Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo speaks during a recent industry event in Seoul. Photo by Hana Financial Group
SEOUL, July 27 (UPI) — South Korea’s Hana Financial Group said Friday it posted record earnings for the first half of this year, driven by its banking and brokerage businesses.
The Seoul-based financial conglomerate noted its net profit amounted to $1.6 billion during the first six months of 2026, up 4.4% from a year earlier. Its flagship subsidiary, Hana Bank, made the largest contribution, with a bottom line of $1.45 billion.
Non-banking affiliates also delivered robust results. Hana Securities, one of the country’s major brokerages, more than doubled its net income to $186 million year-on-year during the January-June period.
During the third quarter, Hana Financial said it would spend $171 million on share buybacks and cancellations, bringing the annual total to $478 million. It also plans to increase 2026 dividends payments by 26.5% from a year ago.
The company expects overall cash dividends for this year to reach $820 million, up more than 10% from 2025.
Hana Financial CFO Park Jong-moo said that the group would raise its target for return on equity, or ROE, to 12% from the previous goal of 10%. The group’s ROE stood at 10.62% in the first half.
ROE measures how efficiently a company generates profit from the shareholders’ equity. In other words, Hana Financial aims to earn 12 cents of yearly net profit for every dollar of shareholders’ equity.
“We will create a virtuous cycle in which higher ROE leads to greater shareholder returns and enhanced corporate value,” Park told an earnings call. “We have raised our ROE target to 12% and set our shareholder payout ratio at 50% or higher.”
Hana Financial shares rose 1.46% on the Seoul bourse Friday before falling 1.36% Monday.