Shinhan Targets Korea’s New Wealthy with Bespoke Family Office Services

South Korea’s newly wealthy entrepreneurs, who have built fortunes through start-ups and cryptocurrency, are turning to Shinhan Premier Family Office for tailored asset management solutions as they seek to diversify beyond conventional investments.

While many of the country’s older wealthy families amassed wealth through real estate or traditional businesses, a new generation of “emerging asset owners” is seeking more complex financial products, according to Shinhan Premier Family Office executives.

“New asset owners do not simply prefer general fund products that follow market indices,” said Lee Jung-min, head of Shinhan’s Gwanghwamun Center, in an interview with local media. “They want extraordinary products that can generate additional profits through flexible management.”

These include mezzanine instruments such as exchangeable and convertible bonds, unlisted equities, and private equity funds, which can generate steady returns regardless of broader market conditions. Shinhan’s veteran private bankers provide bespoke strategies using both quantitative analysis and market intuition, Lee said.

Venture founders, in particular, are looking for ways to manage corporate funds efficiently rather than park them in low-yield assets, he added. To meet this demand, Shinhan is combining financing with investment solutions and, through its global network, connecting clients to overseas managers and alternative assets such as loan investments and project financing.

Traditional wealthy families also continue to turn to the firm, favoring medium-risk products such as bonds and deposits to preserve capital, though many still use mezzanine and stock funds for stable growth.

Shinhan said it is extending its services across generations, with first-generation owners typically prioritizing stable cash flows, their heirs pursuing private equity and overseas assets, and younger successors gravitating toward technology and global start-ups.

“We are helping design inheritances such as transfer of shares and succession of family businesses, and supporting stabilization of corporate governance,” Lee said, adding that Shinhan works with tax accountants, lawyers and consultants to cover human, social and economic assets in its planning.

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