The Eastern Bridge

Your excellencies, distinguished guests, good afternoon. My name is Dong Wan Kim, chief global officer of Hanwa Finance. First, let me give let me begin by expressing my sincere gratitude to the ADGM and the ADFW team for their exceptional efforts in preparing ADFW 2025 and for bringing us together at the global market summit. It is a great honor to be here in Abu Dhabi among such esteemed global leaders of industry. Although Korea and UAE have developed within different cultural and historical contexts, our two nations share a common DNA.

One that transforms crisis into opportunities, embraces change with courage, and values trust-based long-term partnerships. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1980, our countries have continuously expanded the scope of cooperation. More recently, during the Korean president's visit to the UAE, we declared a joint 100-year partnership, pledging to carry our enduring friendship and to the next generation. Now, more than ever, it is the role of finance to bring that vision to life. Finance is the catalyst that transforms the will to cooperate into feasible opportunities.

It is the vital force that sustains industries and fuels innovation. From the successful construction of the Baraka nuclear power plant in 2009 to the most recent collaborations in the high-tech industry, Korea's financial sector has supported bilateral exchange and will do once again to realize our shared future. In this context, Hana Finance's foremost goal will be to forge practical and sustainable partnerships with Abu Dhabi. As one of Korea's leading financial groups, Hano Finance has expanded globally to markets such as the United States, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam. In Abu Dhabi, the financial hub of the Middle East, we have already established operations in life insurance and asset management with plans for our general insurance, securities, and banking affiliates to follow in due course.

Together with the help of Abu Dhabi's sophisticated market infrastructure and reliable regulatory environment, we aim to create a new financial ecosystem, one that includes co-investments in defense, infrastructure, energy, and emerging industries. The development of a global asset management platform capable of handling digital and tokenized assets. and the enhancement of supply chain finance and crossber payment infrastructure. It is our aspiration that the journey we embark upon together will become a global respence for the next generation of finance, one that captivates the attention of global markets. And through that journey, we hope Hanoa will be remembered by all of you as the number one trusted friend from Korea.

Once again, congratulations on the successful opening of ADFW 2025. May today's global market summit mark the beginning of the Eastern Bridge, a bridge that connects Abu Dhabi, Korea, and the future of global finance. Thank you for your kind attention.