Woori Financial Group reported a net profit of 3.14 trillion won ($2.14 billion) in 2025, missing market expectations but offsetting the shortfall with record shareholder returns.
The group said Friday that annual net profit totaled 3,141.3 billion won, up 1.79 percent from a year earlier and the second-highest on record, following the 3,141.7 billion won posted in 2022. The result came in below forecasts that had penciled in earnings above 3.2 trillion won for Korea’s fourth-largest banking group.
Excluding roughly 50 billion won in provisions related to a past, sector-wide collusion penalty, net profit would effectively mark a record high, Woori said. Net operating profit also hit an all-time high, rising 5 percent on year to 10.96 trillion won.
Overall earnings were supported by a 24 percent surge in noninterest income, driven by fee income from expanded nonbanking subsidiaries, alongside broader gains in securities, foreign exchange and insurance-related businesses.
Among key subsidiaries, Woori Bank tallied a 14.2 percent decline in net profit to 2.67 trillion won.
The group’s common equity tier 1 ratio reached 12.9 percent, exceeding its 12.5 percent target for the year, reflecting efforts to bolster financial stability amid a volatile market environment. Return on equity was unchanged at 9.1 percent.
Woori also reported record shareholder returns of 1.15 trillion won, lifting the payout ratio to 36.6 percent. Dividends per share totaled 1,360 won, including a final year-end quarterly payout of 760 won, the highest on record.
“With executives and employees focused over the past year on strengthening the CET1 ratio and completing the group’s transformation into a comprehensive financial services provider, Woori was the only one among the four major financial holding companies to record net foreign buying,” a company official said, adding that the group’s share price nearly doubled, earning a positive assessment from the market.
The group plans to further bolster shareholder returns, targeting a CET1 ratio of 13.2 percent and raising annual treasury share buybacks and cancellations by more than 30 percent to 200 billion won. Dividends will also be increased, with per-share payouts targeted to rise by more than 10 percent, supported by about 6.3 trillion won in capital available for tax-exempt distributions over the next five years.
