From Lender to Partner: KB Kookmin Bank's AI-Era Blueprint for SME Growth

KB Kookmin Bank sets a practical growth agenda for SMEs in the AI economy

KB Kookmin Bank is sharpening its focus on SME growth with a strategy that extends beyond traditional banking. The plan took center stage at the 2025 K-Business Leaders Forum at the Grand Walkerhill Hotel in eastern Seoul.

The theme - "Co-Evolution: Corporate Strategy Evolving with AI" - drew about 340 participants, including SME CEOs partnering with KB and senior executives of KB Financial Group, among them Chair Yang Jong-hee.

Inside the 2025 K-Business Leaders Forum

KAIST professor and neuroscientist Kim Dae-shik opened with "The Era of AGI Market Dominance: Intelligence that Redraws the Map of the Future, Insights for Corporate Survival and Prosperity." For context on the institution, see KAIST.

The forum also ran the KB Leaders Class - elective sessions on the global economy, humanities, physics, and health - led by experts including political scientist Kim Ji-yoon and Sungkyunkwan University professor Kim Beom-jun.

Shared-growth program for SMEs: three pillars

• Refresh of custom financial products with preferential rates, aligned to company size, sector, and operating model.
• Guarantees and contributions that back strategic industries, helping reduce risk and fund capex for priority projects.
• Expanded technology finance for emerging sectors, supporting AI adoption, data infrastructure, and process automation.

KB also provides ESG consulting to support sustainable operations and runs "KB Good Job," a job-matching platform for SMEs facing labor shortages.

What this means for executives

• Treat capital and counsel as a single package: use KB's financing plus advisory to pressure-test your AI roadmap and allocate resources with clear ROI gates.
• Link funding to outcomes: productivity lift, margin expansion, or new revenue streams within defined timeframes.
• Close the skills gap: upskill teams on AI workflows and tooling. For role-based programs, see AI courses by job.
• Stabilize hiring: use "KB Good Job" to address hard-to-fill roles while your internal training ramps.

"Our goal is not just to lend," KB Kookmin Bank CEO Lee Hwan-ju said. "It is to ensure that businesses have the right tools, insights and partnerships to survive and thrive in a changing world."