Ye Kyung-tak, President of BNK Gyeongnam Bank, 100 Days in Office... Laying the Foundation for Future Growth

Presented as a core value: ‘A bank that greatly supports the local economic ecosystem’

Ye Kyung-tak, President of BNK Gyeongnam Bank, presented a new core value of being a "bank that is a great force in the regional economic ecosystem" in his inaugural speech last April.

Ye Kyung-tak, President of BNK Gyeongnam Bank.

He expressed his ambition for the bank to grow into a solid institution that not only provides financial services but also supports the activities and development of the entire regional economic ecosystem composed of various stakeholders, and actively fulfills the social responsibilities demanded by the local community.

Over the past 100 days, President Ye has devoted efforts to change and communication both internally and externally to realize this value.

Internally, he emphasized that "Gyeongnam Bank must change and grow to become a reliable pillar of the region."

Immediately after his inauguration, he launched the ‘Vision PLUS’ TFT to establish a mid- to long-term growth strategy and began efforts to secure future growth engines. The plan includes strengthening the metropolitan area sales base and regional corporate finance competitiveness, reorganizing the asset portfolio to secure stable future growth engines, and further solidifying asset soundness, which is currently the highest among regional banks.

To this end, about a dozen corporate sales dedicated personnel, RM (Relation Managers, corporate finance branch managers), were assigned to exclusively handle corporate credit sales in the metropolitan area through the newly established ‘Metropolitan Sales Center.’ A credit sales team was also created to expand household loans centered on interim payment loans, and a new branch, the ‘Gasan Digital Branch,’ aimed at pioneering the metropolitan market, is scheduled to open in August. In addition to traditional local industries, financial support for future growth industries such as defense and logistics will be strengthened, and portfolio diversification will be pursued with assets that can mutually complement growth potential and profitability.

A breeze of change also swept through the organizational culture, which will serve as a foundation for mid- to long-term innovation. Collaboration culture among members was established, and partnerships between departments were strengthened so that ‘positive influence,’ where members contribute to each other’s success, could spread throughout the organization. A fair and reasonable personnel policy that favors competent professionals was established and reflected in the regular personnel appointments in the second half of the year. To invigorate the organization and enhance competitiveness, outstanding personnel were also fully deployed to the sales field.

The environment of the head office and branches was organized and standardized, adding sensitivity and freshness to the outward image. In particular, a large wall clock signaling the start of a new era for greater growth of BNK Gyeongnam Bank and a ‘Sympathy Message Board’ containing messages of hope and encouragement to the region and customers were installed on the exterior wall of the head office, receiving positive responses.

President Ye also put great effort into communication with members as much as in change. He visited sales branches in Gyeongnam, Ulsan, and the metropolitan area to listen to voices from the field and held casual communication events with each sales headquarters and professional personnel to have sincere conversations. Furthermore, the ‘Digital Strategy Committee (DSC),’ which was previously limited to executives and head office department heads, was opened to general employees to freely attend and engage in candid discussions.

Based on this solid management, BNK Gyeongnam Bank is faithfully fulfilling President Ye Kyung-tak’s promise to play a central role in the regional economic ecosystem.

A representative example is the significant expansion of the ‘Small Business Hope Sharing Win-Win Finance Special Fund’ launched in April. This program provides low-interest loans and management consulting regardless of credit rating to local small business owners who urgently need financial support but face difficulties due to low credit ratings and lack of collateral. Considering the difficult economic situation this year, the loan limit was expanded to 30 billion KRW.

The ‘Small Business Hope Dream Center,’ opened last month in the Ulsan area, was also implemented to support the stable business environment and sustainable growth of small business owners, who are the backbone of the regional economy. The Hope Dream Center offers not only financial counseling but also various management consulting services such as marketing, publicity, legal, and tax, as well as customized short- and long-term training programs.

Recently, the bank decided to issue a Refund Guarantee (RG) for advance payments to a local medium-sized shipbuilding company. This is in line with the government’s ‘Expansion Plan for Financial Support of the Shipbuilding Industry’ announced in April and aims to help the local shipbuilding industry make a fresh leap forward. As shipbuilding production activities gain momentum, it is expected to create jobs in the region and invigorate related companies such as parts suppliers, bringing positive effects to the entire regional economic ecosystem.

BNK Gyeongnam Bank plans to continue carrying out projects that can accompany the local community through practical interest and support for local residents, small and medium-sized enterprises, and marginalized areas beyond financial policies.

President Ye said, “BNK Gyeongnam Bank has breathed and grown together with the region for the past 53 years. To repay the love and support received from local residents, BNK Gyeongnam Bank will continue to fulfill its role and duty as a deeply rooted, reliable bank and a trusted bank in the local community.”

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