[Stock Market Activity Drives South Korea's Five Major Financial Groups to Achieve Over 13 Trillion Won in Net Profit in the First Half of the Year, Brokerage Business Becomes Key Growth Engine] Deep Tide TechFlow reports, on July 26, according to South Korean media Asiae, driven by active stock market performance, South Korea's five major financial groups (KB Financial, Shinhan Financial, Hana Financial, Woori Financial, NH NongHyup Financial) collectively achieved a net profit of 13.12 trillion won in the first half of 2026, an increase of approximately 10% year-on-year. Among them, KB Financial continued to lead with a net profit of 3.88 trillion won, followed by Shinhan Financial with 3.44 trillion won. Analysis shows that the securities subsidiaries of South Korea's five major financial groups experienced significant growth in performance, with NH Investment & Securities, KB Securities, and Shinhan Investment & Securities achieving year-on-year net profit growth of 107.5%, 135.0%, and 123.1%, respectively, driving the contribution of non-banking businesses to overall group profits. Meanwhile, due to factors such as rising payout ratios and adjustments to insurance actuarial assumptions, the performance of several insurance subsidiaries faced pressure. The major financial groups also announced plans to continue advancing share buyback and cancellation initiatives in the second half of the year to further enhance shareholder returns.