IBK President Jang Minyoung Accelerates Transition to "AI Native Bank"

Management Vision Outlined at 100-Day Press Conference

Active Support for National Strategic Industries and KOSDAQ Vitalization

Jang Minyoung, President of IBK (Industrial Bank of Korea), marked her 100th day in office by outlining a management vision to strengthen both productive and inclusive finance, and to accelerate the transition to an artificial intelligence (AI)-based "AI Native Bank." She revealed plans to reinforce IBK's core role of providing financial services to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), while also expanding into new growth areas such as digital assets, global finance, and data business.

Jang Minyoung, President of Industrial Bank of Korea, is answering reporters' questions at a press conference held on the 100th day of her inauguration on the 12th at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Eunju Lee.

On May 12, President Jang held the "IBK KOSDAQ Boom-Up Day" event and a press conference at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, where she announced this management direction. This press conference marked her first direct meeting with reporters since her inauguration on January 23, approximately 100 days earlier.

President Jang first emphasized her intention to lead the transition toward productive finance. She stated, "Finance should ensure that funds flow to areas with growth potential, and we must participate in this transformation process together," adding, "IBK will establish a comprehensive support system for high-tech industries and expand investment to foster national strategic industries."

She also identified inclusive finance and trust-based finance as key tasks. President Jang noted the increasing financial burden on vulnerable groups and small business owners amid high interest rates and rising prices, and pledged, "We will practice responsible inclusive finance and establish a robust consumer protection system to safeguard customers from financial accidents."

In particular, she announced plans to accelerate the transition to an AI-based bank. President Jang explained, "We aim to further enhance IBK's capabilities by actively pursuing the transformation into an 'AI Native Bank.' We plan to implement hyper-personalized AI banking, an AI-powered intelligent credit evaluation system, and an AI agent-based work environment."

Expansion into new growth areas will also proceed in parallel. President Jang cited the development of digital asset market strategies such as issuing a KRW stablecoin, advancing overseas expansion centered on global financial hubs, monetizing data, and pursuing partnerships with external financial platforms as core initiatives.

The concurrently held "IBK KOSDAQ Boom-Up Day" event was organized to connect KOSDAQ-listed companies with investors and to raise market interest in promising companies. Although the KOSDAQ market has grown in the number of listed companies and market capitalization, there is ongoing concern that high-quality small and medium-sized companies remain undervalued due to low institutional investor participation and a shortage of research information.

Seo Kyungran, Head of the IBK Economic Research Institute, stated, "IBK has formed a KOSDAQ Vitalization Task Force as part of its 'Beyond Finance' strategy. We are playing a strategic bridge role not only by providing finance, but also by connecting innovative companies and investors through research and consulting." Seo added, "IBK will go beyond being a simple loan provider by linking indirect and direct financing, and by connecting the private capital market with companies to facilitate smoother capital flows."

In March, IBK established the "IBK KOSDAQ Vitalization Task Force" and has since been publishing analysis reports on KOSDAQ-listed companies and policies, supporting IR activities for promising companies, connecting investors, and discovering companies with IPO potential. Through this event, IBK aims to expand IR opportunities for KOSDAQ companies and encourage the publication of research reports to enhance market credibility.

President Jang pledged, "KOSDAQ is a crucial market for supplying growth and innovation capital to SMEs and venture businesses. IBK Financial Group will mobilize its capabilities to ensure that the value and growth potential of promising companies are properly conveyed to the market and will actively support them."

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