Jun Ji-hye, a reporter at the finance desk of The Korea Times, focuses primarily on economic policy and government agencies, mainly covering the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Budget and Planning, the National Tax Service and the Korea Customs Service. She previously covered financial authorities, including the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service, and earlier worked on the political, city and business desks, reporting on a wide range of issues.
Heads of financial firms attend CES to scout AI opportunities beyond lending
People head to exhibits at the CES 2025 tech trade show in Las Vegas, Jan. 7. Reuters-Yonhap
By Jun Ji-hye
Senior executives of major financial companies will attend CES 2026 in Las Vegas next month to explore how global artificial intelligence (AI) technologies can be applied to financial services, industry officials said Tuesday.
KakaoBank will be the only Korean internet-only bank attending the event, while the Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) will be the country's only bank to operate an exhibition booth. KB, Shinhan and Woori financial groups will also send CEOs and digital strategy teams.
Financial firms’ growing presence at CES reflects their efforts to explore the future of finance and identify pathways for digital innovation, as earnings foundations come under pressure from a prolonged low-interest-rate environment and tighter regulations.
According to KakaoBank, CEO Yun Ho-young, also known as Daniel Yun, will attend alongside members of the bank’s AI and strategy teams to monitor global technology trends.
KakaoBank CEO Yun Ho-young / Courtesy of KakaoBank
“CES 2026 will showcase AI agents, blockchain-based fintech solutions, AI-driven security technologies and on-device authentication, all of which are directly relevant to the future of financial services,” a KakaoBank official said. “Yun aims to gather insights that can be used to enhance customer experience and drive service innovation.”
Yun, who secured a fifth consecutive term this year, has repeatedly underscored the critical role of AI capabilities in strengthening KakaoBank’s identity as a technology-focused digital bank. He has continued to personally attend major global tech and fintech events with frontline staff, including the Money 2020 Asia fintech conference held in Thailand in April, to stay abreast of the latest AI developments.
Driven by a goal to innovate both customer experiences and internal work processes through AI, KakaoBank is steadily expanding the use of AI across its services, including AI-powered search functions and AI-enabled fund transfer features.
Other financial companies are also preparing CES delegations centered on digital strategy teams.
The KB Financial Group delegation will be headed by Choi Jae-hong, a Gangneung-Wonju National University professor and independent non-executive director, accompanied by working-level staff from its affiliates.
Woori Financial Group plans to dispatch around 30 participants, including deputy CEO-level executives.
Shinhan Bank, which has operated a CES booth for three consecutive years, will scale back this time to a working-level visit. At CES 2025 earlier this year, it showcased an unmanned branch operated by an AI-powered virtual banker, as well as its internally developed AI chatbot.
IBK's standalone booth will feature technologies developed by the bank and seven promising companies. It will also offer interactive programs that give visitors a chance to experience Korea’s content investment process firsthand.