Kakao Pay said on the 25th that the Kakao Pay Money top-up balance topped 2 trillion won for the first time, recording 2.0961 trillion won as of the third quarter of 2025. Kakao Pay Money is a prepaid balance that you use by linking an account to Kakao Pay and topping up, and if used wisely, you can receive various benefits such as point accrual and interest on a securities account. Kakao Pay's third-quarter payment amount achieved a 60.8% share paid with Kakao Pay Money, driving Korea's shift to a "cashless" society.
Kakao Pay Money offers a variety of payment benefits. When you pay 1,000 won or more with Kakao Pay Money at Kakao Pay merchants, you can receive Kakao Pay Point accrual benefits. In addition to the basic accrual benefit, it also offers a bonus draw that randomly adds Kakao Pay Points. The same accrual benefits apply when you choose Samsung Pay or Zero Pay in the Kakao Pay app and pay with Kakao Pay Money.
◇Kakao Pay Money is the same as cash, from auto top-up to income tax deduction
Kakao Pay Money offers the same income tax deduction benefits as cash. You can freely top up from 10,000 won up to the limit, and for minors, you can top up from as little as 1 won; it also provides a scheduled top-up feature that lets you specify the date you want. If the balance is insufficient, it can be automatically topped up from the financial account set as the main account. In addition, even without a physical card, you can withdraw Kakao Pay Money as cash from convenience store ATMs via the "ATM withdrawal" feature. At CU convenience stores, even without an ATM, you can deposit and withdraw Kakao Pay Money at the counter, making it highly useful.
Since 2020, Kakao Pay has expanded Kakao Pay Money benefits in connection with the comprehensive account service of its subsidiary Kakao Pay Securities. While the existing Kakao Pay Money focused on basic financial services such as payments and transfers, it enhanced ease of use by organically connecting it with a variety of financial products offered by Kakao Pay Securities, such as stocks, funds and pensions. Without installing a separate securities app, you can open a securities account with just a few taps via KakaoTalk and the Kakao Pay app; as of last year, more than 7 million people had opened securities accounts and are receiving benefits.
If you open a Kakao Pay Securities comprehensive account, you can receive up to 5% annual interest benefits. When you top up Kakao Pay Money, it is automatically transferred and deposited into the comprehensive securities account. Unlike existing financial products, even if users freely deposit and withdraw, they can receive up to 5% annual deposit interest from Kakao Pay Securities on the average balance.
Deposit interest is automatically paid every Monday based on the balance from Sunday to Saturday of the previous week, calculated on the average daily balance, and by using "receive interest," you can receive daily interest and enjoy a daily compounding effect. In addition, because it is deposited into a securities account, unlike prepaid balances that have a 2 million won cap, it can be held without a limit, and each person is also eligible for deposit protection up to a maximum of 100 million won.
◇Strength in connection across diverse financial services such as payments, transfers and investing
After opening a securities account and topping up Kakao Pay Money, it is automatically transferred to the securities account, so it can be used immediately for stock trading, funds and retirement savings. It is easy to think that prepaid balances are only used when paying, but Kakao Pay has broadened utility by connecting Kakao Pay Money to a variety of financial services, including payments, transfers and investments.
Accordingly, users' Kakao Pay Money usage scale and top-up balances have increased significantly. In the third quarter, the Kakao Pay Money top-up balance surpassed 2 trillion won for the first time, reaching 2.0961 trillion won. This proves that whereas in the past most people deposited money into their accounts immediately after receiving transfers via KakaoTalk, more users now leave it in Kakao Pay Money and use it across various services such as payments and transfers.
The share of money-based payments within total payments is also overwhelming. In the third quarter, the share of payments made with money was 60.8%, up 4.1 percentage points from a year earlier, and after surpassing 60% for the first time in the second quarter, it has continued to stay in the 60% range. Even for offline and overseas payments, the money share is high, showing that Kakao Pay Money has established itself as a key payment method.