Shinhan Financial Group won the grand prize, the Financial Services Commission chairman’s award, at the 2026 Korea IR Awards on the 18th. The Korea IR Council praised its Value-up 2.0 plan, announced in April, for improving investor communication and establishing a predictable shareholder-return policy. The plan targets at least 10% return on equity, a shareholder-return ratio of at least 50% and a common equity Tier 1 ratio of at least 13%. Shinhan Financial holds about 570 investor-relations meetings annually and roughly 70 investor engagements involving its board and management. It has also received an integrated A+ rating from the Korea Institute of Corporate Governance and Sustainability for 11 consecutive years, the only company in the country to do so. Its shareholder-return ratio reached 50.2% last year, up from 36.0% in 2023, following the launch of its corporate value enhancement plan in July 2024 and annual updates since then.