Hana Financial Group Leads Era of Major Financial Transformation with Digital Assets and AI

Establishment of a Digital Asset Task Force under the Holding Company
Fostering the AI Industry as a Core Area
Chairman Ham Youngjoo: "Achieving a Major Financial Transformation with Digital Assets and AI as the Two Main Pillars"

Hana Financial Group announced on November 6 that it will spearhead a major transformation in finance, positioning digital assets and artificial intelligence (AI) as its two main pillars to lead a new financial paradigm amid rapidly changing technological environments.

Previously, Hana Financial Group established the "Economic Growth Strategy Task Force," involving all affiliates, to overcome low growth and secure new drivers for future growth. The group is currently implementing the "Hana All Growth Project," a comprehensive plan rolled out in stages across six areas: support for companies affected by tariffs, productive finance, inclusive finance, financial consumer protection, leading digital finance, and nationwide asset management support.

The newly announced plan to drive a major transformation centered on digital assets and AI is part of the "leading digital finance" initiative within the "Hana All Growth Project." Hana Financial Group aims to take the lead in creating a "new financial ecosystem" based on technology and trust.

To start, Hana Financial Group has formed a dedicated digital task force under the holding company and established a joint response system among its affiliates, including the bank, card, and securities businesses. The task force will swiftly push forward the development of products, services, and infrastructure in line with the legalization of digital assets.

Through these efforts, the group plans to fulfill its role as a financial institution supporting the advancement of digital assets such as stablecoins, spot virtual asset ETFs, and security token offerings (STOs). At the same time, it aims to lead the creation of a new financial ecosystem where financial consumers can reliably and conveniently access related products and services.

In particular, Hana Financial Group will prioritize building a stablecoin cooperation system across technology, industry, and policy sectors. This includes issuing stablecoins and managing reserves based on the safety and trust expected of a financial institution, securing distribution networks (use cases) for real-life integration, establishing robust security systems, linking with AI technology, and cooperating with government policies related to currency and foreign exchange.

Hana Financial Group has been accumulating technological capabilities through proof-of-concept projects and research on stablecoin issuance, distribution, and management with various domestic and international partners. In addition to institutional measures, the group will fully leverage its advanced security systems and infrastructure to ensure that financial consumers are not adversely affected as new technologies are integrated into the financial industry.

Furthermore, by capitalizing on its strengths in foreign exchange, asset management, and corporate finance, Hana Financial Group plans to rapidly realize its own competitive business models in collaboration with influential domestic and global partners.

In addition, Hana Financial Group will establish AI as a core area of productive finance and proactively build an AI ecosystem.

Previously, in October, Hana Financial Group announced the "Hana All Growth Project," committing 100 trillion won over five years through 2030 to drive a major shift toward productive finance and expand inclusive finance. Of this, approximately 84 trillion won will be allocated to productive finance, with AI designated as a core area.

In 2017, Hana Financial Group became the first in the Korean financial sector to operate an "Integrated Data Center" by consolidating IT infrastructure across affiliates. In 2018, it became the only financial group in Korea to establish an independent AI research institute, the "Hana Financial Convergence Technology Institute," to internalize AI capabilities.

AI technology is now being integrated across major affiliates, including the bank, with a focus on expanding AI use in business operations. The group has launched visible results such as the "HAI Consultation Support Bot" and "Malicious App Detection AI Model."

Additionally, Hana Financial Group is accelerating preparations for the full-scale adoption of AI by proactively establishing "AI Governance" ahead of the "AI Basic Act," scheduled to take effect in January 2026. The group has fostered collaboration with various AI startups through its "1Q Agile Lab" startup discovery and incubation program and has promoted industry-academic cooperation for joint AI research with universities. In July, it formed a strategic partnership with the Korea Artificial Intelligence & Software Industry Association (KOSA), further expanding strategic partnerships with domestic and international AI companies and taking the lead in building a financial AI ecosystem.

Chairman Ham Youngjoo stated, "Digital assets will become a core area driving innovation in capital markets and payment infrastructure in the future financial market, and we will strengthen our group-wide response capabilities. At the same time, by innovating our financial infrastructure based on AI, we will enhance customer-tailored services, risk management, and overall internal operations efficiency. In this way, we will lead digital-driven financial innovation based on the two pillars of 'digital assets' and 'artificial intelligence (AI).'"

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