{"url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-11-02/lotte-card-stake-sale-mbk-woori","markdown_url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-11-02/lotte-card-stake-sale-mbk-woori.md","title":"Lotte Card 79.83% Stake Sale Revived by MBK and Woori","headline":"MBK and Woori Bank Revive Lotte Card Sale of 79.83% Stake at Around 2 Trillion Won","description":"MBK and Woori Bank are seeking buyers for a combined 79.83% of Lotte Card, valued near 2 trillion won, after two earlier exit attempts stalled.","section":"Divestitures","published_at":"2026-11-02T06:01:55+00:00","modified_at":"2026-11-02T06:01:55+00:00","author":"News Desk","key_takeaways":["The proposed Lotte Card sale covers a combined 79.83% stake held by MBK through Korea Retail Card Holdings and by Woori Bank.","MBK and Woori Bank acquired their Lotte Card holdings for 1.38 trillion won in 2019.","Lotte Card reported first-half consolidated net profit of 64.7 billion won, up 55.5% from a year earlier."],"companies":[{"name":"Lotte Shopping","is_primary":true,"profile_url":"https://akta.pro/company-profiles/000tg5g/lotte-shopping","website":"https://www.lotteshoppingir.com"},{"name":"KL PARTNERS","is_primary":false,"profile_url":"https://akta.pro/company-profiles/000uzz5/kl-partners","website":"https://www.klpartners.com"},{"name":"Goldman Sachs","is_primary":false,"profile_url":"https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00000by/goldman-sachs","website":"https://www.goldmansachs.com"}],"source":{"publisher":"Naver","title":"Mom’s Touch, Lotte Card draw renewed M&A interest","url":"https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/009/0005757578"},"other_sources":[],"tags":["Divestitures","Lotte Shopping","KL PARTNERS","Goldman Sachs"],"body_markdown":"MBK and Woori Bank are seeking buyers for a combined 79.83% stake in Lotte Card, a holding now valued at around 2 trillion won, reviving a sale that stalled twice before. [Naver](https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/009/0005757578) reported the renewed interest on November 2, 2026.\n\nLotte Card is a South Korean card issuer whose 20% shareholder, [Lotte Shopping](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/000tg5g/lotte-shopping), is a Seoul-based retailer founded in 1979 with more than 10,000 employees, according to akta.pro [company records](https://akta.pro/company-data). MBK holds its stake through Korea Retail Card Holdings, and Woori Bank owns the other portion of the package on offer.\n\n## What the Lotte Card Sale Covers\n\nThe proposed transaction comprises 59.83% held by MBK through Korea Retail Card Holdings and 20% owned by Woori Bank. Lotte Shopping's remaining 20% stake is not included in the sale. MBK and Woori Bank acquired their holdings for 1.38 trillion won in 2019.\n\nThe latest process would be MBK's third attempt to exit the investment. An initial process launched in 2022 with JPMorgan failed over disagreements on price. Another attempt, revived in late 2024 with UBS, was suspended following a customer data breach in September 2025.\n\nRegulatory uncertainty has since eased after South Korea's Financial Services Commission imposed a 45-day business suspension from August 1 through September 15. Lotte Card resumed operations on September 16. The company reported first-half consolidated net profit of 64.7 billion won, up 55.5 percent from a year earlier.\n\nDespite the earnings improvement, potential buyers among South Korea's financial holding companies remain cautious. Woori Financial Group, which already has an indirect interest through Woori Bank's 20 percent stake, faces questions over how much additional capital it can commit to a major acquisition after purchasing Tongyang Life Insurance and ABL Life Insurance.\n\n## Lotte Shopping's Recent Results\n\nLotte Shopping's 2025 consolidated operating profit rose 15.6% year-on-year to 547 billion won, and net profit returned to profitability at 73.5 billion won, according to the same records. The retailer secured $200 million in financing from Export Development Canada in November 2025, with a $150 million SMBC guarantee, under a framework of up to $500 million over three years for capital expenditure and expansion in Vietnam and Indonesia.\n\n## Earlier Lotte Shopping Reports\n\nLotte Shopping's second-quarter operating profit rose 121.2% year-on-year, with consolidated operating profit of 89.9 billion won, sales of 3.485 trillion won and net profit turning to a surplus of 14.6 billion won, Nate News reported in August 2026. Ocado Group launched its first automated customer fulfilment centre with Lotte Shopping in South Korea in August 2026, following a partnership agreement signed in 2022, Retail Technology Innovation Hub reported. Nate News reported in September 2026 that Lotte Shopping's third-quarter consolidated operating profit was projected at 170.5 billion won, a 31% increase year-on-year.\n","publisher":{"name":"News for Agent","url":"https://newsforagent.com"}}