AI Agent Applied to 'Shinhan Super SOL'... Presents 'Optimal Proposals'

Shinhan Financial Group's Digital Innovation

'Easier, more comfortable, and newer finance' is the vision set by Shinhan Financial Group. Shinhan Financial is pursuing comprehensive digital innovation and reinforcement strategies in line with this vision, striving to enhance the convenience for financial consumers. The push for digital innovation using artificial intelligence (AI) technology is based on the same aim. Shinhan Financial is actively working on devising AI utilization strategies, such as introducing AI agents to the main group affiliates. Chairman Jin Ok-dong of Shinhan Financial Group personally urged executives to strengthen their AI utilization capabilities.

◇ Accelerating AI Adoption Strategy

Shinhan Financial is introducing AI agents into asset management, insurance planning, and customer data analysis. Efforts are also underway to apply AI agents that customers can use on 'Shinhan Super SOL,' the group's integrated platform. In particular, Shinhan Financial is focusing on having employees at the frontlines of sales take the lead in designing AI agents that operate based on customer data. This is to build a system where AI agents will provide the optimal proposals tailored to customers’ intents.

Shinhan Investment Corp. is preparing to launch an 'AI Private Banking (PB)' service that leverages generative AI to provide investment information optimized to customers’ interests. If designated as an innovative financial service by the Financial Services Commission, the service will be launched immediately, with introduction possibly as early as this month.

There is widespread assessment that the pace of AI strategies has further increased this year. In May, Shinhan Financial opened an AI Branch at a Shinhan Bank branch in Sillim-dong, Seoul. Following the launch of an unmanned AI Branch in Seosomun-dong, Seoul, in November last year, AI adoption at the frontline level has been expanding. At the AI Branch, simple tasks such as opening bank accounts, issuing check cards, and issuing various certificates can be handled.

Around the same time, Shinhan Bank applied a 'Generative AI Financial Knowledge Q&A' function to its 'AI One (ONE)' platform for employees, allowing them to quickly check information on frequently asked customer questions. The bank also launched an 'AI Investment Mate' service which, upon registration of customers' interests and sectors, provides them with the latest information in a card news format.

◇ Executives Committed to Learning AI

The group is also intensifying training for executives to strengthen their AI utilization capabilities. At the end of May, Shinhan Financial provided AI training over six weeks to 237 people, including affiliate CEOs and executives. The training covered not only AI theory but also sharing business innovation cases using AI and hands-on exercises applying AI to actual work. There was even an 'ideathon' competition for carrying out tasks using AI agents.

Chairman Jin also participated in the training, encouraging executives to take an active part. At the half-year management forum on the 1st, Jin emphasized, "Leaders must act nimbly and become agents of change leading the transformation in the AI era."

Reporter Jinseong Kim jskim1028@hankyung.com