JB Financial Group said in a disclosure on Feb. 5 that net profit came to 710.4 billion won last year, the highest ever. The figure was up 4.9% from a year earlier, surpassing the annual guidance the company presented early last year.
Return on equity (ROE) was 12.4%, marking double digits for the seventh straight year. ROE is the value obtained by dividing net profit for the year by total equity, and the higher the number, the more efficiently corporations used capital to generate revenue.
By affiliate, Jeonbuk Bank posted 228.7 billion won in net profit, up 4.6% from a year earlier, and Kwangju Bank recorded 272.6 billion won. JB Woori Capital delivered 281.5 billion won, up 25.8% on-year, leading the group's results. JB Asset Management logged 2 billion won, and JB Investment recorded 8.3 billion won in net profit, respectively. Phnom Penh Commercial Bank (PPCBank), a subsidiary in Cambodia, posted 48.6 billion won in net profit, up 27% from a year earlier.
A JB Financial official said, "Even amid a sluggish real economy, strengthened regulations related to household liability, and uncertainty in the global trade environment, the group's affiliates achieved solid results through sound management."
On the day, the JB Financial Group board decided on a settlement of account cash dividends of 660 won per common share. Considering the quarterly dividends of 480 won carried out last year, the payout ratio is around 30%. Including 106.3 billion won already purchased out of the 120 billion won in share buybacks resolved for 2025, JB Financial's total shareholder return this year is around 45%.
Chair Kim Gi-hong of JB Financial said, "We will review the various new businesses and growth strategies we have pursued so far based on performance and profitability, and clearly refine the foundation for mid- to long-term growth."