Hecto Financial posted its best-ever performance for the first nine months this year, helped by growth in its easy cash payment and payment gateway (PG) businesses. Revenue growth from its membership-based easy cash payment service helped improve profitability.

Hecto Financial said on Nov. 9, in a preliminary earnings disclosure, that its third-quarter consolidated revenue rose 14.9 percent from a year earlier to 52.6 billion won. Operating profit increased 6.2 percent to 4.8 billion won over the same period.

Nine-month revenue rose 17.6 percent from a year earlier to 160.2 billion won, and operating profit climbed 54.4 percent to 18.5 billion won. Both revenue and operating profit were the largest on record for the first nine months.

Hecto Financial explained that its main payment businesses, including easy cash payment and PG, grew as it secured new merchants and transaction volumes increased. It said expanding revenue from membership-based services such as "Naetongjang Payment" contributed to improved profitability.

It is also expanding its global payment and settlement business. Its cross-border settlement business, launched in 2023, is growing on an increase in global merchants, and it is widening its business scope to include small overseas remittances between individuals using foreign exchange-related licences.

The company is also working to build next-generation payment infrastructure by running a proof of concept (PoC) for AI agent payments and joining the x402 Foundation related to AI payment standards.

Chief Executive Choi Jong-won (최종원) said, "We achieved our best-ever performance for the first nine months based on stable growth in our main payment businesses and stronger profitability." He added, "We will continue to strengthen our position as a global fintech company."