Chairman Bang Si-Hyuk’s brainchild, HYBE, the entertainment powerhouse behind global phenomenon BTS and emerging star, New Jeans, is poised to become the first large-scale business group in the South Korean entertainment industry. According to HYBE’s recent business report, the company’s assets have seen a 9.8% hike from the previous year, standing at a staggering $4.2 billion.

Bang Si-Hyuk, who holds a 31.57% stake in HYBE, is the company’s largest shareholder and founder. He is likely to be designated as the controlling shareholder when HYBE officially becomes a large-scale corporation, subject to various regulations such as disclosure obligations and prohibition of preferential treatment.

Since its inception as Big Hit Entertainment in February 2005, HYBE, under the strategic leadership of Bang, has metamorphosed from a small-scale agency into a dominant player in the industry, largely propelled by BTS’s global popularity. The company’s growth trajectory continued with acquisitions of Source Music in 2019 and Pledis in 2020, and a successful listing on the Korea Exchange in October 2020.

Not content with dominating the K-pop scene, Bang directed the company to broaden its horizons beyond Korea. In 2021, HYBE made a shocking move by acquiring Ithaca Holdings, home to international pop stars like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande. This acquisition, along with the purchase of American hip-hop label QC Media Holdings and Latin music company Exile Music, significantly expanded HYBE’s global portfolio.

HYBE’s market capitalization now exceeds $7.5 billion, placing it 45th on the Korea Exchange and at the top of the entertainment industry. Despite the military enlistment of all BTS members, HYBE’s flagship IP, the company has managed to maintain its momentum. The popularity of newer groups like Seventeen, Tomorrow X Together (TXT), Enhypen, and fourth-generation girl groups New Jeans and Lurisaraphim, continues to surge both domestically and internationally.