Kiwoom Securities said its first-quarter net profit more than doubled from a year earlier, helped by a sharp rise in stock market trading value.
The company said Thursday that consolidated net profit for the first quarter of 2026 totaled 477.4 billion won, up 102.6% from 235.6 billion won a year earlier. Consolidated operating profit rose 90.9% to 621.2 billion won.
On a separate basis, net profit came to 443.2 billion won and operating profit to 534.8 billion won, up 92.4% and 81.0%, respectively. Total equity stood at 6.2994 trillion won, a 25.6% increase from a year earlier.
The brokerage business led the gains. Stock commission revenue in the quarter rose 120.8% to 311.5 billion won, as average daily trading value in the domestic market climbed to 27.8 trillion won from 8.8 trillion won a year earlier, more than tripling amid a stronger market.
The asset management business also grew. Management profit and dividend and distribution income increased 58.9% to 155.7 billion won, and client assets under management rose 43.4% to 21.8 trillion won.
In investment banking, Kiwoom built results mainly in the debt capital markets. It ranked fourth in domestic bond lead management in the first quarter and took part in major deals involving POSCO Future M, LS Cable, SK, Shinsegae and LG Energy Solution. It also worked on equity capital markets transactions, including rights offerings for Amicogen and Raonpeople, and arranged acquisition financing.
For the previous quarter, the company posted consolidated net profit of 246.9 billion won and operating profit of 345.6 billion won in the fourth quarter of 2025. For the full year last year, it reported net profit of 1.115 trillion won and operating profit of 1.4882 trillion won.
Kiwoom said it plans to announce a midterm corporate value enhancement plan in the first half of this year. It also aims to expand its outstanding balance of short-term notes from 1.2 trillion won to 3 trillion won by year-end and plans to launch retirement pension services (DB, DC and IRP) in June. As part of shareholder returns, the company has continued to buy back and retire its own shares, and said it held no treasury shares as of the end of March this year.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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