Stablecoins Poised for Growth Amid Financial Shifts, Says Hana Financial Group CEO

According to Odaily, Ham Young-joo, Chairman and CEO of Hana Financial Group, emphasized in his New Year's address that the acceleration of technology-driven changes in the financial structure is redirecting funds from traditional banking systems to emerging sectors. He highlighted stablecoins as a potential key growth driver for the group in the future. Ham stressed the need for the group to proactively build a comprehensive digital asset ecosystem, encompassing issuance, distribution, usage, and circulation, rather than merely competing within existing frameworks. Ham also noted that while the integration of digital assets into regulatory systems remains a topic of political discussion, the actual impact of stablecoins is difficult to assess accurately. Nonetheless, he urged the group to pursue fundamental innovations and establish distribution networks through cross-industry and cross-regional collaborations to facilitate the broader application of stablecoins. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of reducing reliance on traditional banking operations and accelerating expansion into non-banking sectors to address the financial structural transformation driven by artificial intelligence developments and changes in capital flow patterns. Ham cautioned that relying solely on scale and past successes is insufficient for ensuring long-term survival. He called for systematic restructuring in areas such as investment banking, risk management, and corporate credit evaluation, and urged overcoming internal inertia to urgently seek new growth opportunities.