[Chairman of Hana Financial Group: Stablecoins May Become a New Growth Engine] Odaily Planet Daily News – Ham Young-joo, Chairman and CEO of Hana Financial Group, stated in his New Year’s address that as technology-driven changes in the financial structure accelerate, capital is flowing from the traditional banking system to emerging sectors, and stablecoins are expected to become a key growth driver for the group in the future. Ham emphasized that the group must proactively build a comprehensive digital asset ecosystem encompassing issuance, distribution, usage, and circulation, rather than merely competing within existing frameworks. Ham also noted that while the integration of digital assets into regulatory systems remains in the political discussion stage, the actual impact of stablecoins is still difficult to accurately assess. Nevertheless, the group must undertake fundamental innovation in advance and establish distribution networks through cross-industry and cross-regional collaboration to prepare for the broader application of stablecoins. Additionally, he stressed the need to reduce reliance on traditional banking operations and accelerate expansion into non-banking businesses to address the structural transformation in finance brought about by developments in artificial intelligence and changes in capital flow patterns. Ham further warned that relying solely on scale and past successes is no longer sufficient to ensure long-term survival. The group must undergo systemic restructuring in areas such as investment banking, risk management, and corporate credit evaluation, while overcoming internal inertia to urgently seek new growth opportunities. (Korea Herald)