[비즈한국] NH NongHyup Bank has set out to acquire a company specializing in artificial intelligence (AI). By investing directly in the firm to secure AI development capabilities, the bank has outlined a blueprint to transform into an 'Agentic AI Bank' by 2027 and implement all financial operations via AI in the future. The investment is known to be driven largely by the will of Kang Tae-young, President of NongHyup Bank, who is considered a digital expert within the NongHyup financial group. However, as President Kang's term ends at the end of this year, attention is focused on whether this mid-to-long-term AI strategy will continue.
On June 9, NH NongHyup Bank held a direct investment contract signing ceremony with AgileSoDA, a company specializing in Agentic AI (an AI system that makes decisions and performs tasks without human intervention). Previously, on May 28, the two sides signed a direct investment and business cooperation agreement (MOU). AgileSoDA will be incorporated as a subsidiary, though specific stake ratios or acquisition amounts were not disclosed. NongHyup Bank plans to finalize acquisition procedures, including signing the investment contract and reporting to financial authorities during June, and to begin full-scale AI agent development projects starting in July.
Regarding this investment, NongHyup Bank explained, “This is an agreement to facilitate an early leap toward an Agentic AI Bank and to respond to the government's policies for productive finance and the AI-driven transformation of the agricultural sector. We plan to secure AI competitiveness early through direct investment to complete the Agentic AI Bank by 2027.” The bank chose to acquire AgileSoDA due to its competitiveness in finance-specific AI and data analysis, alongside its AI agent development capabilities.
AgileSoDA is a company equipped with technology to build customized AI agents for financial institutions and was selected as an open innovation partner for NongHyup Bank in 2019. Moving forward, the company plans to develop not only AI agents for internal use at NongHyup Bank but also services for customers. NH NongHyup Bank President Kang Tae-young stated, “Excellent AI talent is crucial for AI transformation. Through direct investment in AI companies, we will accelerate our leap into an Agentic AI Bank where AI accompanies customers and employees in their daily lives.”
As NongHyup Bank formalized the acquisition of the AI firm, it also announced a long-term AI execution strategy. The AI strategy, unveiled at the 'NH Agentic AI Bank Vision Day' held on June 9, is largely divided into: strengthening internal AI capabilities, realizing AI services, and investing in infrastructure. During the Vision Day, the 'AX Frontier,' an execution organization tasked with overseeing the AI transformation, was also launched.
Specifically, the bank plans to build a system by the second half of the year that allows all employees to create and utilize AI agents directly through its proprietary AI platform, 'NHAIS.' Regarding the expansion of AI agent services, the bank is pursuing 'AI Full Banking' by 2030, which will implement all financial tasks, including credit screening and non-face-to-face financial transactions, through AI. The infrastructure construction focuses on creating an AI financial ecosystem through the acquisition of AI companies and external cooperation, and investing 135 billion won to build an AI data center. The investment in the AI data center is part of the 'Sovereign AI Ecosystem Expansion Project,' which is one of the National Growth Fund's second mega-projects and is part of the government's productive finance policy.
This investment is known to have been strongly driven by President Kang Tae-young. President Kang is considered a key figure who has led digital strategy within the NongHyup financial group. He served as the head of the NH AllOne Bank division in 2018, the digital strategy department head of NongHyup Bank in 2019, and concurrently held the positions of Deputy President of the DT division at NongHyup Bank and Vice President of the digital finance division at NongHyup Financial Group in 2023.
Upon taking office as NongHyup Bank President, Kang set a goal of leaping into a leading digital bank. In his New Year's address this January, he ordered an acceleration in the transition to an Agentic AI bank. President Kang emphasized, “AI is a core competency that must permeate all workflows, serving not just as a tool to increase efficiency, but as a technology that fundamentally changes how work is judged and executed.”
As NongHyup Bank presents the goal of completing an Agentic AI bank by 2027 alongside its M&A activity, eyes are also on whether President Kang will be reappointed. President Kang, who took office in January 2025, has a two-year term that ends at the end of this year. His predecessor, former President Lee Seok-yong, failed to extend his term and stepped down after two years. Like former President Lee, most previous NongHyup Bank presidents have failed to secure consecutive terms.
The governance structure where the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NongHyup) influences appointments at NongHyup Financial Group is also a variable. Because the federation holds a 100% stake in the financial holding company, it has exerted practical influence over personnel appointments at the holding company and its affiliates. Amidst this, the fact that the government is pushing for major NongHyup reforms following the misconduct controversy of NongHyup Chairman Kang Ho-dong is also a key factor. As President Kang took office during Chairman Kang's tenure, the possibility of a replacement cannot be ruled out. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the NongHyup Reform Promotion Task Force on the 16th, a governance reorganization plan containing measures such as splitting business divisions to disperse the authority of the NongHyup federation is expected to be announced between July and August.
Looking at President Kang Tae-young's report card for his first year, while he avoided negative growth, he could not prevent a decline in interest income. NongHyup Bank's net profit in 2025 was 1.814 trillion won, a 0.4% increase from the previous year (1.807 trillion won). During the same period, interest income fell by 2.6% (from 7.6579 trillion won to 7.4594 trillion won). Net profit for the first quarter of this year was 557.7 billion won, a 0.6% increase compared to the same period last year.
Attention is also on whether the financial structure will improve after the AgileSoDA acquisition. AgileSoDA's revenue has been healthy at 7.1 billion won in 2023, 6.1 billion won in 2024, and 7.9 billion won in 2025, but it recorded net losses of -7.5 billion won, -5.2 billion won, and -1.2 billion won during the same period. Although the deficit was significantly reduced in 2025, the losses have continued for more than four years. In its 2025 business report, AgileSoDA stated, “Current liabilities exceed current assets by 6.327 billion won,” adding that “there is uncertainty that raises doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern.”