KakaoBank CEO Yoon Ho-young: AI, Customer-Centric Integration Key to Financial Future

At the global fintech conference 'Money 2020 Asia' held in Bangkok, KakaoBank CEO Yoon Ho-young delivered a keynote speech, presenting a vision for the future of finance under the theme of "Growth Strategies of Digital Banks and AI Innovati...

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Apr 23, 2025 - 00:00

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At the global fintech conference 'Money 2020 Asia' held in Bangkok, KakaoBank CEO Yoon Ho-young delivered a keynote speech, presenting a vision for the future of finance under the theme of "Growth Strategies of Digital Banks and AI Innovation." At this event, widely regarded as the world's largest gathering encompassing the finance and IT industries, CEO Yoon emphasized, "AI-optimized UI/UX and data are now core elements that will determine survival," while also expressing a balanced perspective, stating, "The financial industry is not an area that can be innovated solely through AI technology." CEO Yoon predicted that the AI era would reorganize the industrial ecosystem around AI technology companies, but analyzed that only financial institutions possessing their unique data, trust, and 'customer-centric thinking' would wield dominant influence. Accordingly, he revealed that KakaoBank is 'all-in' on AI-based UI/UX transformation, declaring its ambition to lead the AI financial standard as an . KakaoBank's growth story clearly demonstrates the feasibility of this vision. After launching its service in 2017, it secured 1 million customers in just 5 days, surpassed 10 million in 2 years, and has rapidly grown into a bank used by more than 1 in 2 South Korean citizens today. Its signature products, such as 18 million MAU (Monthly Active Users) and 'Group Accounts', are symbols of innovative success born from 'customer-centric thinking'. Behind all aspects of KakaoBank's success, including differentiated deposit products, convenient transfer experiences based on open banking, and a platform business that offers financial products from over 100 partners in one place, lies a firm philosophy of resolving customer inconveniences and maximizing convenience. Beyond its domestic success, KakaoBank is stepping into the global market, emerging as a leader in 'K-Finance globalization'. It has made a strategic equity investment in Indonesia's digital bank 'Superbank', securing over 3 million customers, and is collaborating with Thai financial holding company SCBX to pursue obtaining a license for 'Virtual Bank', the Thai version of an internet-only bank. This demonstrates KakaoBank's strong commitment to successfully transplanting its digital financial know-how into overseas markets and contributing to the development of local financial technology. CEO Yoon presented a vision stating, "We will transform into a consumer-centric platform that aligns with digital transformation, where customers, not the bank, hold the choices and initiative, thereby leading the paradigm shift in banking," once again imprinting KakaoBank's bold goal of pursuing fundamental changes in finance beyond technological innovation. His keynote speech served as an important occasion to announce the current state and future possibilities of South Korean financial innovation to the world.