Kookmin Bank – Ratings Affirmed

31 October 2025

Capital Intelligence Ratings (CI Ratings or CI) today announced that it has affirmed the Long-Term Foreign Currency Rating (LT FCR) and Short-Term Foreign Currency Rating of Kookmin Bank (KB or the Bank) at ‘A+’ and ‘A1’, respectively. At the same time, CI Ratings has affirmed KB’s Bank Standalone Rating (BSR) of ‘bbb+’, Core Financial Strength (CFS) rating of ‘bbb’ and Extraordinary Support Level (ESL) of Very High. The Outlook for the LT FCR and BSR remains Stable.

KB’s LT FCR is set three notches above the BSR, based on the ESL of Very High. The ESL takes into account KB’s D-SIB status, alongside its leading market share of assets in the South Korean banking sector. The LT FCR is also aligned with CI’s internal assessment of sovereign credit risk for South Korea.

The BSR is derived from a CFS rating of ‘bbb’ and an Operating Environment Risk Anchor (OPERA) of ‘a-’. The latter indicates low risk and reflects the economy’s…