Seoul, Sept. 24 -- A year after Samsung Electronics Co. and Samsung Display Co. launched a one trillion won (USD 716 million) environmental, social and governance (ESG) fund to support small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs), only 18.8 billion won (USD 13.5 million) has been disbursed, as per a report by Pulse, the English service of Maeil Business Newspaper Korea.

Citing data reviewed by Maeil Business Newspaper, the report stated that the fund was created in September 2024 in partnership with South Korea's financial authorities and five major banking groups. The two Samsung affiliates placed one trillion won (USD 716 million) in time deposits across various banks, with interest rates in the 3.5 per cent range. These deposits are expecte...