KaKao

- Second-quarter revenue and operating profit up 9% and 36% year-on-year, respectively, reaching record highs for any quarter

- Platform segment revenue up 17% year-on-year, providing a solid financial foundation for continued efficient investment in AI

 

[August 6, 2026] Kakao (CEO Shina Chung) announced its consolidated financial results for the second quarter of 2026 under K-IFRS, reporting KRW 2.1 trillion in revenue and KRW 277 billion in operating profit. Revenue increased 9% year-on-year, while operating profit rose 36%. Both reached all-time quarterly highs.

 

By business segment, platform service revenue in the second quarter rose 17% year-on-year to KRW 1.23 trillion.

 

Within the platform segment, Talk Biz revenue rose 12% year-on-year to KRW 643.2 billion. Talk Biz advertising and subscription revenue totaled KRW 399.9 billion, up 14% year-on-year. Business messaging service revenue increased 20% year-on-year, driven by solid demand from financial-sector advertisers. Display advertising on KakaoTalk also grew 28%, supported by increased user engagement and strong performance from new advertising products.

 

Talk Biz Commerce, including KakaoTalk Gift and Talk Deal, also continued its growth trajectory. Combined gross transaction value (GTV) for the second quarter reached KRW 2.7 trillion, representing a 9% year-on-year growth. In particular, self-purchase GTV on KakaoTalk Gift increased 39% year-on-year, driving overall growth of the service. As a result, Talk Biz Commerce revenue rose 10% year-on-year to KRW 243.2 billion.

 

Other platform service revenue, which includes Kakao Mobility and Kakao Pay, reached KRW 587 billion, a 22% increase year-on-year. Kakao Mobility delivered solid performance across its existing businesses and last-mile logistics operations. Kakao Pay achieved record-high quarterly revenue and operating profit, driven by robust growth in its financial services. Its payment and platform services also continued to post double-digit growth.

 

Content revenue increased 1% year-on-year to KRW 868.2 billion in the second quarter. Music revenue rose 8% to KRW 558.4 billion, driven by an expansion in performances featuring major IPs. Media revenue increased by 5% to KRW 99.1 billion, supported by an increase in the number of productions underway. As for KakaoStory, the revenue totaled KRW 210.7 billion.

 

Furthermore, the operating profit for the second quarter increased 36% year-on-year to KRW 277 billion, and the operating margin improved by approximately 3%p to 13%. Operating expenses totaled KRW 1.82 trillion, up 6% year-on-year.

 

Kakao plans to sequentially introduce agentic AI experiences on KakaoTalk that enable users to complete everyday tasks such as ordering, booking and making payments. The company aims to establish these experiences as new pillars of growth and monetization—driving sustainable growth and enhancing corporate value. To this end, Kakao will collaborate with partners across high-frequency use cases, including commerce, bookings, travel, and payments, while actively leveraging its MCP-based open platform, PlayMCP, to rapidly expand the service ecosystem.

 

CEO Shina Chung stated, “Competitiveness in the era of agentic AI is not simply about building superior models. It lies in understanding users’ context and intent and connecting them to real actions. Building on KakaoTalk as a daily touchpoint for users and the technology and service ecosystem we have built over the years, Kakao will accelerate the arrival of an era in which everyone in Korea can naturally utilize their own AI agent.” (E.O.D.)