KB Kookmin Card announced on Sept. 20 that it selected 12 startups to participate in the 6th class of the FUTURE9 Program, through which the credit card issuer discovers and collaborates with startups that will lead change down the road.
During the entire period of July, judges reviewed startups with innovative technologies, products, and service capabilities in nine areas, including lifestyles, fintech, AI/data/software, mobility, social value, entertainment/metaverse, blockchains and healthcare/wellness.
About 80 KB Kookmin Card staff members and professional venture capitalists participated in the selection process, including document screening and interviews.
They selected startups with high scores in marketability, business feasibility, competitiveness and collaboration potential among a total of 743 companies.
Twelve companies were selected this time, including Starkoff (an outlet-type electric vehicle charging infrastructure platform), Wehuddling (a regular meal delivery service), Lemon Tree (a kids fintech service linked to financial education) and i-Aurora (a K-Culture-based prepaid card business for teenagers/foreigners).
A total of 743 startups applied to participate in the sixth class program this year, logging an increase of 5.8 percent (41) from 702 in 2021.
The lifestyle sector such as food, fashion and childcare commerce took the lion’s share at 26.8 percent, followed by big data, MyData, artificial intelligence (AI) and data (19.7 percent).
The metaverse sector, such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) contents, came next with a 9.5 percent share.
Possible areas for cooperation with KB Kookmin Card include joint marketing with the credit card company (25.5 percent), KB Pay/payment-related collaboration (15.6 percent), new services such as PLCC/affiliate card development (14.9 percent) and MyData and data voucher collaboration (13.3 percent).
KB Kookmin Card said it was holding “Lucky 7 Day” event in which KB Kookmin Card customers who charge caddy fees are given benefits.
Lucky 7 Day Event
KB Kookmin Card announced on Sept. 14 that it will hold the Lucky 7 Day Event to provide benefits to customers who pay caddy fees with KB Kookmin Card, along with Green Jacket, a simple caddie fee payment platform in commemoration of the coming of the fall.
This event will be held on the 7th, 17th and 27th days of the month until October, with KB Kookmin Card registering in the Green Jacket application.
KB Kookmin Card holders who paid caddie fees of 30,000 won or more and 100,000 won or more in the golf course industry on the same day will be able to enjoy a discount of 5 percent off their caddie fees, only once during the event period.
The target of the event is eligible to those who used 18 partner golf courses of KB Kookmin Card where caddie fees can be paid through Green Jacket App.
Details of the partner golf courses and the event can be found on Green Jacket App, the KB Kookmin Card event page on the internet and KB Kookmin Card Mobile App.
Caddie fee payment platform Green Jacket is a venture company that was selected as one of the startups in the KB Starters a startup support program of KB Financial Group last year.
Acquisition of Credit Rating ‘AAA’ in Indonesia
KB Kookmin Card announced on Sept. 21 that KB Finansia Multi Finance (KB FMF), an overseas subsidiary of KB Kookmin Card in Indonesia, has acquired a credit rating of AAA.
Fitch, one of the world’s top three credit rating agencies, recently upgraded the long-term credit rating of KB FMF from AA+ to AAA, the highest rating in Indonesia’s rating standard, calling its rating outlook “stable.”
A stable rating outlook means that the current rating will remain unchanged for a considerable period of time.
The credit rating upgrade to AAA reflects the superior market competitiveness of KB Kookmin Card, the parent company of KB FMF and synergy effects among KB Financial Group affiliates in Indonesia, KB FMF’s high asset growth and profitability improvement and procurement capabilities.
“This credit rating upgrade is the result of close collaboration between the KB Kookmin Card head office and its overseas subsidiary in ramping up global sales,” a KB Kookmin Card official said.
“Going forward, we will spare no effort to provide strategic support to our Indonesian subsidiary so that it will grow into a top-tier financial company.”
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