Yanolja's first-quarter revenue rose 8.5% from a year earlier to 236.7 billion won. Operating loss came to 17.7 billion won in the same period, swinging to a loss.
The company said it reflects the impact of expanded global operations and investment expense in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI). Heightened volatility in the global travel market due to geopolitical issues also hurt profitability.
Yanolja's first-quarter gross transaction value increased 31.9% from a year earlier to 9.5 trillion won. Gross transaction value refers to the total transaction scale generated through the consumer platform and enterprise solution.
By institutional sector, revenue from the enterprise solution rose 13.8% to 72.1 billion won. The AI data solution business led growth, but adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) fell 47.5% to 6.4 billion won due to continued investment to expand global operations.
Revenue from the consumer platform institutional sector was 168.9 billion won, up 7% from a year earlier. Steady demand in domestic travel and the entertainment category and an increase in outbound (travel from Korea to overseas) transactions supported results.
For NOL World, an inbound platform exclusively for foreigners, the average monthly number of users in the first quarter jumped 24-fold from a year earlier after a platform overhaul late last year, while revenue rose about 288%. However, adjusted EBITDA fell 51.9% to 10 billion won due to the impact of marketing investment.