Woori Financial Savings Bank获得约2000亿韩元外资授信额度

Woori Financial Savings Bank has secured a credit line of about 200 billion won from foreign banks, expanding its funding base. The move is seen as a result of external financial institutions gaining confidence in the bank following the cleanup of bad assets and improvements in soundness since CEO Lee Seok-tae took office.
According to the financial industry on the 15th, the credit line secured by Woori Financial Savings Bank amounts to about 200 billion won, provided by two foreign banks including the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC). A credit line is a credit facility agreement that allows funds to be raised within an agreed limit when needed, serving as a means to enhance a savings bank's liquidity response capacity.
Savings banks rely heavily on deposits, making it difficult for them to use various funding methods such as issuing bank debentures as commercial banks do. The securing of this credit facility is significant in that it has further strengthened the bank's capacity to respond to liquidity needs.
The industry views the very fact that foreign banks extended a credit facility as recognition of Woori Financial Savings Bank's financial stability and external credibility.
Indeed, Woori Financial Savings Bank's soundness has shown continuous improvement since CEO Lee took office. Project financing (PF) bad assets, which stood at about 250 billion won at the time of his appointment, are known to have been reduced to about 32 billion to 33 billion won. The delinquency rate, which was 6.5% in 2024, his first year in office, fell to 4.45% in the first quarter of this year, while the non-performing loan (NPL) ratio dropped from 9.8% to 5.73% over the same period.
Earnings are also recovering rapidly. Woori Financial Savings Bank posted net losses of 41.7 billion won and 74.8 billion won in 2023 and 2024, respectively, but succeeded in turning to a profit last year and has maintained a surplus in the first quarter of this year.
The recovery in soundness and profitability has also led to an improvement in external credit standing. NICE Investors Service recently maintained Woori Financial Savings Bank's corporate credit rating at 'A' in its regular evaluation and raised the rating outlook from 'negative' to 'stable.'
"Global financial institutions tend to have stricter credit reviews than domestic financial firms," a financial industry official said. "Securing this credit line goes beyond simply expanding the funding base; it means the bank's soundness and repayment ability have been recognized."