NH NongHyup Bank Selects 18 Startups for 'NH Open Business Hub' with Focus on AI Transformation
NH NongHyup Bank announced that it has selected 18 startups for this year's collaboration through its open innovation program, 'NH Open Business Hub.' As the bank is focusing its efforts on transforming into an "Agentic AI Bank," the program has placed a heavy emphasis on AX (AI Transformation).
On the afternoon of the 9th, NH NongHyup Bank held the 'NH Agentic AI Bank Vision Day' at its headquarters auditorium in Jung-gu, Seoul, and conducted an inauguration ceremony for the 18 selected startups. When recruitment for the '2026 Open Innovation Innovative Companies' began last March, a total of 218 companies applied, recording a competitive ratio of over 12 to 1.
All of the selected startups are AI-based firms, spanning business sectors largely categorized into: △Data & Infrastructure, △Finance & Fintech, △Compliance & Security, and △Agriculture, Food, ESG, & Care.
The selected companies are: Newi (Assets & real estate tax solutions), DevD (Monthly rent card payment service), DeepSearch (Financial data infrastructure), LabSeed (Data integration solutions), Retriever (GRC (Governance, Risk, and Compliance) support), Mastree (Integrated support for nuclear energy technology commercialization), Psionic AI (AI agent operation solutions), Actiboogi (Connecting consumption data in rural experience sites), Antock (AI-based corporate analysis services), Ascend (Financial research workflow efficiency platform), OpenAsset (Digital asset financial infrastructure), Ongleam (VOC solutions aggregating reactions from SNS and communities), Zikida (Personal information compliance automation), GT Solomon (Secure trade brokerage solutions), K-Medichem (Development of pet feed for methane reduction), K-Bios (Eco-friendly AI upcycling), Quantit (Financial investment brokerage structure innovation), and Hyodol (Emotional connection and personalized health management for the elderly).
Launched in 2019, NH Open Business Hub is NongHyup Bank’s flagship open innovation program, which has discovered a total of approximately 260 startups to date. Selected companies are provided with various benefits, including complimentary office space at the NH Digital Innovation Campus, support for global expansion, opportunities for ongoing collaboration, and recommendations to external organizations.
At the event, Kang Tae-young, President of NH NongHyup Bank, stated, "The competitiveness of finance does not depend on technology itself, but on how deeply it connects with customers." He added, "We will take the lead in creating a future financial ecosystem through active cooperation with external ecosystems, including startups."
