Only 5 Out of 712... Woori Bank Launches a 'Dream Team' for Productive Finance

Selected from among SME and small business specialists
Focus on strengthening productive finance
Five to be chosen twice a year
Accelerated business expansion backed by improved capital ratios

Woori Bank has launched an initiative to cultivate top-tier corporate banking professionals who will be responsible for productive finance. The bank has selected five small business and SME corporate banking experts who have consistently delivered top results over the past two years as "Blue Star RMs," assigning them to mentor new relationship managers (RMs) and to participate in improving corporate banking systems. The bank’s vision is to shift the core of productive finance competition from simply the scale of funding supply to on-site expertise in identifying growth companies and connecting them to the right financial solutions.

According to the financial sector as of September 7, Woori Bank established the Blue Star RM program and selected its first five members on September 4. As of the end of August, Woori Bank had a total of 712 dedicated small business and SME RMs, meaning that only about 0.7% have been chosen as Blue Star RMs. Woori Bank plans to select Blue Star RMs twice a year and operate the program by cohort.

Blue Star RMs are chosen from among those who have consistently achieved top results in key performance indicators (KPIs) for the past four half-year periods, or in other words, over the last two years. Corporate sales experience and KPI performance, among other quantitative criteria, are assessed to ensure that the selection focuses on field experts who demonstrate sustained sales capabilities, rather than one-off achievements.

The selected Blue Star RMs will share their experience in discovering companies and delivering excellent sales performance with other RMs, as well as take part in developing corporate banking strategies and improving systems. As mentors to new RMs, they will teach everything from how to identify promising companies and build relationships, to how to analyze a company’s financial and technological competitiveness and connect them with suitable financial products and policy funding.

Woori Bank’s corporate banking professionals are divided into “corporate RMs” and “RMs at general branches” according to which types of companies they are in charge of. Corporate RMs at headquarters manage large enterprises and major corporations. RMs at general branches identify local small business owners and SMEs and connect them with financial products needed for each stage of business growth, such as loans, policy finance, foreign exchange, and asset management. The Blue Star RM selection is limited to RMs dedicated to small businesses and SMEs, and excludes corporate RMs working with large clients.

Woori Bank launched the Blue Star RM program because it sees the success of productive finance as hinging not just on expanding the supply of funds, but on the ability to select growth companies on the ground and design tailored financial solutions. The bank decided that it needs specialists who can analyze not only financial statements and collateral, but also companies’ patents, certifications, technological capabilities, and industry outlook—and link these to the appropriate financial support tools, such as loans, policy funding, and guarantee programs. At the same time, Woori Bank aims to spread the business development and sales expertise accumulated by top RMs throughout the organization and shorten the training period for new RMs in order to enhance the bank’s capacity to deliver productive finance. Besides the Blue Star RM program, Woori Bank also plans to nurture corporate banking talent through long-term incentive schemes for outstanding RMs, such as the existing “Greatest RM” system, shortened manager promotion timelines, branch selection privileges, and support for advanced training courses.

Woori Financial Group, having improved its capital adequacy ratios, is now stepping up its corporate banking business once again. As of the end of June, Woori Financial Group’s Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio reached 13.74%, the highest among the four largest banking groups. With ample capital available, Woori Bank plans to proactively identify high-quality and growth-oriented companies, aiming to boost both the scale and profitability of its corporate banking operations. Blue Star RMs are tasked with discovering growth companies in the field and converting Woori’s secured capital reserves into actual funding—placing them at the forefront of driving productive finance.

Heo Eun, Deputy Branch Manager at the Yangjae Central Branch and one of the first selected Blue Star RMs, explained, “We use Woori Bank’s data to select advanced strategic industry companies and then provide customized proposals on the funding and policy finance options best suited to each company.” He added, “It’s difficult to compete in corporate banking purely on interest rates; the ability to thoroughly understand a company’s patents, certifications, and technological capabilities—and to link these with policy funding—is the critical differentiator in competitiveness.” Heo continued, “Being a Blue Star RM is not so much a reward for performance, but an honor and a responsibility to share my experience with junior colleagues and to contribute to the growth of Korean companies together.”

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