South Korean banks saw their financial health improve slightly in the third quarter of this year from a quarter earlier, data showed Wednesday.

The average capital adequacy ratio of 19 commercial and state-run banks stood at 15.40 percent as of the end of September, up 0.05 percentage point from the previous quarter, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS).

A key barometer of financial soundness, the ratio measures the proportion of a bank's capital to its risk-weighted credit. The Switzerland-based Bank for International Settlements (BIS), an international organization of central banks, requires lenders to maintain a ratio of 8 percent or higher.

Citibank Korea posted the highest capital ratio at 19.51 percent.

The capital adequacy ratio of two internet-only banks -- K-Bank and Kakao Bank -- stood at 11.85 percent and 9.97 percent, respectively.

Compared to three months ago, the capital base of all banks increased by 4.9 trillion won (US$4.1 billion), while their risk-weighted assets expanded by 26.5 trillion won.(Yonhap)

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