NH NongHyup Bank CEO Kang Taeyoung Embarks on First Overseas Branch Visits Since Taking Office

8 Nights and 9 Days Visiting Hong Kong, Singapore, and London
Meeting Regional Branch Managers in Hong Kong
Reviewing Singapore Branch Establishment Progress
London Branch Opening Ceremony with City of London Lord Mayor
Encouraging Loc

Kang Taeyoung, CEO of NH NongHyup Bank, will embark on his first overseas branch site visits since taking office. He plans to accelerate the implementation of global strategies and country-specific business models by personally visiting key hubs such as Hong Kong, Singapore, and London.

From August 29 to September 6, Kang will visit Hong Kong, Singapore, and London, United Kingdom, on an eight-night, nine-day schedule. On August 30, he will visit the Hong Kong branch to encourage local staff and hold a branch manager workshop. The workshop will bring together seven branch managers from Asia (Hong Kong, Hanoi, Beijing, Noida, Cambodia, Myanmar, etc.) to discuss strategies for expanding into the Asian market. NH NongHyup Bank's Hong Kong branch serves as a source of corporate and retail financing in Asia and functions as a trade finance hub. Notably, this year, the bank established an Investment Banking (IB) desk at the Hong Kong branch and assigned two staff members, enabling them to directly engage with global financial institutions on-site and significantly enhance deal selection and expertise.

After his schedule in Hong Kong, Kang will travel to Singapore to review the status of the branch establishment. He will encourage the three-member opening team (one team leader and two staff members) dispatched locally and gather information on the local financial market to devise strategies for Singapore. NH NongHyup Bank has applied to the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to establish a branch, aiming to open in the first half of next year. Once the branch is approved, the bank plans to maximize synergy with NH Investment & Securities' Singapore asset management subsidiary, NH-ARP.

The final schedule is the opening ceremony of the London branch on September 5. Alastair King, Lord Mayor of the City of London, and key figures from major local financial institutions are expected to attend. The London branch received final approval from UK financial authorities in July. This is NH NongHyup Bank's first overseas branch in Europe, following four years of preparation since opening its office in 2021. Through the London branch, the bank aims to establish a bridgehead for expanding its global investment banking (IB) business in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) region.

Kang’s business trip is significant in that it encompasses all regions in line with the bank's global strategy. NH NongHyup Bank is pursuing customized business models by dividing its overseas operations into three regions according to the characteristics of each country. The destinations Kang will visit-Hong Kong, London, and Singapore-are categorized as advanced financial markets. This region mainly handles global investment banking (GIB), fundraising and management, and corporate lending. Through the branch manager workshop, strategies for the corporate finance region (Hanoi, Beijing, Noida) and retail region (Myanmar, Cambodia) will also be discussed. The corporate finance region specializes in deposits, loans, and trade finance for Korean companies’ overseas subsidiaries and offices, with the Hanoi branch serving as a hub. The retail region (Myanmar, Cambodia) specializes in small loans for individual customers.