Gwangju Bank Ranks First in Regional Bank Category of 'Korea Industrial Brand Power' for Nine Consecutive Years

Gwangju Bank has ranked first for nine consecutive years in the regional bank category of the '2026 Korea Industry Brand Power Index (K-BPI)' organized by the Korea Management Association Consulting (KMAC). Photo by Gwangju Bank

Gwangju Bank announced on the 19th that it has ranked first for nine consecutive years in the regional bank category of the ‘2026 Korea Industrial Brand Power Index (K-BPI),’ organized by the Korea Management Association Consulting (KMAC).

The ‘Korea Industrial Brand Power Index (K-BPI)’ is a representative domestic brand evaluation system now in its 28th year. It quantifies brand awareness and loyalty through consumer surveys in major industries closely related to everyday life in Korea, including durable goods, services, and consumer goods. In this survey, Gwangju Bank received high scores across all loyalty criteria, such as brand image, accessibility, and preference, maintaining its position as the top regional bank for nine consecutive years since 2018.

This award for Gwangju Bank is regarded as more than a one-off achievement; it reflects the accumulation of customer trust and brand value built over many years. In particular, the bank's differentiated business strategy focused on regional finance and its customer-centric services are analyzed to have had a positive impact on overall consumer perception.

Gwangju Bank continues to show remarkable results in providing financial support, especially for small business owners and SMEs. In 2025 alone, the bank made a special contribution of approximately 9.6 billion won to revitalize the regional economy and supplied around 256.6 billion won in special guarantee loans, thereby expanding practical financial support. Even amid an economic slowdown and a high interest rate environment, the bank is helping to ease the financial burden of local companies and self-employed individuals, contributing to a stable foundation for the region’s economic growth.

These efforts have also been recognized externally. Gwangju Bank received the highest rating for five consecutive years in the ‘Regional Reinvestment Evaluation’ conducted by the Financial Services Commission, acknowledging the stable establishment of a virtuous cycle in which funds raised in the region are reinvested for regional growth. Furthermore, at the ‘2025 Inclusive and Win-Win Finance Awards’ hosted by the Financial Supervisory Service, Gwangju Bank was the only regional bank to receive the ‘Outstanding Institution for Supporting Business Consulting for the Self-Employed’ award, demonstrating that the bank’s core competitiveness lies in its commitment to mutual growth with the local community.

The bank is also achieving meaningful results in the digital sector. The joint loan product ‘Together Loan,’ developed in collaboration with internet-only bank Toss Bank, is an innovative model that combines platform-based non-face-to-face competitiveness with the risk management capabilities of traditional banks. It was promoted as an innovative financial service that overcame institutional limitations. Since its launch in August 2024, cumulative supply has surpassed 1.4 trillion won, and the product is drawing attention as a new growth model for regional banks by attracting customers nationwide while maintaining sound asset quality.

Gwangju Bank is also accelerating its global business expansion. Building on its business experience in Vietnam, the bank has established cooperative frameworks with financial institutions in Uzbekistan, paving the way for entry into Central Asia. Through the Foreign Customer Financial Center, which opened in Heukseok-dong, Gwangsan-gu, the bank is also strengthening financial services for foreign customers in Korea as part of a strategy to secure a new customer base beyond the local region.

Community engagement remains a key pillar of Gwangju Bank’s competitiveness. Sponsorship of local sports clubs, operation of its own sports teams (the Tenten Archery Team and the Vitro Badminton Team), and scholarship programs are all long-term investments aimed at nurturing local talent and strengthening the community. Additionally, through the ‘Gwangju Hwaro,’ the largest Korean painting competition in Korea, the bank is expanding its support for the arts and culture sector, further practicing shared value with the local community.

By combining a stable growth structure centered on regional finance with digital innovation and global expansion strategies, Gwangju Bank is continuously strengthening its sustainable competitiveness. The bank’s accumulated trust with the region enables it to maintain differentiated competitiveness amid a changing financial environment, which is highly significant in presenting a new growth model for regional banks.

Jung Ilseon, CEO of Gwangju Bank, stated, “I believe that our principle of putting the region and its people first has resulted in the trust of our customers,” adding, “We will continue to fulfill our responsibilities and roles as a financial institution that grows together with the regional economy.”

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