The Busan Fintech Hub is emerging as a new base for the financial industry, establishing itself as a “growth ladder” for local financial startups. As resident companies rapidly increase their sales and investment, while also generating jobs, the hub is being recognized as evolving beyond a simple startup incubation space into a platform leading the financial innovation ecosystem.
According to the Busan Metropolitan City government Tuesday, the Busan Fintech Hub currently houses 56 companies, with cumulative resident companies reaching 122. Last year, resident companies recorded sales of 147.6 billion won, a threefold increase from the previous year, with cumulative sales reaching 357.4 billion won. In particular, companies whose annual sales grew more than tenfold after moving in accounted for 32% of the total, proving the hub’s effectiveness as a growth platform.
Investment attraction has also been climbing sharply. The cumulative scale of investment and loan financing, which stood at around 4 billion won in the hub’s early days, expanded to 143.6 billion won as of June this year, an increase of approximately 150% from the previous year. In terms of employment, as of April this year, the hub created 432 permanent jobs and a cumulative 2,931 jobs, contributing to the expansion of jobs for local youth.
These achievements are attributed to the establishment of a customized support system tailored to each growth stage. Since creating the fintech hub at the Busan International Finance Center (BIFC) and the Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2019, the city has continued to provide full-cycle support from early-stage startups to scale-ups through operating a financial data lab, training professional developers, marketing and consulting support, and commercialization programs.
The city is also strengthening private partnership networks to maintain its growth momentum. It plans to newly appoint “Busan Fintech Hub Partners,” made up of experts from various industrial fields, to support promising companies with growth strategy development, investment connections, accelerating, and management consulting. Through this, the city aims to promote the advancement of fintech companies’ businesses and market expansion.
The “B-Fintech 20” project, which intensively nurtures promising companies, will also be pushed forward in earnest. Selected companies will receive a certificate in the name of the Busan mayor, along with 10 million won in commercialization funds per company, close consulting from experts, and additional points in reviews for extending their stay at the hub. Through this, the city plans to nurture leading local fintech companies and strengthen a virtuous cycle in the investment ecosystem.
These achievements were shared at the “2026 Busan Fintech Hub CEO Workshop” held at the Busan International Finance Center on Friday.
“The Busan Fintech Hub is establishing itself as a key platform that promotes convergence between finance and various industries,” said Lee Jin-soo, Busan’s financial and startup policy officer. “We will expand support so that resident companies can grow into companies with global competitiveness.”
