Financial Leaders Unite Around 'AI' as This Year's Keyword... Crisis Grows Despite Record Earnings

Limits of Loan-Driven Growth... Need for Sustainable Growth Strategies
"AX" Emphasized and Reflected in Organizational Restructuring

(from left) Yang Jonghee, Chairman of KB Financial Group; Jin Okdong, Chairman of Shinhan Financial Group; Ham Youngjoo, Chairman of Hana Financial Group; Lim Jongryong, Chairman of Woori Financial Group.

For 2026, “artificial intelligence (AI)” has emerged as the key theme across the major banking sector, including the four leading financial holding companies: KB, Shinhan, Hana, and Woori. The chairmen of these four financial groups all emphasized “AI” and “AI transformation (AX)” in their New Year’s addresses. In line with this, financial holding companies and banks have successively announced organizational restructurings centered on establishing dedicated AI departments. This trend is interpreted as a response to the growing sense of crisis that the traditional growth model focused on household loans has reached its limits, despite record-high earnings last year, and as a recognition that new strategies are needed to ensure sustainable growth.

According to the financial sector on January 13, the heads of the four major financial holding companies have set “AI transformation” as this year’s management agenda. Yang Jonghee, Chairman of KB Financial Group, stressed in a digital New Year’s address created using AI video technology that “we must anticipate future changes, such as the coming ‘big wave’ of AI technology advancement.” Jin Okdong, Chairman of Shinhan Financial Group, described this as “a critical inflection point where technology is reshaping the order of finance,” adding, “AX is not simply a tool for generating profit or improving operational efficiency, but a matter of survival.” Ham Youngjoo, Chairman of Hana Financial Group, also noted that “the paradigm of finance is changing,” and that “the rapid advancement of digital technologies, including AI, is driving structural change within the financial industry.” Lim Jongryong, Chairman of Woori Financial Group, stated, “The wave of new changes, such as the advancement of AI technology, demands a fundamental transformation throughout the financial industry,” and identified “AX leadership” as one of the group’s three key strategic directions.

With the financial group leaders unanimously highlighting “AX,” organizational restructuring has increasingly centered around AI. KB Financial Group established the “Digital Innovation Division,” a control tower overseeing all areas of AI, digital platforms, and data. To secure differentiated AI capabilities and actively apply generative AI to business, the company also expanded its financial AI centers to two locations. Shinhan Financial Group created the “Future Innovation Group” within Shinhan Bank, prioritizing the acceleration of AX and response to digital assets. Hana Financial Group expanded and reorganized its existing AI and Digital Group into the “Digital Innovation Group” to strengthen the digital strategy and new business control tower functions within Hana Bank. Woori Financial Group also renamed Woori Bank’s Digital Strategy Group to the “AX Innovation Group” and is accelerating AX innovation.

In addition, other major financial holding companies are also speeding up their response to AX through organizational restructuring. BNK Financial Group changed its “Group Customer Value Innovation Division” to the “Group AI and Future Value Division,” and integrated the Digital Planning Department and AI Business Team under it to form the expanded “AI Digital Strategy Department.”

The reason financial companies are putting “AX” at the forefront is rooted in the growing sense of crisis that sustainable growth can no longer be ensured solely through loan expansion led by banks. The ongoing discussions about stablecoin issuance and the “money move” triggered by the booming stock market are also contributing to this sense of urgency. Although the government has announced a plan to allow stablecoin issuance starting with bank-led consortia, the ruling Democratic Party’s Digital Asset Task Force is expected to oppose this until the very end. If the authority to issue stablecoins shifts from banks to corporations, it could threaten even the core remittance function of banks, which would be a significant blow.

Furthermore, at the end of last year, major securities firms such as Korea Investment & Securities and Mirae Asset Securities entered the Integrated Management Account (IMA) market and rapidly absorbed bank funds, further heightening anxiety among financial holding companies. Ham Youngjoo, Chairman of Hana Financial Group, noted, “It has already become routine for IRP accounts to move to securities firms, and the emergence of new products such as IMAs is no longer favorable to banks. Household loans have reached their growth limit, and banks, which have played the leading role in the group, are now facing a crisis.”

One financial industry official commented, “With the trend of strengthening household debt management expected to continue this year, there is a shared sense of crisis that expanding loans alone has clear limitations. Whereas AI was previously used only in limited areas such as chatbot consultations, the goal now is to advance and expand its application to core banking operations, including credit screening.”