The Export-Import Bank of Korea

What The Export-Import Bank of Korea does

The Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank, KEXIM) is a government-owned policy financial institution and Export Credit Agency (ECA) established on July 1, 1976 under the Korea Export-Import Bank Act. It is wholly owned by the Government of South Korea, supervised by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and not publicly traded. The bank's mandate is to support Korean exporters and importers through export credits, import financing, overseas investment loans, financial and performance guarantees, trade finance (forfaiting, export factoring, L/C confirmation), and foreign exchange risk services, all structured in compliance with OECD export credit arrangements. It also serves as the trustee-manager of three government funds: the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF, est. 1987) for concessional lending to developing countries, the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund (IKCF, est. 1990) for inter-Korean economic cooperation, and the newly established Supply Chain Resilience Fund (SCRF, 2024) for critical industries.

KEXIM operates a sales-led, direct-relationship distribution model through 25 representative offices, 5 wholly-owned overseas subsidiaries (London, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore), and 8 liaison officers across four continents, supported by domestic branch network. 2020 disbursements totaled KRW 73.2 trillion (USD 62.0 billion) across KRW 63.8 trillion in loans and KRW 9.3 trillion in guarantees, with export financing representing 58.9% of disbursements and overseas investment financing 27.1%. Total outstanding credit stood at KRW 100.4 trillion (USD 92.3 billion). Revenue mechanics consist of interest spreads on policy-rate lending, guarantee fees, and management fees on government trust funds, with pricing benchmarked to OECD minimum premium rules and customer creditworthiness rather than commercial market rates.

In 2026, KEXIM celebrated its 50th anniversary and is actively repositioning around three strategic priorities: anchoring the USD 150 billion Korea-US shipbuilding investment initiative, deploying the KRW 22 trillion AX Special Program for AI transformation of Korean industry, and expanding SCRF-backed supply chain resilience financing for critical minerals, semiconductors, and batteries. Customer concentration sits with Korea's largest chaebol — HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, Samsung Heavy Industries, Hanwha Ocean, KEPCO, Doosan, Korean Air, and Korea Expressway Corporation — alongside multilateral partners including the Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, and Indonesia's Danantara sovereign wealth fund.

Name

The Export-Import Bank of Korea

Legal name

The Export-Import Bank of Korea (한국수출입은행)

Website

https://koreaexim.go.kr

Company type

Public

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) is a government-owned export credit agency established in 1976 that provides export credits, project financing, guarantees, and trade finance to Korean exporters and manages government trust funds (EDCF, IKCF, SCRF) for development cooperation and supply chain resilience.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Export Credit and Trade Finance Banking

NAICS

Commercial Banking (522110), Depository Credit Intermediation (5221)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) & Official Export Finance (FSABAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pre-Export & Export Finance (Working Capital, Packing Credit) (FSABAHAG), Trade Finance, Export Credit & Risk Mitigation (BPADAMAG), SME, Microfinance & Financial Inclusion Facilities (BPADACAI)

Keywords

• Export credit agency
• Trade finance services
• Policy banking
• Overseas investment financing
• Export guarantees

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices28 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Export Credit Lending: The bank provides loans to support Korean exports including ships, industrial plants, and high-tech products. During 2020, export financing accounted for the largest share of disbursements at KRW 37.6 trillion (USD 31.9 billion), representing 58.9% of total loan disbursements.
2. Overseas Investment Financing: Loans supporting Korean companies' overseas investments and project development. In 2020, overseas investment financing reached KRW 17.3 trillion (USD 14.7 billion), representing 27.1% of total disbursements.
3. Import Financing: Financing for imports of critical resources and goods. In 2020, import financing was KRW 8.9 trillion (USD 7.6 billion), representing 14.0% of total disbursements.
4. Guarantee Facilities: The bank provides performance and financial guarantees, with 2020 guarantees totaling KRW 9.3 trillion (USD 7.9 billion). Performance guarantees, primarily export-related at 96.2%, accounted for KRW 5.6 trillion (USD 4.7 billion).
5. EDCF Operations: The Economic Development Cooperation Fund provides concessional loans to developing countries, generating income through interest on government-backed development loans.
6. IKCF Operations: The Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund supports inter-Korean economic cooperation and exchange activities.
7. SCRF Operations: The Supply Chain Resilience Fund supports supply chain stabilization through loans, guarantees, and investments for key industries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) is Korea's official export credit agency and government policy bank providing export credit lending, overseas investment financing, import financing, financial and performance guarantees, foreign exchange services, and investment products to Korean exporters, overseas investors, and foreign buyers of Korean goods. The bank manages three government trust funds — the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF), Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund (IKCF), and Supply Chain Resilience Fund (SCRF) — and runs the Hidden Champion Initiative to cultivate globally competitive SMEs.

Product overview

The Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank, KEXIM) is a policy-based export-import bank established in 1976 under the Korea Export-Import Bank Act. It operates as a unified platform offering official export credits, loans (export, import, overseas business), guarantees (financial and performance), foreign exchange services, and investment products. It also manages four trust funds: the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF), the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund (IKCF), the Supply Chain Resilience Fund (SCRF), and the Hidden Champion Initiative. Its special support programs include the AX Special Program for AI transformation, the ESG Financing Program, the Advanced Strategic Industries Preferential Support Program, the Mega-Order Support Special Program, the Period Industry Support Program, and the Export Vitality ON Financial Support Package. The bank also operates the Korea Exim Research Institute (KERI) for overseas investment intelligence. KEXIM maintains a global network of 25 representative offices, 5 overseas subsidiaries, and 8 liaison officers across Asia, Europe, America, and Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Official Export Credit
• Export-Related Loans
• Import-Related Loans
• Overseas Business Loans
• Financial Guarantees and Performance Guarantees
• Foreign Exchange Services
• Investment Products
• Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF)
• Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund (IKCF)
• Supply Chain Resilience Fund (SCRF)
• Hidden Champion Initiative
• AX Special Program
• ESG Financing Program
• Advanced Strategic Industries Preferential Support Program
• Mega-Order Support Special Program
• Period Industry Support Program
• Export Vitality ON Financial Support Package
• Korea Exim Research Institute (KERI)

Quantifiable outcome

• In 2020, disbursed KRW 73.2 trillion (USD 62.0 billion) in credits, with export financing representing 58.9% of total disbursements
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Uzbekistan Ministry of Investments, Industry and TradecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 June 2026Finalized co-financing mechanisms and strategic partnership covering infrastructure, energy, manufacturing, and high technologies including robotics. The partnership includes grant support arrangements through KOICA for social programs.
• Incheon International Airport CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2026Public-private partnership for modernizing Urgench International Airport in Uzbekistan, with Eximbank providing $3 million grant for high-speed rail feasibility study.
• KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 June 2026Grant support arrangements for social programs in Uzbekistan, complementing Eximbank's EDCF financing activities in the country.
• Uzbekistan Ministry of HealthminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 June 2026$3 million grant financing through EDCF for post-project support to Uzbekistan's National Children's Medical Center, including engineering infrastructure modernization and medical equipment repairs.
• Doosan GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026$110 million financing for Doosan's copper clad laminate production facility in Thailand's Araya Industrial Park, supporting AI semiconductor substrate manufacturing.
• Vietnam National Industry-Energy Group (PVN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2026Four-way MOU for nuclear power project financing cooperation in Vietnam, establishing a working-level consultative body and developing financial models for project viability.
• Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2026Trilateral MOU with Meralco for nuclear power development in the Philippines, with KHNP providing technical expertise and Eximbank providing financing.
• Meralco (Manila Electric Company)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2026Philippines' largest private power company accounting for 55% of the country's electricity consumption. Partnership for nuclear power development projects in the Philippines.
• Hanwha GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHanwha Group has increased stake in Korea Aerospace Industries to 9.04%, becoming the second-largest shareholder after Eximbank. Eximbank is the largest shareholder in KAI.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• US Export-Import Bank (US EXIM): The US's official export credit agency, providing loans, loan guarantees, and insurance to support US exports in direct competition with KEXIM in aerospace, nuclear, and heavy industry cross-border financing.
• Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC): Japan's policy-based export and investment bank under the Ministry of Finance, offering export credits, overseas investment loans, and natural resource financing—essentially KEXIM's structural mirror in the Japanese market.
• Export-Import Bank of China (Chexim): China's official policy bank providing export credits, guarantees, and overseas development financing; the principal state-supported competitor KEXIM faces in ASEAN, Africa, and Belt-and-Road project tenders.
• SINOSURE (China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation): China's state-owned export credit insurance and financing entity, operating short, medium, and long-term export credit insurance alongside buyer credit support—a direct functional parallel to KEXIM's guarantee and trade-finance products.
• Euler Hermes (Germany): Germany's official export credit agency under the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, providing export credit insurance, guarantees, and financing closely mirroring KEXIM's guarantee and trade-finance offerings within the OECD Arrangement framework.
• BPI France (Assurance Export / Export Finance): France's national ECA and public investment bank administering official export credit insurance and project finance guarantees on behalf of the French State—directly comparable to KEXIM in OECD-compliant large-project support.
• UK Export Finance (UKEF): The UK's export credit agency operating under the Export Control Order, providing loans, guarantees, and insurance to support UK exporters—competing head-to-head with KEXIM in defense, aerospace, and infrastructure project financing.
• SACE (Italy): Italy's official ECA owned by CDP, providing export credit, insurance, and project finance—structurally analogous to KEXIM within the European state-supported ECA ecosystem.
• Export-Import Bank of India: India's specialized export credit institution under the Ministry of Finance, offering export financing, lines of credit, and project finance for Indian companies—rising as a direct Asia-region competitor for EDCF-type emerging-market project finance.
• CESCE (Spain): Spain's official ECA providing export credit insurance and project finance on behalf of the Spanish State—comparable to KEXIM in OECD-aligned medium- and long-term export credit support and export guarantee offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KoreaEXIM

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments15 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Export-Import Bank of Korea