KB Financial commits 10B won to SME fund, backing AI and green transition
What's the deal? KB Financial GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → contributed 10 billion won to a win-win cooperation fund supporting South Korean SMEs and small business owners, ESG division head Kim Kyung-nam said at the 2026 Korea Win-Win Conference in Seoul on July 9. The fund is a private pool that domestic corporations and public institutions voluntarily contribute to the Korea Foundation for Cooperation of Large & Small Business, Rural Affairs.
Where the money goes: KB split the 10 billion won across four projects. It earmarked 2 billion won for AI transformation, 3 billion won for green transition to help manufacturing SMEs with aging facilities, and 2 billion won for safety technology projects.
The remaining 3 billion won will go into a "win-win cooperation fund-of-funds" that invests in regionally based social solidarity economy enterprises. KB says it is the first time a win-win cooperation fund has backed a venture fund.
Why it matters: KB is moving beyond the traditional model in which large corporations only support their own suppliers. It plans to extend help to SMEs and small business owners with no direct transaction ties.
What's the endgame? Returns from the fund-of-funds flow back into the win-win cooperation fund rather than being spent once. "The recovered funds ... are not spent on a one-time basis but are returned to the win-win cooperation fund, creating a structure for continuous reinvestment," Kim said.
KB also introduced a 17 trillion won inclusive finance roadmap. "By 2030, we will supply 10.5 trillion won to support vulnerable low-income groups and 6.5 trillion won to support small business owners," Kim said.
The signal: KB frames the contribution as a catalyst. "This fund is the first case of a win-win cooperation fund joint cooperation project supporting both SMEs and small business owners regardless of whether a cooperative relationship exists," Kim said — a template it hopes the wider financial sector will follow.
Read more: The Seoul Economic Daily
