Kakao Pay Earns Overall 'A' from KCGS; A+ in Social Category

A in Environmental and Governance Categories: "Consistent Performance"
"Sustainability Management Achievements Recognized Externally"

Kakao Pay announced on November 11 that it received an overall A rating in the 2026 ESG (environmental, social, and governance) assessment by the Korea Institute of Corporate Governance and Sustainability (KCGS), maintaining the rating it earned last year.

Kakao Pay received an A in the environmental category, an A+ in the social category, and an A in the governance category.

In the environmental category, the assessment recognized the company for establishing mid- to long-term goals and detailed strategies to address climate change, and disclosing the financial impact of climate-related risks and opportunities on its business.

In the social category, the company was recognized for establishing management systems for key risk factors, including occupational health and safety, human rights, and information security, and regularly conducting supply chain assessments and monitoring.

In the governance category, the company was recognized for the fairness of its system for managing CEO candidates and the transparency of its board operations, including approval of the compensation system for inside directors through its compensation committee.

Kakao Pay CEO Shin Won-keun said, "We will continue to develop the areas in which we have been recognized, including climate change response, supply chain management, and stronger governance transparency. At the same time, we will further strengthen our ESG competitiveness through transparent information disclosure and active efforts to foster shared growth."

Kakao Pay launched its ESG Steering Committee in 2022 and established an ESG Committee under its board of directors in 2023. The company said it was the first in the fintech industry to establish an ESG committee under its board.

Kakao Pay has been included in the DJ BIC (Best in Class) Korea Index for three consecutive years, based on the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment. In February 2026, it received a Prime rating in an ESG assessment by Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), a global proxy advisory firm.

The company's fourth ESG report, published in June 2026, covered its achievements related to an AI-centered work transformation (AX).

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