Korea Institute of Finance

Financial Research Brief

26-03 Mar 14, 2026

2026 Outlook for the Banking Sector and Key Risk Factors

Through the third quarter of 2025, domestic commercial banks posted net income of KRW 21.2 trillion, representing a 12.0% year-on-year increase, driven primarily by higher non-interest income. However, net interest margins (NIMs) have stagnated, while total loan growth has slowed sharply, from 8.8% to 3.6% year on year, suggesting a gradual weakening of banks’ core earnings capacity. From a capital adequacy standpoint, key financial soundness indicators, including the common equity Tier 1 (CET1...

Financial Review Young Do Kim

Utilizing Trusts for "Dementia Money" Management

Policy Issue in Focus Young Kyung Lee

Growing Cooperation between Digital Asset Markets and the Financial Sector: Key Policy Implications

Policy Issue in Focus Yeonju Baik

Credit Score Inflation in the United States: Examples and Policy Implications

Policy Issue in Focus Soo Jin Lee

FSC Enhances Market Vigilance Amid Middle East Tensions, Mar 2026 (FSC)

News Briefs KIF

2025 Annual Report

20260317 KIF

Designing Sustainable MyData Frameworks for Vietnam: A Comparative Study of Korea's Experience and Policy Adaptation for Local Innovation

This study assesses Vietnam’s legal and institutional maturity and its preparedness for adopting financial MyData, and evaluates the relevant financial infrastructure elements by comparing them with the Korean case. Although Vietnam has met some of the basic requirements, the results indicate that it will require improvements to the legal and institutional framework, as well as strengthened inter-agency cooperation, to establish a safe and consent-based data-sharing system. This study also iden...

20260115 Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc, Choi Kwang Seok

Designing Sustainable MyData Frameworks for Georgia: A Comparative Study of Korea's Experience and Its Policy Adaptation

This study is a comparative analysis conducted to explore how Korea’s MyData framework can be incorporated into Georgia’s open banking and open finance development strategy. Korea has established a user-centric data ecosystem that spans finance, telecommunications, healthcare, and the public sector. This ecosystem is supported by a world-leading Data Re-use Index, a mature MyData infrastructure, a stringent licensing data-protection regime, and extensive API standardization. In contrast, Georg...

20260115 Varlam Ebanoidze, Kwang Seok Choi

A Study on the Possibility of a Compromise Between Household Debt Soundness and Financial Accessibility of Underserved Population : A Microeconomic View on Savings Bank Loan Holders

차주의 연체 발생 확률은 원리금 상환부담(debt-to-income, DTI) 증가뿐 아니라 신용공급 축소 등에 따른 유동성 제약 시 높아질 수 있음. 이에 본 연구는 유동성 제약이 연체 발생에 미치는 영향을 가계신용대출 보유 차주에 관한 미시 데이터를 통해 정량적으로 추산함. 당월 추가로 유동성을 공급받은 차주 대비 미공급 차주의 익월 연체진입률 배수(odds ratio)는 저축은행 차주가 2.0으로, 카드업권(1.7), 캐피탈업권(1.5), 은행업권(1.2)에 비해 높았음. 이는 저신용차주 및 이들 비중이 큰 저축은행 차주에 대한 유동성 공급이 연...

20260114 Tae-Rog Oh

Global Expansion of Policy Banks in Korea and Future Tasks

The assets of policy banks have expanded rapidly so that overseas asset ratio(overseas assets/total assets) of the Korea Development Bank(KDB), the Export-Import Bank of Korea(KEXIM), and the Industrial Bank of Korea(IBK) stands at 14%, 3% and 4% respectively. Overseas profit ratio(overseas profit/total profit), KDB and IBK show levels of 5% and 4%, respectively. Policy financial institutions in major foreign countries show that even government-owned banks actively pursue commercial roles(DBS) ...

20260114 Yoonsok Lee

Expanding Inclusion through Insurance: Analysis of global and Korean Inclusive Insurance Markets

The purpose of inclusive insurance is to alleviate economic instability among vulnerable populations by providing them with accessible and affordable insurance products, thereby improving financial inclusion and alleviating social inequality. This study thoroughly examines the cases of inclusive insurance in both global and Korean insurance markets. Based on the analysis of domestic and international cases, this study draws the following policy implications. First, insurance companies should ex...

20260114 Kwangmin Jung, Sangyong Han