KakaoBank推出面向韩国220万外籍居民的账户、借记卡与跨境汇款服务包

KakaoBank (323410.KS) is rolling out a package of financial services for foreign residents in South Korea, covering account opening, card issuance and overseas remittances. The internet-only lender said it aims to give foreign customers access to roughly the same range of services through its app that domestic users already have.
KakaoBank announced the launch of a foreign-resident deposit account, its Friends check card and an overseas remittance service at a press briefing on foreign customer services on the 12th.
The services are available to foreign residents aged 19 and older. Customers can open an account with a foreign national identification card and a mobile phone registered in their own name. Account opening takes about five minutes when no additional review is required. The bank has also streamlined the process of entering details such as name, nationality and address by drawing on public MyData records and a selfie-based identity check designed for foreign customers.
The bank is expanding its card and everyday banking offerings for foreign customers as well. Friends check cardholders receive the same cashback benefits as domestic customers. A version of the Friends check card that can be used for overseas payments is due out at the end of the year. Foreign customers can also use the KakaoBank Chakbut Shinhan Card (a co-branded credit card offered with Shinhan Card), co-branded credit cards for sole proprietors and a service that compares credit card benefits. Group accounts and Safe Box, the bank's savings feature, are included as well.
The remittance service is offered in partnership with Hanpass. Transfers are available to about 200 countries in more than 50 currencies. To make the app easier to navigate, KakaoBank is providing artificial intelligence translation in English, Chinese and Vietnamese.
The bank is not currently reviewing any specific plan to use stablecoins directly for overseas remittances. KakaoBank said it sees demand for such a service, however, and plans to watch the progress of related legislation and assess whether it could be put to practical use.
The lineup will widen next year. KakaoBank plans to extend deposit and installment savings products, open banking and loan comparison services to foreign customers. About 2.2 million foreign nationals were living in South Korea as of the end of last year, according to the Ministry of Justice.
"Our goal is to offer foreign customers the same convenient banking and benefits that domestic customers have enjoyed," said Bae Jeong-ho, who heads KakaoBank's foreign customer camp.