Rising stock market activity pushed the five largest financial groups in South Korea’s net profit to over 13 trillion won in the first half of the year, with brokerage business serving as the main growth engine

Deep Tide TechFlow update. On July 26, according to South Korean media outlet Asiae, driven by activity in the Korean stock market, the five largest Korean financial groups (KB Financial, Shinhan Financial, Hana Financial, Woori Financial, and NH NongHyup Financial) achieved total net profit of 13.12 trillion KRW in the first half of 2026, up about 10% year over year. Among them, KB Financial posted net profit of 3.88 trillion KRW to remain in first place, while Shinhan Financial ranked second with 3.44 trillion KRW.

Analysis shows that the securities subsidiaries of the five largest Korean financial groups saw a sharp increase in performance. NH Investment & Securities, KB Securities, and Shinhan Investment Corp. reported first-half net profits up 107.5%, 135.0%, and 123.1% year over year, respectively, driving a continued increase in the contribution of non-banking business to group profits. At the same time, several insurance subsidiaries faced pressure on their performance due to factors including a rise in the claims ratio and adjustments to insurance actuarial assumptions. Major financial groups also announced that they will continue to advance share buyback and cancellation plans in the second half of the year, further enhancing shareholder returns.