[Click eStock] "Finger Expands Beyond Financial IT into AI and Robotics...Entering a New Growth Phase"

First-generation fintech company Finger is expanding its business scope into new fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, based on its core financial information technology (IT) operations. Following a change in its largest shareholder, the company is broadening its group IT integration projects and moving into the physical AI market by acquiring an industrial robotics company, leading analysts to assess that Finger is entering a phase of business expansion.

On August 11, Oh Hyunjin, a researcher at Kiwoom Securities, published a report in which he described Finger as being in a "business expansion phase for a financial IT provider," and analyzed that, based on the stability of its existing financial IT business, revenue growth is expected through both group-related businesses and new business ventures.

Founded in 2000, Finger is one of the first-generation fintech companies in Korea. Its main businesses include platforms and solutions, fee-based services, and blockchain. As of revenue for the first quarter of this year, the platform segment accounted for 68%—the largest share. Its core business involves building and maintaining dedicated financial non-face-to-face channel platforms for clients in the financial sector.

In the solutions and fee segment, the company conducts remittance and payment-related solution and commission businesses, and also operates enterprise resource planning (ERP) services targeting small and medium-sized enterprises.

More recently, Finger has diversified into the blockchain sector based on its financial IT capabilities. While it is pursuing security token offering (STO) and stablecoin-related businesses, its revenue contribution from these areas remains limited due to delays in relevant domestic legislation.

However, leveraging its technical expertise in financial data processing and blockchain overall, the company is developing infrastructure technologies for proof of reserves and is also offering middleware solutions for financial institutions in relation to its STO business.

Researcher Oh explained, "Although revenue contributions from STO and stablecoin-related businesses are currently limited due to delayed domestic legislation, Finger continues to prepare these businesses based on its strengths in financial data processing and blockchain technology."

There are also opportunities to expand in the payments sector. With its recent strategic investment in Moonpay, Finger is expected to broaden its business into payment-related ventures.

The restructuring of Finger's business architecture began in earnest after the change in its largest shareholder. In the first half of this year, Seoryong Electronics, Sungho Electronics, Moonpay, and Pantos Holdings collectively invested about 110 billion won in Finger, after which Seoryong Electronics became its largest shareholder.

Upon being incorporated into the Sungho Electronics Group, Finger added group internal IT integration projects and digital transformation (DX) services to its existing financial IT businesses. Moreover, by expanding into AI and robotics, the company is pursuing new growth engines.

Notably, Finger’s acquisition of industrial robotics intelligence specialist Miquelo Robotics stands out. Finger plans to leverage Miquelo Robotics to collect data generated in manufacturing sites and connect it with its AI business.

Miquelo Robotics specializes in automating surface processing tasks with high degrees of difficulty such as painting, sanding, polishing, and deburring. Its core technologies include "Miquelo Motion," which replicates the manual skills of experts through robots via machine learning, and "Miquelo Vision," a vision recognition-based technology.

Researcher Oh stated, "Finger plans to ramp up its manufacturing site data learning through Miquelo Robotics and is expected to expand its physical AI business by providing automation solutions to manufacturers across a range of industries."

There are also projections that the integration of existing financial IT business and new ventures will accelerate Finger’s overall growth. Last year, Finger posted revenue of 91.6 billion won, up 28% from the previous year, and operating profit of 1.5 billion won, returning to the black. However, in the first quarter of this year, revenue was 20.5 billion won—down 1% year-on-year—and operating profit turned to a loss of 300 million won.

Researcher Oh assessed, "In addition to stable legacy business areas, we can expect rapid growth through group-related businesses and the performance of newly consolidated subsidiaries."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.