# Shinhan Bank (SOL Bank + SOL Global)

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/shinhan-sol
> research date 2026-05-29 · extracted at 2026-10-07
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [Shinhan Bank — official](https://bank.shinhan.com/)

## Overview

**Shinhan Bank** is **one of the largest commercial banks in South Korea** (alongside KB Kookmin + Hana + Woori) + **operates SOL Bank** (Korean retail-banking app) + **SOL Global** (foreign-customer-dedicated app with 16-language support) <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [Korea, Republic of report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KR)</sup>. **2025 baseline**: **SOL Global revamped Dec 1, 2025** — streamlined membership registration for foreign customers from 7 steps to 4 + redesigned UI/UX + additional authentication for core transactions.

**Distinctive Shinhan SOL positioning** <sup>[1][1], [3][3]</sup>:
- **One of Korea's largest commercial banks** (alongside KB Kookmin + Hana + Woori)
- **SOL Bank** = primary Korean retail-banking mobile app
- **SOL Global** = dedicated foreign-customer mobile banking app with **16-language support** (Korean + English + Chinese + Vietnamese + Japanese + Indonesian + Thai + Russian + others)
- **Distinctive Korean state-bank-quality service** for foreign clients
- **Multi-country presence**: 16+ countries (KR + JP + CN + VN + KH + IN + ID + MM + MY + US + CA + DE + GB + MX + AU + others)

**Distinctive Dec 1, 2025 SOL Global revamp** <sup>[1][1]</sup>:
- **Membership registration streamlined**: 7 steps → 4 steps for foreign customers
- **UI/UX redesigned** to be more intuitive
- **Additional authentication methods** for core transactions (deposits + withdrawals + major financial activities) to strengthen security

## History

**1897 — Han Sung Eun Haeng founded** (one of Shinhan's deepest predecessor entities; pre-modern Korean banking).

**1982 — Shinhan Bank founded** as Korea's first private commercial bank by Korean expatriates from Japan.

**2001 — Shinhan Financial Group holding company** established (KRX: 055550).

**2006 — Shinhan + Chohung Bank merger** to form modern Shinhan Bank.

**2010 — Shinhan Bank mobile banking app launches**.

**December 1, 2025 — Shinhan SOL Global revamped** <sup>[1][1]</sup> — streamlined foreign-customer registration from 7 steps to 4 + UI/UX redesign + additional authentication for core transactions.

## Ownership & operator

**Operating entity**: **Shinhan Bank** (Shinhan Financial Group subsidiary; KRX: 055550 for Shinhan Financial Group).

**Major shareholders (Shinhan Financial Group)**: **National Pension Service (Korean state pension fund; major shareholder) + BlackRock + Vanguard + various Korean institutional + KRX public float**.

**Regulators**: **FSC (Financial Services Commission of Korea) + FSS (Financial Supervisory Service)**.

## Technical integration

| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| **Channels** | Shinhan SOL Bank app (iOS + Android; primary KR retail-banking mobile channel) + SOL Global app (iOS + Android; foreign-customer-dedicated; 16-language support) + Shinhan Online Banking + Shinhan Bank cards (Shinhan Card) + Shinhan Bank branch network |
| **Identifiers** | Phone + email + card number + Korean resident registration number |
| **KR rail** | **[Zero Pay](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/zero-pay)** (Korea Financial Telecommunications & Clearings Institute KFTC instant payments + ZeroPay national QR) |
| **License** | Bank (Shinhan Bank full Korean banking license; one of largest Korean commercial banks alongside KB Kookmin + Hana + Woori) |
| **Sub-products** | Shinhan Account + Shinhan Card (Shinhan Bank credit card subsidiary) + Shinhan Credit + Shinhan Mortgages + Shinhan Investments + Shinhan Insurance + Shinhan for Business + Shinhan Wealth + SOL Bank (consumer mobile banking) + SOL Global (foreign customer dedicated mobile banking; 16 languages) + Shinhan Securities + Shinhan Asset Management + Shinhan Capital + Shinhan Vietnam + Shinhan Japan + Shinhan Indonesia + Shinhan Cambodia + Shinhan India + multi-country subsidiaries |
| **Distinctive 16-language SOL Global support** for foreign customers |
| **Distinctive Dec 1 2025 SOL Global revamp**: 7→4 step registration; UI/UX redesign; additional authentication |

## Users & growth

**2025 baseline** <sup>[1][1], [3][3]</sup>:
- **One of Korea's largest commercial banks** (alongside KB Kookmin + Hana + Woori)
- **SOL Bank**: Primary Korean retail-banking mobile app
- **SOL Global**: 16-language foreign-customer banking app
- **December 1, 2025 SOL Global revamp**: 7→4 step registration + UI/UX redesign + additional authentication
- **Multi-country presence**: 16+ countries

## Use cases

Korean + multi-country retail + corporate + investment + wealth-management + securities + asset management banking via Shinhan SOL Bank app + SOL Global app (16-language foreign customer banking) + Shinhan Online + cards (Shinhan Card) + branches; ZeroPay national QR + KFTC instant payments; Shinhan Vietnam + Shinhan Japan + Shinhan Indonesia + Shinhan Cambodia + Shinhan India multi-country subsidiaries.

## Implementations & partners

**Operator**: **Shinhan Bank** (Shinhan Financial Group subsidiary; KRX: 055550 for Shinhan Financial Group).

**Major shareholders (Shinhan Financial Group)**: **National Pension Service (Korean state pension fund) + BlackRock + Vanguard + Korean institutional + KRX public float**.

**Major Korean banking + payment competitors**:
- **[KB Kookmin Bank](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/kb-kookmin-bank)** (KB Kookmin Bank; Korea's largest traditional bank with 30M+ retail customers; KB Star Banking + Wallet service Jun 2025)
- **[Hana Bank (KEB Hana / Hana Won-Q + Hana EZ)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/hana-bank)** (Hana Bank; KEB Hana Bank; Korea's #3 bank; Hana EZ 16-language foreign customer app)
- **[Woori Bank (Woori WON Banking + Woori WON Wallet)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/woori-bank)** (Woori Bank; Woori WON Banking + Woori WON Wallet 2025 Smart App Awards Grand Prize; Samsung Wallet Money & Points 500K subscribers in 3 weeks)
- **[KakaoBank](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/kakaobank)** (KakaoBank; Korea's largest internet-only bank; 26.7M customers; 20M MAU)
- **[K Bank Korea](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/k-bank-korea)** (K bank Korea; 1st Korean internet-only bank; 15.5M users)
- **[Toss Bank](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/toss-bank)** (Batch 33 covered; Toss Bank; 3rd Korean internet-only bank; 12M+ users)
- **[Naver Financial / Naver Pay](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/naver-financial)** (Batch 32 covered; Naver Financial / Naver Pay)
- **[Kakao Pay QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/kakao-pay-qr)** (Kakao Pay; Kakao Corp's payment arm)

**Shinhan Financial Group sister entities**: **Shinhan Bank + Shinhan Card + Shinhan Securities + Shinhan Asset Management + Shinhan Capital + Shinhan Life Insurance**.

**Regulators**: **FSC + FSS + per-country (across 16+ countries)**.

## Fun facts

- **One of the largest commercial banks in South Korea** (alongside KB Kookmin + Hana + Woori).
- **SOL Bank** = primary Korean retail-banking mobile app.
- **SOL Global** = dedicated foreign-customer banking app with **16-language support**.
- **1897 founding of Han Sung Eun Haeng** (Shinhan's deepest predecessor; pre-modern Korean banking).
- **1982 Shinhan Bank founding** as Korea's first private commercial bank by Korean expatriates from Japan.
- **2006 Shinhan + Chohung Bank merger** to form modern Shinhan Bank.
- **December 1, 2025 SOL Global revamp**: 7→4 step membership registration for foreign customers + UI/UX redesign + additional authentication for core transactions.
- **Multi-country presence**: 16+ countries (KR + JP + CN + VN + KH + IN + ID + MM + MY + US + CA + DE + GB + MX + AU).
- **Distinctive Korean expatriates from Japan founding origin** — distinctive Korean diaspora banking heritage.

## Comparison

| Feature | Shinhan Bank (SOL Bank + SOL Global) | [KB Kookmin Bank](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/kb-kookmin-bank) (Korea's largest traditional bank rival; KB Star Banking; 30M+ retail customers) | [Hana Bank (KEB Hana / Hana Won-Q + Hana EZ)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/hana-bank) (Korea's #3 bank rival; Hana EZ 16-language foreign customer app) | [Woori Bank (Woori WON Banking + Woori WON Wallet)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/woori-bank) (Korea Big-4 rival; Woori WON Banking + Woori WON Wallet; Samsung Wallet 500K subscribers in 3 weeks) | [KakaoBank](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/kakaobank) (Korea's largest internet-only bank rival; 26.7M customers + 20M MAU) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | **Shinhan Bank (Shinhan Financial Group; KRX: 055550 for Shinhan Financial Group; National Pension Service Korean state pension fund + BlackRock + Vanguard + Korean institutional + KRX public float)** | KB Kookmin Bank (KB Financial Group; KRX: 105560; National Pension Service + BlackRock + Vanguard + Korean institutional + KRX float) | Hana Bank (Hana Financial Group; KRX: 086790) | Woori Bank (Woori Financial Group; KRX: 316140) | KakaoBank Corp. (KRX: 323410; Kakao Corp founding parent + Korea Investment Holdings + Korean institutional + KRX float) |
| Type | **One of Korea's largest commercial banks + SOL Bank Korean retail mobile + SOL Global foreign-customer 16-language banking + multi-country 16+ countries** | Korea's largest bank by retail customers + KB Star Banking + 6 KB Financial Group affiliates integrated + Jun 2025 Wallet service | Korea's 3rd largest bank + Hana EZ 16-language foreign customer app + Naver Pay-linked account 500K users in 6 months | Korea Big-4 + Woori WON Banking + Woori WON Wallet 2025 Smart App Awards Grand Prize + Samsung Wallet Money & Points 500K subscribers in 3 weeks | Korea's largest internet-only bank + KakaoTalk integration + ~50% Korean population reached |
| Country | KR + 15+ other countries | KR + 11 other countries | KR + multi-country | KR + multi-country | Korea |
| Users | **SOL Bank Korean retail major; SOL Global 16-language foreign customer banking** | 30M+ retail customers | Korea's #3 bank by deposits + assets + loans | Korea Big-4 | 26.7M customers + 20M MAU |
| Distinctive | **1897 Han Sung Eun Haeng deepest predecessor; 1982 Shinhan Bank founding as Korea's first private commercial bank by Korean expatriates from Japan (distinctive Korean diaspora banking heritage); 2006 Shinhan + Chohung Bank merger; Dec 1 2025 SOL Global revamp (7→4 step registration for foreign customers + UI/UX redesign + additional authentication); SOL Global 16-language foreign-customer banking app; 16+ countries multi-country presence** | 1963 founding as Kookmin Bank by Korean government; KB Star Banking Wallet service Jun 2025 distinctive payment + identification integration | 1971 founding; Hana EZ 16-language foreign customer app; Naver Pay-linked account 500K users in 6 months; 3rd largest Korean bank | 1899 founding as Daehan Cheon-il Bank; Woori WON Wallet 2025 Smart App Awards Grand Prize; Samsung Wallet Money & Points 500K subscribers in 3 weeks; Woori WON Global 17 languages | 2016 KakaoBank founded by Korea Investment Holdings + Kakao Corp; Jul 2017 launch as 2nd KR internet-only bank; deep KakaoTalk integration |

## Status

**Active, one of the largest commercial banks in South Korea** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:
- **Shinhan Bank** (Shinhan Financial Group subsidiary; KRX: 055550 for Shinhan Financial Group) since 1982 (Korea's first private commercial bank by Korean expatriates from Japan); 2006 Shinhan + Chohung Bank merger.
- **SOL Bank** = primary Korean retail-banking mobile app.
- **SOL Global** = dedicated foreign-customer banking app with **16-language support**.
- **December 1, 2025 SOL Global revamp**: 7→4 step membership registration + UI/UX redesign + additional authentication.
- **Multi-country presence**: 16+ countries (KR + JP + CN + VN + KH + IN + ID + MM + MY + US + CA + DE + GB + MX + AU).
- **National Pension Service (Korean state pension fund) major shareholder**.
- **FSC + FSS + per-country regulated**.

## Sources

[1]: https://www.asiae.co.kr/en/article/2025120114212039540 "Shinhan Bank Revamps SOL Global App Exclusively for Foreign Customers Dec 1 2025 — The Asia Business Daily"
[2]: https://bank.shinhan.com/en/index.jsp "Shinhan Bank Personal Banking — official"
[3]: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.shinhan.sbanking "신한 SOL뱅크 — Shinhan SOL Bank Smart Phone Banking — Google Play"
[4]: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sol-global/id1190468026 "SOL Global App — App Store"
[kr-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KR

- [1] [Shinhan Bank Revamps SOL Global App Exclusively for Foreign Customers Dec 1 2025 — The Asia Business Daily][1]
- [2] [Shinhan Bank Personal Banking — official][2]
- [3] [신한 SOL뱅크 — Shinhan SOL Bank Smart Phone Banking — Google Play][3]
- [4] [SOL Global App — App Store][4]
- <sup>[Korea, Republic of report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KR)</sup> In-corpus: `reports/countries/KR-south-korea.md`

## Source

Biography extracted from [shinhan-sol.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/wallets/shinhan-sol). See `matrix.md` for standards-support matrix if present.