Woori Investment & Securities "Expanding Investment in Prime PF through 2 Trillion KRW Affiliate Joint Fund"

First Press Conference Since Launch of Woori Investment & Securities
Targeting 30,000 High-Net-Worth Clients and KRW 43 Trillion in Assets by 2026

Woori Investment & Securities announced that it will expand its investment in high-quality project financing (PF) through a 2 trillion won-scale affiliate joint fund.

On the 5th, Nam Gi-cheon, CEO of Woori Investment & Securities, held a launch press conference at TP Tower in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, and made this announcement.

The conference was attended by Yang Wan-gyu, Vice President of the IB (Investment Banking) division, Park Ki-woong, Vice President of the S&T (Sales & Trading) division, and Shim Ki-woo, Vice President of the Retail division.

CEO Nam presented a roadmap aiming for an annual return on equity (ROE) of 10% in the fifth year since launch and achieving 5 trillion won in equity capital within 10 years, emphasizing, "We will focus on IB sales by utilizing the affiliate joint fund and strive to become a mega IB as soon as possible."

He also stated that they will steadily explore capital increases and a second round of mergers and acquisitions, adding, "We expect the second M&A to take place within 2 to 3 years. The target company should be one that can fill the gaps that Woori Investment & Securities cannot cover in the short term and create significant synergy."

Furthermore, he said, "We will overcome limitations as a latecomer through synergy with Woori Financial Group affiliates," and added, "Based on large-scale capital strength and Woori Bank’s corporate finance expertise, we will supply funds to innovative companies with high growth potential."

Yang Wan-gyu, Vice President of the IB division, presented the goal of providing total financial services throughout the corporate lifecycle funding flow. Regarding real estate PF, he said, "Unlike the unfavorable directions related to real estate PF in the past, we are planning a desirable approach that benefits society and the nation."

Park Ki-woong, Vice President of the S&T division, announced plans to strengthen the bridging role between IB and retail. In the mid to long term, the vision is to grow into a global market maker and achieve 15 trillion won in assets under management by 2028.

In the early stages of launch, the focus will be on reorganizing the S&T role based on domestic products such as repurchase agreements (RP), comprehensive asset management accounts (CMA), and securities, then expanding into overseas bonds and alternative assets.

Shim Ki-woo, Vice President of the Retail division, revealed that by 2026, they aim to advance the digital asset management platform to attract 30,000 high-net-worth individuals and manage 43 trillion won in client assets. They plan to launch domestic stock mobile trading system (MTS) services within the year, supplying products such as issuance notes, CMA, funds, exchange-traded funds (ETF), and individual retirement pensions (IRP).

Vice President Shim stated, "A major paradigm shift is needed from real estate, which has become a speculative market due to price volatility and leverage, to more stable financial investment assets such as funds and pensions," adding, "We will secure high-quality clients through brokerage and upgrade the existing Pos Securities’ fund supermarket into an asset management platform." He continued, "The key challenge is how to convert and attract bank customers into securities customers based on the existing 20 million customers of Woori Financial Group."