KaKao

- Q4 revenue reaches record high of KRW 2.13 trillion; operating profit exceeds KRW 200 billion for two consecutive quarters

- Annual consolidated revenue surpasses KRW 8 trillion for the first time in company history; operating profit also breaks record with KRW 732 billion

- Shifting gears toward growth in 2026; commitment to turning growth expectations into tangible results

 

[February 12, 2026] Kakao Corporation (CEO Shina Chung) announced that under K-IFRS (Korean International Financial Reporting Standards), its consolidated annual revenue for 2025 reached KRW 8.09 trillion, up 3% year-on-year. Annual operating profit came to KRW 732 billion, a 48% increase from the previous year. Both revenue and operating profit reached all-time highs since the company’s founding.

 

Consolidated revenue for the fourth quarter of 2025 was recorded as KRW 2.13 trillion; up 9% year-on-year, while consolidated operating profit surged 136% to KRW 203.4 billion. Kakao’s Q4 revenue set a new record for any single quarter, and operating profit surpassed the KRW 200 billion mark for two consecutive quarters.

 

By business segment, platform service revenue in the Q4 rose 17% year-on-year to KRW 1.22 trillion.

 

Within the platform segment, Talk Biz revenue increased 13% year-on-year to KRW 627.1 billion. Talk Biz Advertisement revenue grew 16% year-on-year to KRW 373.4 billion. Such growth in revenue was driven by a 19% increase in business message sales, maintaining a robust growth trend. Display advertisements also achieved a 18% revenue growth rate compared to the same period last year.

 

Talk Biz Commerce revenue for the fourth quarter, including KakaoTalk Gift and Talk Deal, reached KRW 253.4 billion, up 8% year-on-year. Total Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) for the commerce segment in the fourth quarter reached KRW 3 trillion for the first time in a single quarter, growing 12% year-on-year. In particular, KakaoTalk Gift’s GMV grew 14% year-on-year as the “Chuseok effect” and expanded year-end promotions maximized peak season performance. Annual GMV for the commerce segment reached KRW 10.6 trillion, a 6% increase year-on-year.

 

Other platform service revenues, which include Kakao Mobility and Kakao Pay, reached KRW 523.9 billion, a 30% increase year-on-year. Kakao Mobility recorded a double-digit revenue growth compared to the same period last year, driven by the steady performance of its taxi business and the expansion of its parking and courier services. Kakao Pay saw balanced growth across all business segments, including payment, finance, and platform services.

 

Content segment revenue for the fourth quarter stood at KRW 910.6 billion, remaining at a similar level to the same period last year. Music and media revenues grew 12% and 30% year-on-year to KRW 525.1 billion and KRW 95.8 billion, respectively. Kakao Story revenue came to KRW 191.8 billion, a 5% decrease year-on-year.

 

Operating expenses for the fourth quarter of last year rose to KRW 1.9298 trillion (+3% YoY). Operating profit surged 136% year-on-year to KRW 203.4 billion, with an operating margin of 10%.

 

This year, Kakao plans to shift its strategies toward the growth of its core businesses, AI and KakaoTalk, leveraging the accumulated resources. During the first quarter of this year, the company plans to officially launch “Kanana in KakaoTalk,” an on-device AI service, on both Android and iOS to expand user touchpoints. Simultaneously, it will continue the self-development and advancement of language models essential for service implementation.

 

Kakao CEO Shina Chung stated, “The results of our structural improvements, which focused group capabilities on core areas, are clearly reflected in our financial indicators.” She added, “While proving our performance through improvement in earnings, we will also demonstrate tangible results for Kakao’s mid- to long-term growth expectations.” (E.O.D.)