[New Year's Message] Kim Byung-chul, CEO of Shinhan Financial Investment, "Stable Customer Protection is the Top Priority"

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] Kim Byung-chul, CEO of Shinhan Financial Investment, emphasized customer protection as the top priority in his New Year's address on the 2nd. As infinite competition accelerates and financial consumer protection regulations are strengthened, he believes that reinforcing the customer protection system and prioritizing the supply of stable and differentiated products must be the foremost tasks. Below is the full text of the New Year's address.

◆ New Year's Address 2020

Dear Shinhan Financial Investment family!

The new year of Gyeongja (庚子) has dawned.

First, I wish health and happiness to all the customers who have consistently supported us and to your families throughout this year.

To Chairman Cho Yong-byeong and the executives and employees of the group who are making new history in finance with warm finance and the value of One Shinhan, I also extend my New Year's greetings and deep gratitude.

I hope that the executives and employees who are doing their best for the growth of the company and the capital market, and their families, will have a year full of health and happiness.

Dear executives and employees!

The management environment in 2020 is expected to be more challenging than ever.

Uncertainty is reaching its peak both domestically and internationally, and volatility and risks in asset values are expected to increase.

With the influence of mega IBs expanding further and digital companies entering the financial industry in earnest,

an environment of infinite competition will be created.

Moreover, strengthened regulations for financial consumer protection require even stricter internal controls.

In this environment, as we start 2020, I would like to ask you to focus on three things.

First, to this end, we must strengthen the customer protection system and further sophisticate the entire product process.

Also, we must prioritize the supply of stable and differentiated products.

We must not lose the belief that customer success is the foundation of company success, and actively implement multifaceted measures for financial consumer protection.

Second, the company and employees must move in one direction.

As the management environment becomes more complex and various tasks arise, companies where employees share the same thoughts and move in the same direction succeed.

If we all think as one and unite our strength, greater growth will naturally follow.

Third, we must have professionalism as capital market experts.

As customer demands increase, to fully satisfy customers,

we ourselves must become the best experts.

We must strengthen efforts to pioneer markets, develop products, and find customers in line with the changing financial landscape.

With professionalism aiming to be the best in our fields,

let us move toward becoming the capital market TOP Player providing the best solutions.

Dear Shinhan Financial Investment family!

2020 is an important year to complete the SMART Project and open a new future.

The future will be a time when our company establishes its status as a mega IB and firmly positions itself as Korea's top securities firm.

2020 is the first year toward that future.

Accordingly, we have set the 2020 strategic goal as “First-class financial investment recognized by customers,”

and selected the management slogan “Be the TOP Player!”

To achieve these goals, we will lead 2020 focusing on seven strategic directions.

First, establishing a differentiated asset management house.

The channel paradigm is rapidly shifting from brokerage to asset management.

The core competitiveness of asset management sales is “relationship with customers.”

To expand the customer base, we will earnestly promote “knowing the customer properly.”

Also, to discover and supply products that meet customer needs, we must sophisticate our product strategy.

Furthermore, the wholesale division, which has secured the top position in the industry, must secure a super-gap position in the corporate market through strengthening core business competitiveness and discovering new revenue sources.

Second, expansion of digital business.

Digital deeply penetrates the traditional financial sector, forming a new competitive landscape.

Innovative financial services by platforms and fintech companies raise customer expectations,

and existing financial companies are actively expanding digital business areas as a survival necessity.

Therefore, the digital division will establish an independent business system with an entrepreneurial mindset and actively create and try various digital-based financial products and services that can provide differentiated experiences to customers.

Also, we will proactively participate in building the digital financial ecosystem through partnerships and investments to expand our domain.

Third, a firm leap to a mega IB. GIB is the core source of our company's revenue and the fastest-growing business division.

However, as the market is oligopolized around mega IBs, we must raise our scale and expertise to the level of top-tier IBs and accelerate growth.

The alternative investment division can be a golden opportunity to reduce the market GAP.

Accordingly, we will expand the organization and further strengthen competitiveness in alternative investment businesses such as infrastructure and real estate finance.

Fourth, enhancing operational expertise in the GMS division.

The asset management division is our company's top expert group responsible for managing proprietary and customer assets.

While we have focused on securing professional capabilities so far, we will now secure both stability and profitability through full-scale investment and scale expansion.

Based on this expertise, we will also strengthen our position as a product powerhouse continuously supplying products suitable for customers and the market.

Fifth, fostering new businesses as future growth areas.

The global division will enhance IB business through strengthened collaboration with headquarters and localization, and expand revenue sources through business diversification.

The OCIO division will pioneer the corporate/institutional fund management market by strengthening system construction and external networks, and accelerate growth by expanding the scale of DC/IRP in retirement pensions.

Sixth, efficient resource utilization and advanced internal management.

We will make our best efforts to place talent in the right positions so they can demonstrate their capabilities and grow.

We will maximize efficiency by investing the capital secured through capital increase from an ROI perspective.

Also, in an environment of increasing uncertainty, we must proactively establish a response system for crisis situations,

and thoroughly manage risks by advancing internal control systems and management functions.

Furthermore, research, ICT, and other sales support divisions must newly organize and efficiently support sales according to front-line needs.

Finally, strengthening One Shinhan collaboration.

Under the value of One Shinhan, we must play the role of a new growth engine as the capital market hub within the group.

Our company's growth engines?GIB, GMS, Global, and Channels?are all connected through the group matrix system, which is also our strength that differentiates us from others.

Through realizing our goal of becoming the capital market Top Player, we can also play a pivotal role as the group's capital market Key Player.

Let us all unite our strength and hearts to fill and expand the stage of One Shinhan.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.