South Korean banks saw their financial health improve slightly in the first-quarter of this year, helped by less exposure to risky assets, the financial regulator said Thursday.
The average capital adequacy ratio of 17 commercial and state-run banks stood at 15.14 percent as of end-March, up 0.33 percentage point from the previous quarter, according to the Financial Supervisory Service.
(Yonhap)
A key barometer of financial soundness, the ratio measures the proportion of a bank's capital to its risk-weighted credit. The Basel, Switzerland-based Bank for International Settlements, an international organization of central banks, requires lenders to maintain a ratio of 8 percent or higher.
Citibank Korea Inc. posted the highest capital ratio of 18.91 percent, while the state-run Korea Export-Import Bank logged the lowest ratio of 11.89 percent.
The policy lender has been reeling from massive losses and bailouts stemming from the ailing shipbuilding and shipping sectors. (Yonhap)