Internet Banks See 50% Surge in Corporate Loans Amid Growing Competition

 

인터넷전문은행 3사(토스뱅크·케이뱅크·카카오뱅크)의 기업대출 잔액이 1년 새 50% 넘게 급증했다. 개인사업자 대출을 중심으로 몸집을 키운 데 이어 중소법인 대출시장 진출까지 예고하면서 시중은행과 기업금융 경쟁도 확대될 전망이다.

According to the Financial Supervisory Service's Financial Statistics Information System (FISIS), as of the end of June this year, the corporate loan balance of the three internet banks—Toss Bank, K-Bank, and KakaoBank—reached 8.3252 trillion won, an increase of 2.7987 trillion won (50.6%) from 5.5265 trillion won a year earlier. In comparison, the five major banks (KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, Woori, and NH Nonghyup) reported a corporate loan balance of 867.4202 trillion won, reflecting a 5.4% increase during the same period.

While the total corporate loan volume from internet banks remains about 1% of that of the five major banks, the latter primarily serve large corporations, small businesses, and individual entrepreneurs, whereas internet banks focus mainly on loans for individual business owners.

When comparing only individual business loans, the growth of internet banks is even more pronounced. The five major banks saw their individual business loan balance decrease from 325.2849 trillion won at the end of September last year to 324.4238 trillion won by the end of December. Although it rebounded to 325.4617 trillion won by the end of March this year, it only increased by 25.1 billion won by the end of June, indicating stagnation.

In contrast, the corporate loans from the three internet banks, primarily focused on individual business owners, have grown by nearly 2.8 trillion won over the past year. This expansion is seen as a strategy to overcome growth limitations imposed by household loan regulations.

The entry into the small business loan market is also becoming clearer. K-Bank is preparing to launch a 100% non-face-to-face corporate loan product by the third quarter of next year, starting with guarantee loans and planning to expand to secured and credit loans. KakaoBank is set to introduce corporate loans in collaboration with Busan Bank in the fourth quarter of next year. A KakaoBank representative stated, "We also plan to launch independent small business loan products in the future." Toss Bank has not yet set a specific launch date but plans to gradually expand services and credit offerings for corporate clients.

As internet banks expand their business scope, traditional banks are increasingly recognizing the need to strengthen their relationships with existing corporate clients. A report released by Hana Financial Research the previous day analyzed that the foundation for internet banks to expand their small business clientele has been established, potentially intensifying competition with traditional banks.

Traditional banks are responding by leveraging their existing corporate finance capabilities. A representative from a major bank stated, "We will enhance our competitiveness by utilizing accumulated corporate transaction data, specialized personnel, and offline sales networks to provide customized comprehensive financial services."