NH NongHyup Bank announced plans to expand support for agricultural and food startups gaining attention in global markets, aiming to strengthen its productive finance initiatives.
The bank held a "K-Food Venture Capital Investment Activation Strategy Meeting" on December 9 at its headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, presided over by Bank President Kang Tae-young.
Following the meeting, NH NongHyup Bank decided to integrate investment, financial, and non-financial support functions that had been operated separately across departments. The bank plans to make preemptive investments in agricultural food startups and K-trend leading companies tailored to each growth stage while accelerating support.
The meeting produced concrete strategic investment plans that go beyond simple funding provision. These strategies encompass business expansion and market entry support in core agricultural industry sectors attracting global attention, including food technology and agricultural technology.
NH NongHyup Bank aims to transform into a partner-type financial institution that takes full responsibility for the growth of agricultural food companies. A bank official stated, "We aim to foster growth engines for the real economy through venture capital investment, going beyond traditional loan-focused finance. K-food support can become a pillar of productive finance."
NH NongHyup Bank currently operates eight agricultural food funds totaling 341.1 billion won. The bank has achieved visible results through preemptive investments in AI sorting machines and slaughtering robots. It plans to expand fund operations to over 500 billion won within three years to support the investment ecosystem across the agricultural food industry.
Bank President Kang said, "Venture capital investment in K-food is a core task for strengthening the future competitiveness of domestic agriculture. We will fulfill our role as a responsible partner that shapes industry trends beyond financial functions, ensuring bold venture capital investments lead to actual growth."