Sales rise 27% to 74.6 billion won

Pension savings accounts reach 600,000

Net inflows hit 10.4 trillion won so far this year

Shin Ho-cheol, CEO of Kakao Pay Securities [Kakao Pay Securities]
Shin Ho-cheol, CEO of Kakao Pay Securities [Kakao Pay Securities]

Kakao Pay Securities posted sales of 74.6 billion won ($55.6 million) and operating profit of 15.7 billion won in the third quarter of this year, the company announced Tuesday. Sales rose 27% and operating profit edged up 0.3% from the same period a year earlier.

Compared with the immediately preceding quarter, however, when a buoyant stock market drove brisk trading, sales fell 38.8% and operating profit dropped 60.4%.

The third-quarter sales figure reflects a 5.9 billion won decline in revenue from foreign-currency transactions and derivatives tied to exchange rate volatility.

The total value of share transactions in the third quarter reached 81.6 trillion won, surging 139% from a year earlier, though that was down 41.7% from 139.9 trillion won in the second quarter.

Monthly active trading customers grew 62% year-on-year to about 1.67 million, while quarterly share transaction volume jumped 139% to 81.6 trillion won, reinforcing the company's base of active retail investors.

The portfolio mix also improved, with cumulative pension savings accounts reaching 600,000. Custodial assets climbed 167% year-on-year to 19.3 trillion won, and net inflows for the year to date surged 320% from the same period last year to 10.4 trillion won.

"Even amid external volatility, the base of active retail investors has consistently expanded and our product lineup has diversified — including pension products — so we believe the company's fundamental strength has grown considerably," a Kakao Pay Securities official said. "Going forward, we will continue building a foundation for flexible growth in any market environment through innovation in user experience and further product diversification."

Kakao Pay Securities recently partnered with Kakao Bank to launch a "Stock Home" section within the investment tab of the Kakao Bank app, enabling share trading directly inside the app. The integration allows customers to search for stock information and place buy and sell orders entirely within the Kakao Bank app, improving the convenience of investing.


jiyun@heraldcorp.com