KakaoBank reports higher nine-month profit
Interest income reached 2.09 trillion won in the first nine months of 2026.
KakaoBank, an internet-only bank, reported higher standalone profit for the first nine months of 2026. Net income rose to 470 billion won from 375 billion won a year earlier. Interest expense also increased, reaching 896 billion won from 858 billion won.
Interest income rose to 2.09 trillion won from 1.82 trillion won in the same period of 2025. The bank recorded 194 billion won in provisions for credit losses on financial assets, up from 175 billion won. Income tax expense rose to 163 billion won from 124 billion won.
Cash generated by operating activities fell to 2.94 trillion won from 5.75 trillion won a year earlier. Interest received rose to 2.05 trillion won from 1.8 trillion won, and interest paid increased to 870 billion won from 822 billion won.
The bank also reported a 4.6 trillion won cash outflow from investing activities, compared with 5.69 trillion won in the prior-year period. Financing activities generated 164 billion won, compared with an outflow of 189 billion won a year earlier. The bank recorded a 410 billion won increase in borrowings and paid 219 billion won in dividends, up from 172 billion won.
The deposit base expanded over the nine months. Total deposits stood at 71.8 trillion won at the end of September, up from 68.3 trillion won at the end of 2025. Savings deposits rose to 33.1 trillion won from 29.5 trillion won, following an increase from 21.7 trillion won at the end of 2024. Demand deposits eased to 38.5 trillion won from 38.7 trillion won at the end of 2025.
Alongside deposits and lending, KakaoBank operates a platform business that connects customers with services from financial and nonfinancial partners. By the third quarter of 2026, customers had opened about 7.41 million brokerage stock accounts through its service. Cumulative lending handled by partners through its loan comparison platform reached 19.6 trillion won.
Other products have attracted customers as well. KakaoBank mini, designed for minors, had about 2.6 million cumulative users, and customers had opened 15.8 million one-month savings accounts. The bank also offers services such as credit card partnerships and stock investment alongside its core banking products.
KakaoBank expanded its loan comparison services in March with a refinancing product for individual business owners. In April, it introduced an investment tab as it sought to broaden its investment and asset-management platform. Its investment offerings include funds, bonds, individual retirement pensions and money market fund products.
The bank has also added services beyond finance, including mobile coupons, government support searches and overseas travel booking. KakaoBank expects such services to increase customer traffic and engagement. It has continued to add AI services, including sign-language consultations and automatically generated invitations for group accounts.
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