Woori said on Thursday it earned 3.1413 trillion won in net profit last year, up 1.8% from a year earlier, marking a second straight year above 3 trillion won. The company avoided a profit decline even after booking a 51.5 billion won provision tied to a fine related to alleged loan-to-value ratio collusion; excluding that, the result was effectively a record, it said. Noninterest income rose 25% from a year earlier, reflecting the launch of Woori Investment & Securities and the impact of acquiring Tongyang Life Insurance.
BNK said it earned 815 billion won in net profit last year, up 11.9% from a year earlier and the highest since 2021. With interest-income growth slowing, net profit at nonbank units such as BNK Capital and BNK Investment & Securities rose about 30% from a year earlier, supporting the overall result.
iM said its 2025 net profit attributable to controlling shareholders totaled 443.9 billion won, up 106.6% from a year earlier. Profit expanded as credit-loss costs at nonbank affiliates eased and profitability recovered at key subsidiaries including iM Securities.
The stronger earnings were followed by bigger shareholder payouts. Woori set its cash dividend payout ratio at 31.8%, topping 30% for the first time, and said its effective shareholder return ratio reached 39.8% using tax-exempt dividend resources. Its common equity Tier 1 ratio improved 80 basis points from a year earlier to 12.9%. Woori also plans to expand share buybacks and cancellations this year to 200 billion won, up 33% from a year earlier.
BNK decided on a cash dividend of 735 won per share and said it will also carry out share buybacks and cancellations. iM’s board approved a cash dividend of 700 won per common share, up 40% from a year earlier, putting its total shareholder return ratio at a record 38.8%. It also plans to buy back and cancel 40 billion won worth of shares in the first half of 2026.
“The key point in this earnings season is that they proved their commitment to shareholder returns with numbers,” a financial industry official said. As value-up plans become more concrete, the official said, financial stocks that had long been undervalued may have a chance to be priced more fairly by the market.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.