KB Financial Group (105560.KS) is moving to build an innovative growth ecosystem for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and small business owners through new forms of win-win cooperation, including support for AI transformation (AX) and strategic venture investment. The group aims to move beyond the fragmented approach in which large corporations supported their suppliers, expanding its support system to enhance the competitiveness of the entire industrial ecosystem. In particular, it plans to spread a culture of mutual growth by extending support beyond companies with direct transaction relationships, such as suppliers, to SMEs and small business owners with no such ties.
Kim Kyung-nam, head of the ESG division at KB Financial Group (executive vice president), unveiled plans for the use of a 10 billion won win-win cooperation fund the company contributed on the 5th of last month, during a case presentation at the "2026 Korea Win-Win Conference" held at the Shilla Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 9th. The win-win cooperation fund is a private fund voluntarily contributed by domestic corporations such as large companies and public institutions to the Korea Foundation for Cooperation of Large & Small Business, Rural Affairs, for the purpose of mutual growth with SMEs.
"This fund is the first case of a win-win cooperation fund joint cooperation project supporting both SMEs and small business owners regardless of whether a cooperative relationship exists," Kim said. "It will serve as a catalyst for spreading a culture of win-win cooperation in the financial sector."
KB Financial allocated the 10 billion won across four projects. First, it earmarked 2 billion won for AX to support SMEs and small business owners in regionally specialized industries with AI vision inspection, equipment anomaly detection, smart ordering, and customer management automation. It will invest 3 billion won in green transition (GX) to help manufacturing SMEs with aging facilities through climate finance consulting and financing design via non-face-to-face platforms. Another 2 billion won will go into safety transition (SX) projects, used to expand sales channels for companies with safety technology and to build AI CCTV and sensor-based safety detection systems at small workplaces.
An additional 3 billion won will be contributed to a "win-win cooperation fund-of-funds" that invests in regionally based social solidarity economy enterprises. This is the first time a win-win cooperation fund has invested in a venture fund. "The recovered funds generated from the win-win cooperation fund-of-funds investment are not spent on a one-time basis but are returned to the win-win cooperation fund, creating a structure for continuous reinvestment," Kim explained.
An inclusive finance roadmap worth 17 trillion won was also introduced. "By 2030, we will supply 10.5 trillion won to support vulnerable low-income groups and 6.5 trillion won to support small business owners," Kim said.
