Franchise is one of the brand new business types recently stipulated in a concrete manner
in the Commercial Code of Korea. Franchising is a business method that involves licensing of
well-known trademarks and business knowhow, and exclusive rights to sell such branded
merchandise or services. Taking advantage of these characteristics of franchise, Korean banks
are expected to enhance their non-financial support to their clients and increase their own fee
business revenue.
The first business model is to consolidate the necessary operation and maintenance (O&M)
of facilities in the same manner as franchising like the CPM method employing checklist,
process and manuals. By doing so, the reduction of facilities O&M costs could lead to the
enhanced satisfaction of users, and derivative business like the establishment of integrated
facilities management systems and specialized O&M companies. In order to facilitate this kind
of business, standardization of contracts, typical O&M methods supported by sophisticated
facilities management systems are inevitable among others. Owing to the information
asymmetry between the franchisor and would-be franchisees, the franchisor is required to
disclose detailed information about its business operations under the relevant Korean law. But
this requirement is exempted if no franchise front money is demanded by the franchisor.
The second business model is to borrow loans backed by the present and/or future cash
flows generated from the licensing of trademarks and business knowhow, i.e., asset-backed
loan (ABL). It is feasible when such specific franchise market has not yet been saturated and
cash flows are assessed stable and sufficient, and the whole assets could be transferred to a
special purpose company (SPC) which may apply for ABL from the banks. It means a new trend of fund-raising based upon the stable cash flows rather than conventional secured
transactions. That is an unquestionably attractive source of funds for a franchisor with
insufficient collateral assets.
Therefore, financial institutions, specialized in long-term financing and equipped with
path-finding consulting capabilities, have a good chance to encourage client companies to
conduct the value-added new business, and to provide them with necessary financial
assistance. As for Korean banks, it seems to be a lucrative business area when the franchising
industry is growing in terms of tangible assets and profitability.