Mirae Asset Securities has become the first brokerage in the industry to surpass 1 trillion won in quarterly net profit. The result came as growth in wealth management and pension businesses combined with improved performance at overseas units and gains from proprietary investment.

Mirae Asset Securities said on May 12 its consolidated net profit for the first quarter of 2026 was 1.0019 trillion won. It was up 288 percent from a year earlier and marked the first time a domestic brokerage has achieved 1 trillion won in quarterly net profit.

Operating profit for the period was 1.375 trillion won, up 297 percent from a year earlier. Pre-tax profit rose 292 percent to 1.3576 trillion won. Annualised return on equity was 29 percent and equity capital stood at 14.1 trillion won.

The wealth management and pension segments also kept growing. Total client assets under management at home and abroad stood at 660 trillion won as of the end of the first quarter, up about 58 trillion won in three months. Pension assets rose 650 billion won over the same period to 64.3 trillion won.

Combined reserves for defined contribution plans and individual retirement pension plans totalled 36.8 trillion won as of the end of the first quarter. It ranked No. 1 across the entire financial sector by the size of reserves.

The growth trend is continuing in the second quarter. As of May 10, AUM stood at 776 trillion won, up 174 trillion won from the end of last year. Pension assets also surpassed 74 trillion won.

Overseas units posted their best results since the start of the global business. Pre-tax profit at overseas units in the first quarter was 243.2 billion won. Annualised ROE on an after-tax basis was about 14 percent.

By region, the Hong Kong unit posted a first-quarter pre-tax profit of 81.3 billion won, its best ever. The New York unit's pre-tax profit was 83.0 billion won. Client assets for overseas wealth management in India, Vietnam and Indonesia stood at 78 trillion won as of the end of the first quarter, showing a stable growth trend.

In the proprietary investment segment, it posted valuation gains of about 804.0 billion won after reshaping its portfolio around innovative companies at home and abroad. The gains are seen as reflecting valuation gains from rising values of overseas innovative companies such as SpaceX. The company explained there could also be additional valuation gains at expected initial public offerings by the end of the second quarter.

Separately, it secured cornerstone investment opportunities in Hong Kong-listed companies and posted profit of 156.0 billion won in the first quarter alone, despite a sharp share price fall in March due to the Iran war.

A Mirae Asset Securities official said, "We strategically reinvested capital and built a virtuous cycle, achieving meaningful results in the investment segment." The official added, "We will continue to move forward as a global investment specialist that provides customers with a variety of investment opportunities."