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Woori Financial Group Chairman Yim Jong-yong (pictured) said on the 7th that "finance must evolve into 'investment-type productive finance' that invests in future potential beyond simply supplying capital, with venture capital at its center."
Yim made the remarks that day at the "2026 WFRI Conference," hosted by the Woori Finance Research Institute at the group's headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul. He described venture capital as "finance that believes in and supports the potential of companies that are small and uncertain but challenge the market with new technologies and ideas."
Woori Financial Group has expanded productive finance to support real economic growth since last year, and plans to actively support venture capital going forward so that startups and others can secure the investment and business opportunities they need. Through Dino Lab, its startup incubation platform, the group has discovered and nurtured 231 startups and invested a cumulative 470 billion won across the group.
Yim stressed that "Dino Lab operates regional bases, and 66% of the companies discovered since 2024 have been from outside the greater Seoul area," adding, "I believe that creating an environment where innovative startups and young companies can grow in provincial regions as well is the starting point for balanced regional development." He added, "We will continue to organically connect investment, collaboration, growth finance, and capital markets to accompany companies on their growth journey."
