South Korea: EBRD shareholder profile

Through its dedicated bilateral fund at EBRD the Republic of Korea supports all EBRD countries of operation. Korea is an important contributor to the EBRD Water Fund, the Sustainable Infrastructure Fund (SIF), the Small Business Impact Fund (SBIF), and the High-Impact Partnership on Climate Action (HIPCA).

Korea provides funding for a wide range of activities in various sectors, from municipal and environmental infrastructure and energy efficiency to the financial sector. Korea has been engaged in the digitalisation, development of the knowledge economy, EBRD’s Capital Markets and Local Currency Market Initiative, energy efficiency, climate change and green growth initiatives.

The Republic of Korea is increasingly becoming an important source for FDI into the EBRD region as Korean companies are actively looking at the EBRD region.

The value of joint Korea-EBRD investment stood at €1.63 billion as of end of December 2023. EBRD finance accounted for €946.8 million, and Korean investment accounted for €699. million.

The joint investment has been important across the EBRD’s region in various countries: Türkiye, Hungary, Romania, regional projects and Kazakhstan.

Broken down by industry, the joint investment has been in the following sectors: sustainable infrastructure, industry, commerce and agribusiness, and financial institutions.

Korean banks are also involved in the Trade Facilitation Programme, through which the EBRD guarantees the payment of trade finance instruments issued by banks in the countries where we invest to foreign confirming banks. Since inception, the TFP has supported 489 export and import transactions for Korean companies for a total € 659.98 million, for transactions which were initiated by banks in the EBRD countries of operation and confirmed by banks in both Republic of Korea and abroad. Fifteen Korean banks and branches of banks have joined the programme as Confirming Banks (all figures as of December 2023).

From 2018 to 2022, entities from Korea won 49 procurement and consultancy contracts worth €170.2 million.

In 2023, the Republic of Korea also joined the EBRD’s High-Impact Partnership on Climate Action (HIPCA) to help accelerate climate action and environmental sustainability.