Banks Immersed in YouTube and eSports... Accelerating MZ Generation Targeting (Comprehensive)

Hana Bank Launches Dedicated Asset Management Team for T1, Home to Pro Gamer Faker
Customized Services Including Real Estate Tax Savings Tailored to Athletes
Selected In-House YouTubers Among Staff to Target Future MZ Generation Customers

[Asia Economy Reporter Kangwook Cho] #. Hana Bank recently launched a dedicated asset management team for players belonging to the eSports company SK Telecom CS T1. 'Faker' Lee Sang-hyeok, a professional 'League of Legends (LoL)' gamer affiliated with T1, is known as the highest-paid professional sports player in Korea, earning an annual salary of about 5 billion KRW. Hana Bank signed a partnership with T1 last month to support the growth of eSports and promote a young and future-oriented image.

#. KB Kookmin Bank signed an advertising model contract with the global idol group BTS in early 2018 and launched advertisements for the bank’s flagship application 'KB Star Banking' featuring them. The official YouTube channel of KB Kookmin Bank surpassed 100 million views last month, the first among banks.

Commercial banks are strengthening their targeting of the 'MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z born after 1995),' a key future customer base. With the advent of the Fintech era (a combination of finance and technology), banks are shedding their conservative image and actively using YouTube to communicate with young customers. They are even introducing asset management services for sports players whose income is concentrated in their youth. Each bank has already established independent departments for producing YouTube content, leading to the coining of the term 'EunTube' (Silver Tube, combining 은 meaning bank and YouTube).

According to the financial sector on the 14th, the dedicated asset management team for T1 players launched by Hana Bank yesterday is based on the Gangnam Club 1 PB Center and Gangbuk Sales 1 PB Center, composed of professional PBs, tax accountants, lawyers, and real estate experts. The team will provide specialized asset management services tailored to the characteristics of sports players, whose income generation and consumption periods often do not coincide. Especially for players interested in real estate and tax savings, the team offers customized services including joint site visits to key investment areas, property inspections, and full support from contract signing to completion.

Kim Kyung-ho, Head of Digital Finance Business Division at Hana Bank, said, "Through the partnership with T1, we plan to provide total financial services including exclusive financial products for T1 fans, asset management, and accident insurance for T1 players."

YouTube activities in the banking sector are also becoming more diverse. Especially with the COVID-19 pandemic boosting non-face-to-face channels, commercial banks have evolved from simply introducing financial products on YouTube to offering investment strategies, lectures by instructors, financial tips, and talk shows. Unlike TV commercials, YouTube allows conveying all intended messages without restrictions on time or format, enhancing brand marketing effectiveness.

The competition to increase subscribers and views is fierce. NH Nonghyup Bank, which selects employees as in-house YouTubers (NH Tubers) and encourages their activities, plans to award active employees with year-end commendations to promote company-wide interest in its YouTube channel. As of today, NH Nonghyup Bank ranks first in official YouTube channel subscribers with 447,000. KB Kookmin Bank, second with 167,000 subscribers, leads in total views with over 101 million, far ahead of Shinhan Bank, which ranks second in total views by about 20 million.

Shinhan Bank allocated an independent budget for YouTube production starting this year. Particularly, two short film-style advertisements titled 'The Ultimate Money Management' posted in April have each recorded nearly 10 million views (9.99 million and 9.89 million respectively). Thanks to these efforts, Shinhan Bank’s YouTube subscribers have grown from less than 10,000 in June last year to 55,700 now. During the same period, Woori Bank’s YouTube subscribers surged nearly fourfold from 7,000 to 27,400, while Hana Bank (27,600) and IBK Industrial Bank (10,500) also increased subscribers by about 7,000 each over the past year.

A financial sector official explained, "With the acceleration of digital transformation, targeting and communicating with the MZ generation, the main consumers of media content, has become a core task. Especially with the recent spread of untact culture, expanding social value management through digital channels and encouraging subscriber participation have become even more important strategies."

Alongside this, commercial banks are also implementing marketing strategies targeting local MZ generations in overseas markets.

Shinhan Vietnam Bank recently signed a business agreement with Van Lang University, a major private university in Vietnam. Through this agreement, Shinhan Bank plans to promote key collaborative projects including ΔShinhan School Banking (digital tuition payment and management solution) Δlow-interest student loans Δscholarship financial support ΔShinhan Digital Campus (electronic student ID and co-brand card) Δinternship programs at Shinhan Vietnam Bank for Van Lang University students.

Notably, Shinhan School Banking has already completed preliminary testing and is scheduled to be introduced to about 20,000 students in time for the new semester in September.

A Shinhan Vietnam Bank official said, "This agreement is significant as it allows Shinhan Vietnam Bank to secure the MZ (Millennial + Generation Z) market, the future leaders of society. It will be a great opportunity to raise awareness of Shinhan’s digital brand among Vietnamese students, parents, and faculty."

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