Major financial groups enjoy strong Q3 earnings, but face mounting regulatory pressure

KB, Shinhan, Hana and Woori posted a combined 5.76 trillion won in net profit in the third quarter, while facing increased regulatory scrutiny over cybersecurity and governance. KB led with 1.91 trillion won, and Woori was the only group to report a year-on-year decline. Financial regulators called on boards to strengthen cybersecurity oversight and make subsidiary CEO appointments more transparent and fair. FSC Chairman Lee Eog-weon is scheduled to meet bank and industry leaders on Nov. 5 to discuss defenses against AI-powered cyberattacks.

KB Financial Group’s net profit for the first nine months reached a record 5.79 trillion won.

Shinhan Financial Group’s nine-month net profit also reached a record, at 5.03 trillion won.

Hana’s 1.22 trillion won quarterly net profit was its highest since the 2015 merger of Hana Bank and Korea Exchange Bank.

Woori recorded quarterly profit above 1 trillion won for a second consecutive quarter, the first time it had done so since the group launched in 2019.

At an Oct. 14 emergency meeting, FSC Secretary General Shin Jin-chang said financial firms continued to fall short of basic security standards despite repeated warnings.

Published Oct 29, 2026 4:21 pm KST

Updated Oct 29, 2026 4:49 pm KST

A composite image shows the headquarters of Korea's four largest financial holding companies: Shinhan, Woori, KB and Hana. Courtesy of each company

Korea’s four largest financial groups — KB, Shinhan, Hana and Woori — have shown strong earnings for the third quarter of this year, posting a combined 5.76 trillion won ($4.31 billion) in net profit. But a recent wave of cyberattacks and data breaches, as well as tougher regulatory scrutiny of corporate governance, are adding to the challenges they face, industry officials said Thursday.

According to market data, KB Financial Group led the pack with a third-quarter net profit of 1.91 trillion won, up 13.1 percent from a year earlier. Its cumulative profit for the first nine months reached a record 5.79 trillion won.

Shinhan followed with 1.58 trillion won, an 11.3 percent increase from the same period last year. Its nine-month net profit also hit a record, at 5.03 trillion won.

Hana logged a net profit of 1.22 trillion won, its highest quarterly figure since the 2015 merger of Hana Bank and Korea Exchange Bank.

Woori was the only one of the four to post a decline, with net profit falling 15.7 percent to 1.04 trillion won. Even so, it recorded a quarterly profit of over 1 trillion won for the second consecutive quarter for the first time since the group was launched in 2019.

Such strong earnings come amid regulators’ growing demand for accountability from financial groups over cybersecurity and governance.

A recent string of cyberattacks and the subsequent data leaks across the financial sector has intensified concerns over firms’ security systems and internal controls, particularly as hackers gain access to increasingly sophisticated, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools.

At a regular meeting with the heads of eight financial holding companies on Wednesday, Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) Gov. Lee Chan-jin urged company boards to take a more active role in cybersecurity.

“Firms must stop treating IT security as a secondary concern, merely going through the motions of regulatory compliance or skimping on the staff and resources needed to protect their systems because they view security spending as a cost,” he said.

Lee also pressed the groups to improve their governance practices as succession procedures for subsidiary CEOs get underway, calling for greater transparency and fairness in the appointments.

The Financial Services Commission (FSC) has also stepped up its response. At an emergency meeting on Oct. 14, Secretary General Shin Jin-chang voiced concern that financial firms had continued to fall short of basic security standards despite continuous warnings to strengthen their defenses.

“It is deeply troubling that firms are still failing to meet basic security requirements despite repeated calls for comprehensive inspections and stronger controls,” he said.

FSC Chairman Lee Eog-weon is scheduled to meet with chiefs of major financial industry associations and CEOs of the country’s five commercial banks on Nov. 5 to review how the sector can strengthen its defenses against cyberattacks using AI.

KB、新韩、韩亚和友利四家银行第三季度净利润合计达5.76万亿韩元，但同时面临监管机构对网络安全和公司治理日益严格的审查。其中，KB以1.91万亿韩元的净利润领跑，友利是唯一一家同比下滑的银行集团。金融监管机构呼吁各银行董事会加强网络安全监管，并提高子公司CEO任命的透明度和公平性。金融监督管理委员会（FSC）主席李玉元将于11月5日与银行业及行业领袖会面，探讨如何防御人工智能驱动的网络攻击。

KB金融集团前九个月的净利润达到创纪录的5.79万亿韩元。

新韩金融集团前九个月的净利润也创下历史新高，达到 5.03 万亿韩元。

Hana银行季度净利润达1.22万亿韩元，是自2015年Hana银行与韩国外汇银行合并以来的最高水平。

友利集团连续第二个季度实现超过 1 万亿韩元的季度利润，这是该集团自 2019 年成立以来首次取得如此佳绩。

10月14日，金管局秘书长申进昌在紧急会议上表示，尽管多次发出警告，但金融公司仍然未能达到基本的安全标准。

发布于2026年10月29日下午4:21（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月29日下午4:49（韩国标准时间）

这张合成图片展示了韩国四大金融控股公司——新韩金融集团、友利金融集团、KB金融集团和韩亚金融集团——的总部大楼。图片由各公司提供。

韩国四大金融集团——KB银行、新韩银行、韩亚银行和友利银行——今年第三季度业绩强劲，净利润合计达5.76万亿韩元（约合43.1亿美元）。但业内人士周四表示，近期一系列网络攻击和数据泄露事件，以及监管机构对公司治理日益严格的审查，都加剧了它们面临的挑战。

根据市场数据，KB金融集团第三季度净利润达1.91万亿韩元，同比增长13.1%，领跑各家公司。其前九个月累计利润达到创纪录的5.79万亿韩元。

新韩银行紧随其后，营收达1.58万亿韩元，较去年同期增长11.3%。其前九个月的净利润也创下历史新高，达到5.03万亿韩元。

Hana银行录得净利润1.22万亿韩元，这是自2015年Hana银行与韩国外汇银行合并以来最高的季度利润。

四家公司中，友利集团是唯一一家净利润下滑的公司，净利润下降15.7%至1.04万亿韩元。即便如此，该公司仍连续第二个季度实现超过1万亿韩元的季度利润，这是自2019年集团成立以来的首次。

在监管机构对金融集团在网络安全和公司治理方面提出越来越高的问责要求之际，这些公司仍取得了如此强劲的盈利。

最近金融领域发生的一系列网络攻击和随后的数据泄露事件，加剧了人们对公司安全系统和内部控制的担忧，尤其是在黑客获得越来越复杂的人工智能 (AI) 工具的情况下。

周三，金融监督院院长李灿镇在与八家金融控股公司负责人举行的例行会议上，敦促各公司董事会在网络安全方面发挥更积极的作用。

他说：“企业必须停止将 IT 安全视为次要问题，仅仅走过场遵守监管规定，或者因为将安全支出视为成本而吝惜保护系统所需的人员和资源。”

李还敦促各集团在子公司首席执行官继任程序启动之际改进其治理做法，呼吁在任命过程中提高透明度和公平性。

金融服务委员会（FSC）也加强了应对措施。在10月14日召开的紧急会议上，秘书长申进昌表示担忧，尽管此前已多次警告金融机构加强防御，但它们仍未能达到基本的安全标准。

“尽管我们一再呼吁进行全面检查和加强管控，但一些公司仍然未能满足基本的安全要求，这令人深感不安。”他说道。

韩国金融服务委员会主席李玉元计划于11月5日与主要金融行业协会负责人和韩国五家商业银行的首席执行官会面，讨论该行业如何利用人工智能加强对网络攻击的防御。