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South Korean banking group heads see Big Techs and fintechs as threats

Big Techs and financial technology companies are seen by heads of South Korea’s top five traditional banking groups as threats to their survival in the new year. The banking heads pointed to swift digital transformation and bolstering competitiveness of diverse business units as main requirements to survive this year, according to The Korea Herald. Shinhan Financial Group’s chairman Cho Yong-byoung told his employees in his New Year’s speech that Internet-only banks and Big Tech’s new moves into the finance sector have been leading the changes in the financial market. Hana Financial Group chairman Kim Jung-tai said that while digital transformation is crucial, fostering the offline channels that Big Tech and fintech firms still lack could help them make headway.

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