Integrating the world of finance and the virtual space of metaverse is currently the biggest challenge for the global finance sector, among other tasks in the path towards digital transformation, the chief strategist for Shinhan Financial Group’s digitalization said Wednesday.

“The biggest issue at hand for the global finance sector is metaverse,” said Sunny Yi, chief digital officer of Shinhan Financial Group, at The Korea Herald’s Eurasian Economic & Cultural Forum.

“The sector is dealing with unprecedented tasks such as dealing with up-and-coming tech-savvy firms with no collaterals,” he added.

Traditional finance services revolved around loans backed by collateral, but new businesses such as online home rental platform operator Airbnb, lack collateral in the sense of traditional finance, Yi explained.

Human resources are also a key task, with the cost of hiring new programmers in line with the current trends and updated skillsets increasing with time. Firms must also decide on how to utilize existing workforces for digital transformation as well. 

For the Korean finance sector, the unique East Asian culture of using personal signature stamps in transferring ownership of assets stands as homework for the firms, in translating it into a more digital-friendly tool.

“But in the end, digital transformation is not only about evolution in technology, but how leadership and the company rewires its system,” Yi said.



(mkjung@heraldcorp.com)