Company: SHG
Filing Date: 2025-04-23
Form Type: 20-F
Source: 0001193125-25-089950
Chunk: 29

Company: SHINHAN FINANCIAL GROUP CO LTD
Filing Date: 2025-04-23
Form: 20-F
Chunk 29
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, Shinhan Bank. One of our core banking businesses has historically been and continues to be lending to small- and medium-sized enterprises (as defined in “Item 4.B. Business Overview — Our Principal Activities — Corporate Banking Services — Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises Banking”). Shinhan Bank’s loans (before allowance for credit losses and deferred loan origination costs and fees) to such enterprises amounted to W131,304 billion as of December 31, 2022, W134,271 billion as of December 31, 2023 and W145,327 billion as of December 31, 2024, representing 31.8%, 32.2% and 31.9% respectively, of our total loan portfolio as of such dates.

Compared to loans to large corporations, which tend to be better capitalized and better able to weather business downturns, or loans to individuals and households, which tend to be secured with homes and with respect to which the borrowers are therefore less willing to default, loans to small- and medium-sized enterprises have historically had a relatively higher delinquency ratio. Many small- and medium-sized enterprises represent sole proprietorships or small businesses dependent on a relatively limited number of suppliers or customers and tend to be affected to a greater extent than large corporate borrowers by fluctuations in the Korean and global economy. In addition, small- and medium-sized enterprises often maintain less sophisticated financial records than large corporate borrowers. Therefore, it is generally more difficult for banks to judge the level of risk inherent in lending to such enterprises, as compared to large corporations. In addition, many small- and medium-sized enterprises are dependent on business relationships with large corporations in Korea, primarily as suppliers. Any difficulties encountered by those large corporations would likely hurt the liquidity and financial condition of related small- and medium-sized enterprises, including those to which we have exposure, also resulting in an impairment of their ability to repay loans. As large Korean corporations continue to expand into China, Southeast Asia and other countries with lower labor costs and other expenses by relocating their production plants and facilities to such countries, such development may have a material adverse impact on such small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Financial difficulties experienced by small- and medium-sized enterprises as a result of, among other things, recent economic difficulties in Korea and globally and aggressive marketing and intense competition among banks to lend to this segment in recent years, coupled with our efforts to counter asset quality deterioration through conservative lending policy, have led to a fluctuation in the asset quality of our loans to this segment.