Shinhan seizes South Korea's top bank brand spot with $8.8b valuation

Nine SoKor bank brands are collectively valued at $31.8b, up 19%.

Shinhan Finance Group is South Korea’s most valuable bank brand, according to a report by New Brand Finance, a brand valuation consultancy.

A total of nine South Korean banking brands is collectively valued at $31.8b, the report said. This is 19% higher than a year earlier.

Shinhan Financial Group saw its brand value jump 39% year-on-year (YoY) to $8.8b, climbing eight spots to rank 54th globally. It saw a significant improvement in its brand strength index (BSI) score rising to 84.4 out of 100, New Brand Finance said.

KB Financial Group ranked at the 55th spot, with a brand value of $8.3b or 14% higher than a year ago. Apart from its bank KB Kookmin, its non-banking subsidiaries— insurance, securities, and credit cards— accounted for 37% of its total profit in 2025.

NH Bank and Hana Financial Group both crossed the $3.5b threshold this year, ranking 102nd and 103rd, respectively.

NH Bank saw its brand value grow 7% to $3.9b, whilst Hana Financial Group saw a strong 23% increase in brand value to $3.8b.

Other banks in the Banking 500 2026 are Woori Bank (112th), Industrial Bank of Korea (166th), KDB Group (243rd), iM Financials (297th), and BNK Financial Group (307th).

Globally, BCA is the world’s strongest banking brand, and ICBC is the most valuable banking brand at $90.9b. HSBC re-entered the global top ten this year, New Brand Finance said.