Gye Kyung-tak, President of Gyeongnam Bank, Marks '1st Anniversary of Inauguration'... 'A Bank That Greatly Supports the Region'

BNK Gyeongnam Bank President Ye Kyung-tak marked his first anniversary in office.

BNK Gyeongnam Bank President Ye Kyung-tak.

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Under the management philosophy of being a “bank that greatly supports the local economic ecosystem,” it was a year dedicated to internal and external changes and innovations.

Internally, the organization strengthened its capabilities to prepare for the rapidly changing financial environment, while externally, it demonstrated sincere affection for the local community by practicing the values of “regional coexistence” and “warm finance,” and at the same time, worked hard to secure new growth engines such as expanding the metropolitan area business base.

Based on the will of the new leader, BNK Gyeongnam Bank actively supported small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), providing about 91% of total corporate loans, amounting to 24.8 trillion KRW (as of the end of December 2023), striving to empower the local economic ecosystem.

In January, the bank signed business agreements with the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund and the Korea Technology Finance Corporation, respectively, to support a guarantee limit of 250 billion KRW for future promising industries and export companies, fulfilling its role as a pillar of the regional economy.

The bank also rolled up its sleeves to foster local startups in cooperation with local governments. In December last year, it held the “Connecting with US” event to lay the foundation for the startup ecosystem, and signed a “Business Agreement for Revitalizing Startups in the Province” with Gyeongsangnam-do to discover and support local startups and activate the startup and investment ecosystem.

It actively promoted projects to help local small business owners establish a stable business environment and achieve sustainable growth.

The scale of the “Small Business Hope Sharing Win-Win Finance Special Fund,” which provides low-interest loans and management consulting to local small business owners who urgently need financial support but face difficulties due to low credit ratings and lack of collateral, was significantly expanded. Additionally, the bank opened a second branch of the “Small Business Hope Dream Center” in Ulsan, offering free marketing, publicity, legal, tax consulting, and customized short- and long-term education programs to small business owners.

Social contribution activities to help vulnerable groups in the region and bring warmth to the community were more active than ever.

In February, the bank produced “Gift Packages” worth 300 million KRW containing essential daily necessities and delivered them to 6,150 households, and during summer and winter, it provided seasonal supplies to about 16,000 households.

Employees voluntarily participated in various themed volunteer programs, which were planned and systematized to encourage practicing local love in daily life. As a result, the number of volunteer participants, which was about 300 annually in the past, increased to approximately 1,000 in 2023, and in January alone this year, about 1,000 people participated, showing a significant increase.

These efforts were also recognized externally. The bank received the highest comprehensive grade for “Community Reinvestment Evaluation” for three consecutive years (four consecutive years for the Gyeongnam and Ulsan regions), was reselected as the primary depository bank for Ulsan City, and won the Financial Supervisory Service’s “Inclusive Finance Meritorious Institution Award” in the SME support category, among other valuable achievements.

In addition, efforts to secure new growth engines were intensified. The bank strengthened both its metropolitan area business base and regional corporate finance competitiveness, reorganized its asset portfolio to secure stable future growth engines, and continued efforts to further solidify asset soundness, which is the highest level among regional banks.

First, the bank established a “Metropolitan Area Sales Center” dedicated to corporate credit sales in the metropolitan area and assigned about 10 corporate finance branch managers (RMs) specializing in corporate sales. It also set up a “Metropolitan Credit Sales Team” responsible for expanding household loans, mainly mid-term loans.

Furthermore, the bank focused on internal changes and innovations. It advanced its liquidity crisis management system to prepare for the rapidly changing financial environment, devoted great effort to asset soundness management to firmly establish financial stability, and accelerated the digital transformation of various banking services and internal processes with the goal of “Easy, Convenient, and Safe Digital Gyeongnam Bank” to strengthen competitiveness in non-face-to-face retail finance.

It also devoted care to creating a dynamic organizational culture based on creativity, innovation, and communication. Through fair personnel management and rational compensation based on ability and performance, it boosted employee morale and fostered pride. The bank established a collaborative culture among members and strengthened partnerships between departments so that “positive influence,” where members contribute to each other’s success, could spread throughout the organization.

The bank improved and standardized the environment of its headquarters and branches, adding sensitivity and freshness to its outward image. In particular, a large wall clock signaling the start of a new era for BNK Gyeongnam Bank’s greater growth and a “Sympathy Message Board” containing messages of hope and encouragement to the region and customers were installed on the exterior wall of the headquarters, receiving positive responses.

President Ye said, “Over the past year, our employees worked with one heart to wisely overcome internal and external crises and lay the foundation for growth. This year, based on the group’s vision of ‘Finance that makes the world’s heart beat,’ we will continue our steps of change, innovation, coexistence, and companionship as a reliable bank that shares the local economy and customers’ lives.”

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