Woori Bank "Aiming to Achieve No.1 Market Share in Corporate Loans by 2027"

'Rebuilding the Legacy of Corporate Finance' Strategy Announced
Presented 10 Key Tasks Including Increasing Large Corporate Loans and Supporting New Growth Industries

Woori Bank, which is promoting the "strengthening of corporate finance," announced on the 7th that it aims to achieve the number one market share in corporate loans by 2027. To this end, it plans to increase large corporate loans, expand financial support for new growth industries such as semiconductors, strengthen loan screening personnel, and expand incentives.

On the same day, Woori Bank held a "Strategy Presentation Press Conference for Rebuilding the Prestige of Corporate Finance" at its headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, and made this announcement. Kang Shinkuk, Head of Woori Bank’s Corporate Investment Finance Division, said, "As of the end of June this year, the ratio of corporate loans to household loans at Woori Bank is about 55 to 45, but we have established a corporate loan strengthening strategy aiming to rebalance this to 60 to 40 by the end of 2026." The plan is to adjust the outstanding balances of corporate loans and household loans, which were 161 trillion won and 132 trillion won respectively at the end of June this year, to 237 trillion won and 157 trillion won by 2026.

Kang added, "Although competing banks have aggressively increased assets in the corporate sector since 2020, causing Woori Bank’s corporate loan market share to fall to fourth place, we plan to reclaim second place by 2025 and achieve first place by 2027."

To achieve this, Woori Bank plans to increase large corporate loans by about 15 trillion won by 2027. It emphasized that among 38 main debtor groups, 11 have Woori Bank as their main creditor bank, the highest number. Kang explained, "As the main creditor bank, we will fully utilize the relatively abundant information we have on specific companies and customers." For mid-sized companies, the bank will intensively implement the government joint ‘Rising Leaders 300’ program, supporting a total of 4 trillion won by 2028. It also announced support measures for small and medium-sized enterprises supplying 4 trillion won annually to new growth industries such as secondary batteries and semiconductors. Kang stated, "We have set targets of an average annual increase of 30% for large corporations and 10% for small and medium enterprises." Risks such as expanding delinquencies will be managed through strengthened screening functions.

The bank also presented a strategy to expand its existing corporate sales area. In addition to simple loans, it plans to introduce ‘Wholesale Finance,’ which provides asset procurement consulting, and pursue a non-interest income strategy covering derivatives, foreign exchange, and payment guarantees. To strengthen support for supply chain finance, it will upgrade the ‘OneBiz Plaza’ platform and discover new revenue models such as the IATA air payment market.

Furthermore, Woori Bank plans to reinforce organizational and personnel management by establishing corporate specialized channels such as the ‘New Growth Corporate Sales Headquarters’ and significantly increasing incentives (up to 300% of base salary) for corporate finance personnel. It also announced that it has built a system that simultaneously strengthens loan screening speed and soundness.

Kang emphasized, "Based on our strong historical tradition and professional capabilities in corporate finance, we will strive to provide differentiated services to companies, fulfill our social responsibilities, lead corporate growth, and become a bank that contributes to economic development."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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