI-based digital finance, BNK Financial Group will establish AI governance and accelerate experiments with future-oriented financial models, such as converting to regional currencies using digital-AI technologies and conducting research on won-based stablecoins.

The group will also pursue qualitative growth through proactive management of potential insolvencies and strengthening asset soundness, as well as reorganizing the group portfolio around high-quality assets and enhancing customer management capabilities amid balanced growth.

Following the business briefing, a management forum was held with the participation of affiliate CEOs and group executives. At this event, Kim Taeyou, Professor Emeritus at Seoul National University, delivered a special lecture on 'The Role of Marine Cities and Finance.' Professor Kim emphasized the strategic value of Busan Port as a Northeast Asian marine logistics hub and the corresponding role of financial institutions.

Based on this special lecture, BNK Financial Group engaged in in-depth discussions on measures to promote marine finance, focusing on expanding financial support for marine and shipbuilding companies, researching consulting-investment convergence marine finance models, and strengthening its role as a specialized marine finance group through services such as guarantee-linked offerings. These initiatives will be pursued in connection with the government's policies to foster the marine industry.

A BNK Financial Group official stated, "To respond to the rapidly changing financial environment, we will pursue sustainable growth centered on the region and our customers through actionable strategies," adding, "We will continue to identify and promote practical support and innovative financial services that align with government policies for the development of regional industries and economies."