Shinhan Financial Group vs Woori Financial Group
Shinhan Financial Group holds the stronger position because it is growing profit at double digits while Woori has fallen to last place among the big five with a shrinking bank unit.
Shinhan Financial Group
Shinhan Financial Group runs banking, cards, securities and insurance across South Korea's Big Five.
Woori Financial Group
South Korean bank holding company, one of the country's five largest financial groups
Dimension by dimension
| Dimension | Shinhan Financial Group | Woori Financial Group |
|---|---|---|
| Staying power of the core product | Shinhan runs banking, cards, securities, and insurance together, and net profit keeps climbing year over year. | Woori is still a banking and insurance holding company, but its core bank posted a 14.2% drop in standalone profit. |
| Exposure to AI | Marked unlikely to be absorbed by AI, and a giant is blocked from copying the group structure. | Same rating, unlikely to be absorbed and blocked from being copied by a giant. |
| How easily a giant copies them | Blocked, the same as Woori. | Blocked, the same as Shinhan. |
| Pressure from rivals | Faces pressure from KB Financial's larger group profit and from neobanks Kakao Bank and Toss chasing retail deposits and younger customers. | Faces heavier direct pressure than Shinhan, having been overtaken by NH NongHyup Financial Group, landing fifth of five among the major financial groups in H1 2026 on weaker securities and brokerage results. |
| Financial footing | FY2025 net profit reached KRW 4.97 trillion, up 11.7% year over year, with H1 2026 net profit at KRW 3.4427 trillion, up 13.3%. | FY2025 consolidated net income was KRW 3.1413 trillion, with a CET1 ratio of 12.9%, but standalone bank profit fell 14.2%. |
| Standing among peers | Described as built to last, sitting behind KB Financial in group profit but growing steadily. | Described as defensible for now, having slipped to last among the five major groups. |
Questions people ask
- Shinhan Financial Group vs Woori Financial Group, which is more exposed to AI?
- Neither is expected to be absorbed by AI, and both are marked as blocked from being copied by a giant. The two companies sit at the same level on this measure, so the difference between them comes from elsewhere.
- Which company has stronger profit growth, Shinhan or Woori?
- Shinhan posted FY2025 net profit of KRW 4.97 trillion, up 11.7% year over year, and kept growing into H1 2026 at up 13.3%. Woori's FY2025 net income was KRW 3.1413 trillion, and its standalone bank profit actually fell 14.2% year over year.
- Is Woori Financial Group falling behind its rivals?
- Yes, Woori has been overtaken by NH NongHyup Financial Group and now ranks fifth of five major groups in H1 2026, driven by weaker securities and brokerage results rather than AI. Shinhan, by comparison, faces pressure mainly from KB Financial and neobanks but has not slipped in ranking.
- Which company has a safer capital position, Shinhan or Woori?
- Woori reports a CET1 ratio of 12.9% for FY2025, a specific capital figure. Shinhan's digest does not include a comparable CET1 figure, so a direct capital comparison cannot be made from the numbers given.
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