Hana Daetoo Securities CEO Kim Ji-wan checks a trekking route with company employees on a mountain in northern Seoul on Sept. 4, 2009. The mountain climbing is an annual event designed to boost teamwork and workers’ morale. / Courtesy of Hana Daetoo Securities

By Lee Hyo-sik
Staff Reporter

Hana Daetoo Securities is seeking to emerge as the nation's top wealth manager by providing brokerage trading, asset management and investment banking-related services.

In order to cope with rapidly changing financial market conditions and consumer needs, the securities firm is undergoing a drastic overhaul to transform its organizational structure into a more client-oriented and agile financial services provider.

``We have and will continue to do our best to offer a wide range of financial products and services to satisfy increasingly sophisticated customer needs amid the rapidly changing market environment after the Capital Market Consolidation Act went into effect in early 2009. To do so, we will expand our sales networks to attract more retail and institutional investors, generate larger profits from equity trading businesses and diversify business portfolios,'' Hana Daetoo Securities CEO Kim Jin-wan said.

The company is looking to retain its customers and attract new ones by bolstering investor protection and offering diverse asset management services.

``To help equity fund investors realize high returns and minimize risks, our highly trained financial consultants evaluate investment tendencies of each customer by checking risk tolerance, the purpose of the investment and other factors,'' the CEO said.

The brokerage house recommends investors to put money into an installment equity fund rather than invest in a lump sum to reduce risks and better deal with market fluctuations, Kim said.

``Under the motto of putting the customer first, if investors were misinformed when they subscribe to our equity funds, we compensate them for investment loss. We make every effort to introduce each individual investor products that are tailored to their risk tolerance and investment pattern,'' the CEO said.

To boost its brokerage trading business, Hana Daetoo has introduced a home trading system (HTS) that charges the lowest commission fees on stock transactions among major industry players. ``We also provide consultation services and up-to-date market information to online traders through our HTS to help them become a better investor.''

To turn the securities firm into a leading financial services provider, the CEO plans to strengthen its investment banking business. ``In December 2008, we merged with Hana IB Securities and has secured capacity to undertake large-scale merger and acquisition (M&A) and other sophisticated corporate financial services. We will soon become a market leader in the lucrative and rapidly growing investment banking sector.''

The brokerage house also plans to make inroads into foreign markets to secure more retail and institutional investors, and find new sources of income.

``We have begun offering foreign exchange margin trading services to our customers. Investors can also buy stocks listed on foreign bourses more easily through us. As a first step toward overseas, we will soon open a subsidiary in Hong Kong,'' Kim said.

The CEO said Hana Daetoo will capitalize on its brand power and wealth of investment information to emerge as Korea's best performing and most reliable financial player. ``We have accumulated extensive expertise and know-how in many financial fields. Additionally, we offer customer-oriented consultation services and the comprehensive wealth management system to help our clients richer and happier.''

On the back of its advanced enterprise resource planning and digital rights management systems, the company is doing its best to protect customer information and make all financial transactions safe. ``We are known as an academy for fund managers and equity analysts through a variety of rigorous on-the-job training and other vocational programs. Our industry-best financial consultants offer customers person-person consultation to help them realize financial goals,'' Kim said.

leehs@koreatimes.co.kr