Shinhan Securities Sets Up South Korea’s First AI Agent Department at a Financial Firm
Summary
- Shinhan Securities said it has created the AI Agent Department, the first such unit at a South Korean financial company, as it moves to build a collaboration model in which humans and AI work together.
- The AI Agent Department will support the wholesale business by preparing meeting materials and proposals, conducting market research and analyzing issues, helping employees focus on developing investment strategies and finding new business opportunities.
- Shinhan Securities said it plans to gradually expand the AI collaboration model to major divisions including research, WM, IB, and digital platforms, as it seeks to lead AI innovation in finance.
Forecast Trend Report by Period
Shinhan Securities said on August 3 that it has set up South Korea’s first department composed entirely of artificial intelligence agents, launching a new collaboration model in which humans and AI work together.
The AI Agent Department, under the company’s AX Division, is an independent unit that handles tasks including information research and document preparation. It consists of four agents: one team leader agent and three role-specific agents. The team leader assigns tasks, and the three agents carry out their respective roles, hand work off to one another and produce the final output.
Shinhan Securities aims to use AI not simply as an automation tool but as a digital co-worker, combining employees’ judgment with AI’s execution capabilities to boost productivity. Even when AI agents perform the work, a human will review the final output. An AI specialist will also hold a concurrent role overseeing AI governance, security and quality control.
The department’s first pilot project will support the wholesale business. It will prepare meeting materials and proposals, conduct market research and analyze issues, helping employees focus on higher-value work such as developing investment strategies and identifying new business opportunities.
As it rolls out the AI Agent Department, Shinhan Securities plans to standardize operating principles and build a collaboration framework among AI agents that goes beyond simple automation. It then plans to gradually expand the AI collaboration model to major areas including research, wealth management, investment banking and digital platforms.
Chief Executive Officer Lee Sun-hoon said the AI Agent Department is "a new challenge that goes beyond a simple digital initiative and fundamentally changes the company’s DNA." He added that the firm would broaden AI collaboration across its operations and aim to become a securities company leading AI innovation in finance.
Noh Jung-dong, Hankyung.com reporter, dong2@hankyung.com
Korea Economic Daily
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