하나은행이 간편결제 서비스로 예상되는 하나 페이먼츠 (Hana Payments)를 상표로 출원해 간편결제시장 진출에 속도를 내고 있다. 　 15일 금융권에 따르면 하나은행은 3월 중순 해당 상표를 특허청에 출원했다. 최근 금융지주의 간편결제 시장 진출이 가속화되고 있는 만큼 이번 상표 출원이 간편결제 사업의 일환이라는 해석이 나온다.  하나은행이 “Hana Payments 브랜드 관련 사업은 하나카드 소관”이라고 밝히면서 이러한 관측에 힘을 실리고 있다. 　 하나카드 관계자는 이에 대해 “Hana Payments 관련해 구체적인 사업 콘텐츠나 아이템이 정해진 건 아직 없다“며 ”이번 상표 출원은 나중에 쓸 수 있는 네이밍 확보 차원의 선제적 대응”이라고 말을 아꼈다. 　 하지만 최근 카카오페이·네이버페이 등 국내 빅테크들이 주도하고 있는 간편결제 시장에 KB금융과 신한금융지주가 본격적으로 진출했

한국어판 April 15, 2021

Provincial bank-led financial institution JB Financial Group said Wednesday it had launched an intraboard committee responsible for making business decisions focused on environmental, social and corporate governance values.  As the top decision-making body for ESG management, the new committee will develop corporate strategies and policies regarding the incorporation of ESG criteria into the group’s business portfolios, while supervising ESG-related initiatives conducted by its af

Market April 14, 2021

The government should not set legal requirements for companies adopting environmental, social and corporate governance, or ESG, principles, but should instead provide incentives for those accepting green and ethical management practices voluntarily, a top lawyer said.  Lim Sung-taek, a managing partner at law firm Jipyong, said in an interview that excessive state-imposed restrictions regarding ESG commitments could lead to market backlash because ESG is about paradigm shifts created by ma

Market April 12, 2021

BNP Paribas South Korea said Sunday it had recently hosted a webinar to offer insight into green finance at home and abroad, as well as on law firms’ key roles in supporting companies’ environmental, social and governance management.  Co-hosted by local law firm Shin & Kim, the virtual event featured Kwon Yong-kwon, head of debt capital markets division at BNP Paribas Securities Korea, Song Soo-Young, a partner lawyer at Shin & Kim, and Lee Ji-sun, leader of Posco&rsq

Market April 11, 2021

Financial authorities will launch an investigation into executives of Hyundai Motor on allegations that they used undisclosed information regarding Apple’s electric vehicle project to profit from share trading, industry sources said Sunday. The Korea Exchange has passed on the case to the Financial Services Commission to begin its own probe as early as this month and decide whether to refer the case to prosecutors, industry insiders said. The KRX investigation, launched during the last

Market April 11, 2021

  Hong Ha-hyun, an ad designer in her 30s, has an important Zoom meeting to attend at 5 a.m. every day. The meetings are not about work, but about boosting positivity in her life, she said. With 35 people she met online, Hong reads books, meditates or drinks a cup of tea before dawn. Since September, the online community Dawning Designer has given her a chance to practice “miracle morning” rituals, leaving her feeling empowered and relaxed. “I believe the daily lives o

Economy April 10, 2021

This is part of a series of interviews and analyses of South Korea’s top bankers, policymakers and investors leading the financial industry here. This is the third installment. -- Ed. Citibank Korea CEO Yoo Myung-soon and her rise to the top made fresh headlines late last year, when she became the first female chief of a South Korean commercial bank. The news brought hopes for greater gender diversity in a finance market long dominated by men. Her vision of making the bank stand out a

Market April 7, 2021

Investors engaged in naked short selling will be fined up to 100 percent of their order amount, the nation’s top financial regulator said Tuesday.  According to the policymaking Financial Services Commission, the revised Capital Markets Act, which imposes tougher penalties for naked short selling, has taken effect on the same day.  Short selling is a trading tactic where investors immediately sell borrowed stocks on a bet that share prices will fall, allowing them to later re

Market April 6, 2021

Financial Services Commission Chairman Eun Sung-soo said Monday that SsangYong Motor’s likely investor, US automotive distributor HAAH Automotive, asked the government to give more time before it makes a decision on whether to submit a binding offer to invest in the cash-strapped commercial vehicle maker. “We have not yet received an investment proposal from HAAH Automotive, but it doesn‘t mean the company officially declined to salvage SsangYong. The company said it needs m

Market April 5, 2021

Household debt in South Korea surged to nearly 100 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product, raising concerns that the central bank’s rate hikes may be placing a heavy burden on the household sector, a report showed Monday. The proportion of Korea’s household debt to its GDP -- the market value of all final goods and services produced in an economy during a certain period -- came to 98.6 percent at the end of June last year, according to the report from the Korea Inst

Market April 5, 2021

JB Financial Group, the holding group of Jeonbuk Bank and Kwangju Bank, said Thursday it has launched a new division in charge of overseas business activities to expand its global presence.  The banking giant appointed its incumbent senior executive officer, Yim Young-taick, formerly CEO of the group’s North Jeolla Province-based Jeonbuk Bank, to lead the newly launched global business division.  Yim, 70, served as Jeonbuk Bank CEO since 2014 until his retirement in March.&nb

Market April 1, 2021

Despite advocacy work on climate action, the Bank of Korea turned out to have lagged behind major economies in terms of concrete policy actions to limit financing for businesses with climage-related risks, a report showed Wednesday. According to a list of the Group of 20 nations ranked by green initiatives -- published by the non-profit Positive Money, the Bank of Korea took 13th place with the aggregate score of 11 out of 130, giving it a rating of D- on a scale of F to A+.  China top

Economy March 31, 2021

South Korea’s maximum legal interest rate that private lenders can charge customers will be lowered to 20 percent per annum from July, the nation’s top financial regulator said Tuesday. A revised enforcement ordinance to cut the maximum lending rate suggested by the policymaking Financial Services Commission in November was approved during a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day, officials said in a statement. The move is aimed at easing interest rate burdens on beleaguered debtors.

Economy March 30, 2021

The worsening turmoil in Myanmar is casting a shadow over South Korean banks’ rosy vision of gaining a foothold in the Southeast Asian region as the ongoing political unrest has either entirely or partially suspended their operations. South Korean banks have been gearing up to start business in the Myanmar market since 2012, as the quasi-civilian government undertook economic and political reforms. The administration that took power in 2011 institutionalized a new foreign investment law t

Market March 28, 2021

미얀마 군부 쿠데타가 장기화되는 가운데 현지에 진출한 신한은행과 하나은행이 군부 관련 기업을 간접적으로 지원 했다는 주장이 제기됐다.  25일 코리아헤럴드가 단독 입수한 미얀마 시민단체 ‘저스티스 포 미얀마(Justice For Myanmar)’의 실태조사 결과에 따르면 신한은행은 2019년 9월 미얀마에서 강판을 생산하는 미얀마포스코C&C에 총 75만 달러(약 8억 4천만원)의 대출을 제공했다. 해당 대출은 신한은행이 2016년 한국계 은행 최초로 설립한 양곤 지점에서 이뤄졌으며 지난해 5월 모두 만기 상환된 것으로 파악됐다.  미얀마포스코C&C는 포스코그룹의 철강 무역 계열사인 포스코강판이 2013년 미얀마 군부 소유 기업인 미얀마경제홀딩스(Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited)와 합작해 세운 현지 법인이다. 앞서 1997년 두 기업은 처음으로 손을 잡고 철강업체 미얀마포스코를 설립한 바 있다.

한국어판 March 26, 2021