![[TechSnap] Kakao Pay, Korea ESG Standards Institute evaluation report, received integrated A grade for 2 years](/api/img?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.yna.co.kr%2Fetc%2Finner%2FKR%2F2026%2F11%2F11%2FAKR20261111084700017_01_i_P2.jpg&w=1200&q=72&f=webp)
AI-related news from DeepX, PFCT, and Hoffman Agency Korea were also reported.
AI-generated summary
Continuing from last year, Kakao Pay received an integrated grade of A in the ESG evaluation of the Korea ESG Standards Institute this year. DeepX won the Hong Dae-yong Award at the 2026 Patent Technology Awards hosted by the Ministry of Intellectual Property for its AI calculation accelerator patent. PFCT is developing and commercializing an AI Agent Builder that allows financial institutions to create and connect AI agents. Hoffman Agency Korea is launching JD in Korea, which analyzes whether a brand appears in generative AI answers.
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Sang-yong Han = Kakao Pay [377300] obtained an integrated 'A grade' in the 2026 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) evaluation by the Korea ESG Standards Service (KCGS).
▲ Kakao Pay announced on the 11th that it received an overall grade of A in this year's ESG evaluation by the Korea ESG Standards Institute, following last year. By sector, environment A, society A+, and governance A were all the same as last year. Kakao Pay explained that the evaluation reflected the fact that it disclosed the financial impact of climate change on its business in numbers and regularly evaluated and inspected its supply chain.
▲ AI semiconductor company Deep This technology increases processing speed and power efficiency by reducing the storage and movement of intermediate data generated during AI calculations. DeepX explained that in experiments using programmable semiconductors, it recorded 12 times the computational performance of compared designs.
▲ PFCT, an AI technology finance company, announced on the 11th that it will develop and commercialize ‘AI Agent Builder’, which allows financial institutions to create and connect AI agents suitable for their business. This tool is based on PFCT’s financial solution ‘Airpack’. AI agents divide tasks according to given goals, such as establishing credit strategies or risk management, and retrieve the necessary data and tools and execute them step by step.
▲ Hoffman Agency Korea announced on the 11th that it will launch ‘GEDI’, a tool in Korea that analyzes how companies and brands appear in generative AI answers. This tool asks the same questions to 12 generative AI services, including ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude, and analyzes the frequency and manner in which the brand is mentioned, comparisons with competitors, and citation sources. Based on the analysis results, companies can establish a generative engine optimization (GEO) strategy to ensure that their information is well reflected in AI answers.

South Korean household bank loans rebounded in October to a record 1,203.9 trillion won ($901 billion), up 5 trillion won from September, driven by increases in both mortgage and credit loans, while the Bank of Korea held its benchmark rate at 3 percent.

On the 11th, interest rates on government bonds rose in the Seoul bond market compared to the previous trading day. The 3-year bond rose 8.3bp to 3.716%, and the 10-year bond rose 7.3bp to 3.923%.

Cell Biotech, a Gimpo-based Korean probiotics producer, uses smart factory systems and AI inspection to manufacture over 10 tons of bacterial cultures daily. The company leads Korean probiotics exports for 13 consecutive years, supplies 56 countries, and is developing a colorectal cancer drug candidate in Phase 1 clinical trials.

Seoul shares extended gains Wednesday morning as the KOSPI rose 0.68 percent to 5,274.81, led by technology and defense stocks, despite hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation fueling Federal Reserve rate-hike concerns.

Due to the aftermath of the Iran war, European winter gas reserves have fallen to the lowest level since statistics began in 2011, and UK household energy bills are expected to rise by more than 25% to 2,150 pounds per year in January next year. The additional burden is expected to be around £460 per household per year, and the need to reduce climate emissions is making responding to energy prices more difficult.

Hite Jinro will implement voluntary retirement for employees with more than 15 years of service in 4 years from 2022. Applications will be accepted for two weeks from the 11th to the 25th, and up to 36 months worth of compensation will be paid depending on the number of years of service.