Kakao Pay Earns Integrated A Grade in KCGS ESG Assessment

Environment A, Social A+, Governance A
Social Up Two Grades, Governance Up One Grade

Kakao Pay announced on November 19 that it has received an “Integrated A Grade” in the 2025 ESG assessment released by the Korea Institute of Corporate Governance and Sustainability (KCGS).

In the assessment, the company received an A in Environment, A+ in Social, and A in Governance. The Social category improved by two grades compared to the previous year, and the Governance category improved by one grade.

For the Environment category, Kakao Pay held regular meetings led by the ESG Committee within the board of directors to review key environmental issues and performance. The company linked environmental management indicators to executive key performance indicators (KPIs). Kakao Pay disclosed its renewable energy usage and has steadily increased its renewable energy conversion rate.

In the Social category, the company set mid- to long-term goals for community engagement and disclosed achievements in its mutual growth initiatives. Policies were established for safety and health, information protection and personal data privacy, and human rights management. Kakao Pay also operated a system to identify and manage risk factors.

For Governance, the company conducted evaluations of the board of directors, board committees, and individual outside directors. At the board level, major ESG material issues were reviewed for both opportunities and risks.

A Kakao Pay representative stated, “This assessment once again recognizes Kakao Pay’s achievements in ESG management,” adding, “We will continue to make ESG management a core priority and realize sustainable growth through transparent information disclosure and proactive stakeholder communication.”

Meanwhile, Kakao Pay launched its ESG Promotion Committee in 2022 and established the fintech industry’s first board-level ESG Committee in 2023. In December last year, Kakao Pay became the only domestic fintech company to be included in the DJSI Korea Index for two consecutive years through the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment. In February this year, it was selected as a member of the Sustainability Yearbook for the second consecutive year. Kakao Pay also received an A grade in this year’s MSCI ESG assessment.