Shinhan Financial Group

Shinhan Financial Group is a South Korean financial holding company engaged in the management of subsidiaries, including commercial banking unit Shinhan Bank, regional bank Jeju Bank, credit card company Shinhan Card, securities unit Shinhan Investment and Shinhan Life Insurance. Shinhan Financial, one of the country's four biggest financial groups, has a capital and business tie-up with French bank BNP Paribas, a major shareholder of the Korean group.

Shinhan Bank was founded in 1982 with capital from Korean residents in Japan. In 2001, it formed a holding company, Shinhan Financial Group. The group has expanded by acquiring Chohung Bank; LG Card, the predecessor of Shinhan Card; and other financial entities. It now has total assets of over 300 trillion won on a consolidated basis.

In 2001, Shinhan Financial signed a comprehensive partnership agreement with BNP Paribas, under which the two companies set up a joint venture on asset management in South Korea. The group is also strengthening its overseas presence, bolstering its operating bases in Japan, the U.S. and European countries as well as in China, Vietnam and Kazakhstan -- regions in which South Korean companies are operating.

Shinhan Financial has had the largest market capitalization among South Korean financial holding companies for many years and has a reputation as a financially healthy company with solid growth potential. Although South Korea's banking industry is often affected by government policy, it is widely believed that the group's management remains relatively immune from such influence.