Updated:
iM Bank
iM Bank was founded in 1967 in Daegu, South Korea, and has since functioned as the primary banking subsidiary of DGB Financial Group, a regional financial...
iM Bank
iM Bank was founded in 1967 in Daegu, South Korea, and has since functioned as the primary banking subsidiary of DGB Financial Group, a regional financial holding company whose roots lie in serving the industrial and retail communities of the Yeongnam region. Unlike Seoul-concentrated national banks, iM Bank built its deposit franchise by tying itself to the local manufacturing and small-business economy of Daegu and the surrounding Gyeongsang provinces, a geographic loyalty that shapes its lending book to this day. As a commercial bank, iM Bank's investment posture flows from its role as an asset owner within the DGB Financial Group structure. The bank originates corporate loans, participates in foreign-exchange markets, and manages a credit-card portfolio, while its parent group allocates across fixed income, Korean equities, and alternative assets including private equity and real estate. DGB Financial Group's published strategy has emphasized diversifying fee income through asset management and insurance subsidiaries — meaning iM Bank's steady deposit pool indirectly fuels institutional LP commitments in funds like those run by DGB Asset Management. There is no public evidence that iM Bank runs a direct principal investment book comparable to a family office. Headquartered in Daegu, iM Bank operates primarily through a domestic branch network concentrated in the southeastern corridor of Korea, with additional representative offices that have historically included limited international posts. The firm's scale is reported through DGB Financial Group's consolidated financials rather than standalone disclosures. In October 2023, DGB Financial Group announced a new CEO appointment and a capital-efficiency restructuring plan affecting its banking and non-banking subsidiaries (per Yonhap News Agency, October 2023), indicating active group-level reallocation of resources. What separates iM Bank from Seoul-rooted universal banks is its structural position as the balance-sheet engine for a regional financial holding company that is itself publicly traded and subject to Korean financial holding-company regulations — a governance model where the bank's lending and deposit operations underwrite the group's broader asset-management and private-equity ambitions.
General information
Firm type
Bank / Wealth / Trust
Year founded
1967
Location
Region
Asia
Country
South Korea
City
Daegu
Corporate office
Daegu, South Korea
Frequently asked questions
Is iM Bank a family office or does it function like one?
No. iM Bank is a commercial bank and a subsidiary of DGB Financial Group, a publicly listed financial holding company. Its investment function is that of an asset owner — it allocates through its parent's treasury and asset-management arms rather than operating a dedicated family-office direct-investment book.
How does iM Bank invest its capital?
iM Bank's core capital deployment is through traditional commercial banking — corporate loans, retail lending, and foreign exchange. Its parent, DGB Financial Group, invests across fixed income, Korean equities, private equity, and real estate via subsidiaries such as DGB Asset Management and DGB Life Insurance. The bank's deposit base provides the stable funding for those group-level allocations.
What is the relationship between iM Bank and DGB Financial Group?
iM Bank is the primary banking subsidiary of DGB Financial Group, a regional financial holding company headquartered in Daegu, South Korea. DGB Financial Group controls several financial subsidiaries — including asset management, securities, and insurance — with iM Bank serving as the core deposit-taking and lending entity within the group structure.
Does iM Bank make direct private-equity investments?
There is no public evidence that iM Bank runs a standalone principal-investment book. Private-equity exposure is managed at the group level through DGB Financial Group's asset-management subsidiary, which makes LP commitments and occasional co-investments.
Where does iM Bank's geographic focus lie?
iM Bank's branch network and commercial-lending activity are concentrated in the Yeongnam region of southeastern South Korea, particularly in Daegu and the surrounding Gyeongsang provinces. This regional concentration differentiates it from Seoul-headquartered national banks.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on asset managers?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: