WEBTOON Entertainment Inc.: Form 10-Q for the period ended Jun 30, 2026

This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation should be read in conjunction with our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes to those statements included in this Report and our audited Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes and the discussion under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for the year ended December 31, 2025, included in the Annual Report. In addition to historical financial information, the following discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results and timing of selected events may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those discussed under the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in this Report.

Overview

WEBTOON is a global storytelling platform where a vibrant community of creators and users discover, create and share new content. We have pioneered a cultural movement by revolutionizing the storytelling format and democratizing content creation and publication. WEBTOON empowers creators, by enabling them to participate economically in their own creation, and users, by offering an endless library of content.

Content on our platform tells stories, across formats. On our platform, creators tell long-form stories through serialized narratives in the form of short-form, bite-sized episodes, creating a habitual behavior with an engaged user base. These stories are primarily told in two ways—web-comics, a graphical comic-like medium, and web-novels, which are text-based stories. The web-comic medium tells stories using a continuous vertical-scroll format that is easily read on mobile devices. We are able to extend the reach, impact and monetization of our content by adapting it into other media formats such as film, streaming series, games, merchandise and print books.

Creators power our content engine by authoring immersive visual stories, developing imaginative new characters and inspiring fandoms. Our creator base ranges from the individual enthusiast with a love of storytelling to the professional author building a brand and an enterprise on our platform. WEBTOON provides creators with an opportunity to monetize their creativity through various means, including Paid Content, advertising and IP Adaptations.

Users come to our platform to discover and consume engaging and immersive content. Our creators tell stories that are relatable to global audiences, attracting users across age groups, geographies and genders. Our primary user base is Gen Z and millennials. WEBTOON helps fans discover engaging content across genres, with fresh, weekly releases.

Community reinforces the benefits to creators and users on our platform. We help users and creators build relationships and engage with one another over content. As users, or “fans,” often develop a personal connection to the titles on our platform, they relish the direct engagement with creators through both our comments section at the end of each episode and the “Creator Profile” section, where creators can post messages and users can respond directly. Fans also appreciate the ability to potentially influence how stories unfold and how their favorite characters evolve, as creators may choose to incorporate fans’ feedback. This enables a positive feedback loop for content creation and user engagement. This community engagement powers a flywheel of user engagement and creator readership, which in turn drives WEBTOON’s success.

Our platform continuously empowers and incentivizes creators to drive creation of unique long-form stories. These stories are enjoyed on our platform by a growing base of loyal fans and importantly, enable us to expand the audience base off-platform over time. This continuous cycle results in successful and durable franchises within our ever-growing content library, empowering us with a multitude of monetization opportunities through IP Adaptations.

Key Business Metrics

We believe our performance is dependent upon many factors, including the key metrics described below that we track and review to measure our performance, identify trends, formulate financial projections, and make strategic decisions.

Our offerings include WEBTOON, LINE MANGA, NAVER SERIES, eBookJapan, Munpia and Wattpad. We manage our business by tracking several operating metrics, including: monthly active users, or MAU; monthly paying users, or MPU; and Paid Content Average Revenue per Paying User, or ARPPU. For a definition of these operating metrics, please see the “Glossary.” As a management team, we believe each of these operating metrics provides useful information to investors and others.

Our year-over-year activity and quarter-over-quarter growth trends may fluctuate subject to various internal and external factors including (i) seasonality of our business where we see increased activity during holiday season, (ii) magnitude of our marketing campaigns, (iii) hiatus/return of creators and key titles on our platforms, (iv) TV shows, films, and/or gaming release based on our content as part of our IP Adaptation business, (v) our strategic decision to direct traffic to our mobile application may lead to fluctuations in trends as web users who view in both mediums may choose to continue to consume on our mobile application only and (vi) external factors impacting the global economy, our industry and our company.

Geographic Tracking

We review each metric by geography where our products are available and accessible. We categorize geographies into Korea, Japan, and Rest of World ("ROW") based on the location of our users:

• Korea includes WEBTOON Korea, NAVER SERIES, and Munpia where our content is in Korean and targeted at Korean speaking users.
• Japan includes LINE MANGA and eBookJapan where our content is in Japanese and targeted at Japanese speaking users.
• Rest of World includes WEBTOON in all other languages including English, Spanish, and more, as well as Wattpad, where our content is targeted at global users outside of Korea and Japan.

In particular, as a proxy for tracking our performance in North America, which we consider to be a key market, amongst Rest of World, we track users who consume WEBTOON offered in English in the U.S. and Canada based on such user’s Internet Protocol (IP) addresses (collectively “WEBTOON North America”). For clarity, the following cases are not counted as part of WEBTOON North America but counted as part of Rest of World: (i) where users consume non-English (e.g., Spanish) WEBTOON content while they are physically based in North America and (ii) where users consume non-WEBTOON products (e.g., Wattpad) while they are physically based in North America.

Our methodology of geographic tracking may include an immaterial number of users not geographically located within the above segmentation. For instance, where users consume WEBTOON Korea content while they are physically based outside of Korea, the users will be counted as part of Korea. While we believe that these metrics are reasonable estimates of our user base for the applicable period of measurement, and that the methodologies we employ and update from time-to-time to create these metrics are reasonable bases to identify trends in user behavior, the preparation of each of such metrics involves the use of estimates, judgments and assumptions, and our metrics may be materially affected if such estimates, judgments or good faith assumptions prove to be inaccurate. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business, Industry and Operations—Our user metrics and other estimates are subject to inherent challenges in measurement, and real or perceived inaccuracies in those metrics could adversely affect our business and reputation.”

Trends in Monthly Active Users (MAU)

We define MAU as users based on each device logged in and each offering accessed from a single device and may include the same individual user multiple times if the user is logged in from multiple devices or if the user accesses multiple offerings from one device.

We strive to detect and minimize unauthorized access to our platform, fake user accounts and fraudulent accounts created by bots that inflate user activity and starting from our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2026, we have excluded such users from our MAU calculation to ensure the accuracy and consistency of our MAU reporting. In the previous comparable period, amounts related to such activity were immaterial to our reported results.

We track MAU as an indicator of the scale of our active user base, user engagement and adoption. We also break out MAU by geographic region to help us understand the global engagement.

As of the quarter ended June 30, 2026, our global MAU was approximately 156.9 million. The global MAU increased by approximately 0.5% compared to June 30, 2025.

• In Korea, our MAU was approximately 24.3 million as of the quarter ended June 30, 2026, compared to MAU of 23.0 million as of the same quarter of 2025.
• In Japan, our MAU was 21.8 million as of the quarter ended June 30, 2026, compared to MAU of 22.6 million as of the same quarter of 2025.
• In Rest of World, our MAU was 110.7 million as of the quarter ended June 30, 2026, which increased from 110.5 million as of the comparable prior year period. This increase was primarily attributable to content, product and marketing initiatives, including brand marketing campaigns related to major IP, which contributed to user acquisition.

Trends in Monthly Paying Users (MPU)

We define MPU as users who have paid to access Paid Content in the applicable calendar month, averaged over each month in the given period. We define paying ratio as the ratio of MPU divided by MAU for the respective periods.

We view MPU and paying ratio to be indicators of the strength of our monetization.

While MAU increased 0.5% year-over-year, MPU grew by approximately 1.8%. This shift reflects the success of our content recommendation initiatives, which are driving higher conversion through better relevance.

As of the quarter ended June 30, 2026, our global MPU was 7.5 million with a paying ratio of 4.8%, which is an increase of 0.1% compared to the paying ratio for the quarter ended June 30, 2025 of 4.7%. By geographic regions, Korea, Japan, and Rest of World contributed 50.4%, 27.4% and 22.2% of global MPU, respectively. Paying ratio varies due to the user’s ability and propensity to pay across different regions and different product offerings.

• In Korea, our MPU have increased to around 3.8 million with a paying ratio of 15.5%, compared to MPU of 3.4 million and a paying ratio of 14.9% as of the quarter ended June 30, 2025.
• In Japan, our MPU have reached 2.1 million with a paying ratio of 9.4%, compared to MPU of 2.3 million and a paying ratio of 10.0% as of the quarter ended June 30, 2025.
• In Rest of World, our MPU is 1.7 million with a paying ratio of 1.5%, which has remained similar to the prior year's comparable quarter.

Trends in Paid Content Average Revenue per Paying User (ARPPU)

We define ARPPU as average Paid Content revenue in a given month divided by the number of MPU for such month, averaged over each month in the given period.

We view ARPPU to be an indicator of both the strength of engagement and Paid Content monetization on our platform. Units are in U.S. dollars.

Engagement is a key aspect to drive our monetization. For the quarter ended June 30, 2026, our ARPPU decreased to $11.7, or a 5.7% decline, compared to the same quarter of 2025. The reduction in ARPPU stemmed primarily from a substantial redistribution of the paying user base to areas generating less average revenue per paying user, a factor that overshadowed the organic increases in monetization within each distinct market. We continue to focus on driving users to the app, as well as converting them to paying users, by advancing our personalization tools.

• In Korea, our ARPPU for the quarter ended June 30, 2026, has increased to $8.3, or a 5.0% increase compared to the same quarter of 2025.
• In Japan, our ARPPU for the quarter ended June 30, 2026, has decreased to $22.1, or a 6.7% decrease compared to the same quarter of 2025.
• In Rest of World, our ARPPU for the quarter ended June 30, 2026, has increased to $6.9, or a 4.4% increase compared to the same quarter of 2025, primarily driven by reader habituation in paying to view content.

Seasonality

Historically, while the magnitude and timing varies across regions, we experience higher levels of user engagement and monetization in the third quarter of the calendar year primarily as a result of increased use of our platform during the global vacation and holiday schedules of our users. In addition, many advertisers allocate the largest portion of their budgets to the fourth quarter of the calendar year to coincide with increased holiday purchasing. As we continue to diversify our sources of revenue, and in particular increase revenue from advertising, the seasonal impacts may be more pronounced in the fourth quarter in the future or different altogether.

Components of Results of Operations

Revenue

Our revenue is derived from three distinct revenue streams: Paid Content, Advertising and IP Adaptations.

Our Paid Content revenue represents revenue generated from the sale of content on our platform to users. Advertising revenue represents revenue earned for the display of advertisements on our platform, including in-stream placement within content. Our IP Adaptations revenue comprises of revenue generated from adaptations of certain content on our offerings into other media formats such as films, streaming series, games and merchandise, which may take the form of fixed licensing fees or other arrangements where we participate in the upside of such productions, or sales of merchandise. See Note 2. Revenue in the accompanying notes to our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Report for more information.

Cost of Revenue

Cost of revenue consists of Paid Content creator revenue shared with creators, app store fees and other variable costs. Creator revenue share includes commissions payable to creators or publishers based on revenue generated from Paid Content. App store fees include platform fees payable to companies that provide users with the ability to download the mobile application through application stores and make purchases directly through such applications (such as Google and Apple) and certain other payment-related costs. These expenses are lower in Korea where more people buy Coins through our website as opposed to purchases made through mobile applications. Other variable costs include, among other things, costs directly associated with our IP Adaptations business, including payroll and related personal expenses, amortization and production costs.

Marketing

Marketing expenses consist of expenses incurred for the promotion of our brand, costs associated with user acquisition and costs associated with loyalty marketing campaigns where we give away free Coins. Marketing expenses also include compensation costs related to sales and marketing personnel.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses consist of all our operating costs, excluding cost of revenue and marketing, and include costs related to operating and maintaining our platform, general corporate function costs, stock-based compensation expense (benefit) and depreciation and amortization of non-operating assets. See Note 9. Stock-Based Compensation in the accompanying notes to our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Report for more information.

Interest Income

Interest income primarily consists of interest earned on our short-term, highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, which are mainly comprised of bank deposits, and interest income from loan receivables.

Interest Expense

Interest expense primarily consists of interest related to our outstanding debt obligations, including both short-term borrowings and long-term debt.

Gain (Loss) on Equity Method Investment, Net

Gain (loss) on equity method investment, net, includes recognized gain (loss) associated with our investments accounted for using the equity method. See Note 16. Equity Method Investments in the accompanying notes to our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Report for more information.

Other Income (Loss), Net

Other income (loss), net, primarily consists of gains or losses on valuation of debt and equity securities, net, income or loss on foreign currency, net, retirement benefit, net, and other non-operating income or loss, net.

Income Tax Benefit (Expense)

Income tax benefit (expense) primarily includes income taxes in certain federal, state, local, and foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct our business, primarily in the U.S., Korea, Japan and Canada. Foreign jurisdictions have different statutory tax rates from those in the U.S. Additionally, certain of our foreign earnings may also be taxable in the U.S. Accordingly, our effective tax rate will vary depending on the relative proportion of foreign to domestic income, use of tax credits, changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities, and changes in tax laws. See Note 11. Income Taxes in the accompanying notes to our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Report for more information.

Results of Operations

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss

The following table sets forth our condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025, respectively. We have derived this data from our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss. The information for each of the periods presented has been prepared on the same basis as our audited Consolidated Financial Statements and, in the opinion of management, reflects all adjustments of a normal, recurring nature that are necessary for the fair statement of the results of operations for the period.

This data should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements in the Annual Report, and unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Report. Historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected in the future.

(in thousands of USD)

Comparison of the Three Months Ended June 30, 2026 and June 30, 2025

Revenue

(in thousands of USD)

Revenue decreased by $9.8 million, or 2.8% for the three months ended June 30, 2026, as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2025. This decrease was primarily attributable to unfavorable foreign currency exchange rates.

On a constant currency basis, our revenue increased by $18.1 million, or 5.2%, primarily due to increases in Paid Content revenue and Advertising revenue. We estimate that foreign exchange fluctuations had a total negative impact of approximately $27.9 million on our reported revenue for the quarter. Refer to the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section of this report for a quantitative reconciliation and a description of how we calculate these measures.

Cost of Revenue

(in thousands of USD)

Our cost of revenue decreased by $10.7 million, or 4.1%, for the three months ended June 30, 2026, as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2025. The decrease was primarily attributable to a shift in the revenue mix to higher margin revenue streams, a reduction in third party transaction fees, and a decrease in total sales commissions and content fees paid to creators.

Marketing

(in thousands of USD)

Marketing expense increased by $7.3 million, or 23.4%, for the three months ended June 30, 2026, as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2025, primarily due to increased marketing spend to acquire users and drive traffic across our offerings.

General and Administrative Expenses

(in thousands of USD)

General and administrative expenses increased by $0.4 million, or 0.6%, for the three months ended June 30, 2026, as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2025. The increase was primarily driven by a $2.9 million increase in stock-based compensation expense due to timing of grants, which was partially offset by decreases in other general and administrative costs.

Interest Income

(in thousands of USD)

Interest income decreased by $0.4 million, or 8.7%, for the three months ended June 30, 2026, as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2025. The decrease was attributable to lower interest rates as compared to the second quarter of 2025.

Gain (Loss) on Equity Method Investment, Net

(in thousands of USD)

Gain (loss) on equity method investment, net, increased by $0.5 million, or 94.9%, for the three months ended June 30, 2026, as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2025. See Note 16. Equity Method Investments in the accompanying notes to our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Report for more information on the Company's equity method investments.

Other Income (Loss), Net

(in thousands of USD)

Other income (loss), net, increased by $3.8 million, or (280.8%), for the three months ended June 30, 2026, as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2025. The change was primarily attributable to a $0.4 million increase in net foreign currency income, and a $3.4 million increase in net unrealized gain on financial assets measured at fair value during the three months ended June 30, 2026 as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2025.

Income Tax Expense

(in thousands of USD)

Income tax benefit decreased by $7.8 million, or 933.8%, for the three months ended June 30, 2026, compared to the three months ended June 30, 2025. See Note 11. Income Taxes in the accompanying notes to our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Report for more information on our taxes.

Comparison of the Six Months Ended June 30, 2026 and June 30, 2025

Revenue

(in thousands of USD)

Revenue decreased by $15 million, or 2.2% for the six months ended June 30, 2026, as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025. This decrease was primarily attributable to unfavorable foreign currency exchange rates.

On a constant currency basis, our revenue increased 18.8 million, or 2.8%, primarily due to increases in Paid Content revenue and Advertising revenue. We estimate that foreign exchange fluctuations had a total negative impact of approximately $33.4 million on our reported revenue for the quarter. Refer to the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section of this report for a quantitative reconciliation and a description of how we calculate these measures.

Cost of Revenue

(in thousands of USD)

Our cost of revenue decreased by $26.9 million, or 5.2%, for the six months ended June 30, 2026, as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025. The decrease was primarily attributable to a shift in the revenue mix to higher margin revenue streams, a reduction in third party transaction fees, a decrease in stock-based compensation expense due to timing of grants, and a decrease in total sales commissions and content fees paid to creators.

Marketing

(in thousands of USD)

Marketing expense increased by $6.2 million, or 10.0%, for the six months ended June 30, 2026, as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025, primarily due to increased marketing spend to acquire users and drive traffic across our offerings.

General and Administrative Expenses

(in thousands of USD)

General and administrative expenses decreased by $5.7 million, or 4.4%, for the six months ended June 30, 2026, as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025. The decrease was primarily driven by a $3.9 million decrease in stock-based compensation expense due to timing of grants and a decrease in non-labor expenses.

Interest Income

(in thousands of USD)

Interest income decreased by $1.2 million, or 11.6%, for the six months ended June 30, 2026, as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025. The decrease was attributable to lower interest rates as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025.

Gain (Loss) on Equity Method Investment, Net

(in thousands of USD)

Gain (loss) on equity method investment, net, increased by $0.6 million, or (974.2%), for the six months ended June 30, 2026, as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025. See Note 16. Equity Method Investments in the accompanying notes to our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Report for more information on the Company's equity method investments.

Other Income (Loss), Net

(in thousands of USD)

Other income (loss), net, decreased by $0.8 million, or 64.2%, for the six months ended June 30, 2026, as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025. The change was primarily attributable to a $1.7 million increase in net unrealized gain on financial assets measured at fair value, which was offset by a $1.7 million increase in net foreign currency losses and a $0.6 million increase in net periodic benefit costs during the six months ended June 30, 2026 as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025.

Income Tax Expense

(in thousands of USD)

Income tax expense increased by $(7.9) million, or 460.3%, for the six months ended June 30, 2026, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025. See Note 11. Income Taxes in the accompanying notes to our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Report for more information on our taxes.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In addition to our results determined in accordance with GAAP, our management and our board of directors also consider EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin, revenue on a constant currency basis, and revenue growth on a constant currency basis, ARPPU on a constant currency basis and ARPPU growth on a constant currency basis. We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures provide investors with additional useful information in evaluating our performance. Our non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation, or as substitutes for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. Non-GAAP measures have limitations as they do not reflect all the amounts associated with our results of operations as determined in accordance with GAAP, and should only be used to evaluate our results of operations in conjunction with the corresponding GAAP measures.

EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin

We define EBITDA as net income(loss) before interest income, interest expense, income tax benefit (expense) and depreciation and amortization. We define Adjusted EBITDA as EBITDA with further adjustments to eliminate the effects of (Gain) loss on equity method investments, effect of applying the valuation method of fair value through profit or loss (“FVPL”), impairment of goodwill, non-cash stock-based compensation and certain other non-recurring costs. We believe that EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA provide useful information to investors regarding our performance, as it removes the impact of certain items that are not representative of our ongoing business, such as certain non-cash charges and variable charges. We define Adjusted EBITDA Margin as Adjusted EBITDA divided by revenue. EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin are non-GAAP financial measures and are not intended to be substitutes for any GAAP financial measures. They should be considered in addition to, not as substitutes for, or in isolation from, measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, such as consolidated net income (loss) or consolidated net income (loss) margin.

Using EBITDA as a performance measure has material limitations as compared to consolidated net income (loss), or other financial measures as defined under GAAP, as it excludes certain recurring items, which may be meaningful to investors. EBITDA excludes interest expense and interest income; however, as we have borrowed money to finance transactions and operations, or invested available cash to generate interest income, interest expense and interest income are elements of our cost structure and can affect our ability to generate revenue and returns for our stockholders. Further, EBITDA excludes depreciation and amortization; however, as we use capital and intangible assets to generate revenue, depreciation and amortization are necessary elements of our costs and ability to generate revenue. Finally, EBITDA excludes income taxes; however, as we are organized as a corporation, the payment of taxes is a necessary element of our operations. Any measure, including EBITDA, that excludes interest expense, depreciation and amortization and income taxes has material limitations as compared to net income. When using EBITDA as a performance measure, management compensates for these limitations by comparing EBITDA to net loss in each period, to allow for the comparison of the performance of the underlying core operations with the overall performance of the company on a full-cost, after-tax basis.

You are also encouraged to evaluate our calculation of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin, and the reasons we consider these adjustments appropriate for supplemental analysis. In evaluating these measures, you should be aware that in the future we may incur expenses that are the same as or similar to some of the adjustments in our presentation of Adjusted EBITDA. Our presentation of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items. There can be no assurance that we will not modify the presentation of these measures in the future, and any such modification may be material. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin have their limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider them in isolation or as substitutes for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. Some of these limitations include:

• Adjusted EBITDA does not include the interest expense and the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments on our debt;
• Although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized may have to be replaced in the future, and Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect cash requirements for replacement of assets that are being depreciated or amortized;
• Adjusted EBITDA excludes the impact of charges and receipts resulting from matters we do not find indicative of our ongoing operations; and
• Other companies in our industry may calculate Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin differently than we do.

The following table presents a reconciliation of net loss to EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin for each of the periods presented.

(in thousands of USD, except percentages)

(1) Represents non-cash stock-based compensation expense related to WEBTOON’s equity incentive plan and stock-based compensation plans of NAVER and Munpia, including amounts which are cash settled. See Note 9. Stock-Based Compensation in the accompanying notes to our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in this Report for further details on the amounts included within.

(2) Represents specific costs that are discrete to the periods presented and are not indicative of our core ongoing operations. For the three months ended June 30, 2026, these amounts were comprised of (i) non-routine legal and professional fees associated with the defense of the 2024 IPO-related shareholder litigation, which are outside the ordinary course of business; (ii) professional fees and severance costs directly related to the strategic restructuring initiative of our Wattpad business; and (iii) a penalty, and related professional fees, arising from a resolved regulatory matter concerning foreign exchange transaction reporting. For the six months ended June 30, 2026, these amounts were comprised of (i) non-routine legal and professional fees associated with the defense of the 2024 IPO-related shareholder litigation, which are outside the ordinary course of business, (ii) one-time advisory fees related to the Purchase Agreement that do not qualify as equity issuance costs; (iii) professional fees and severance costs directly related to the strategic restructuring initiative of our Wattpad business; and (iv) a penalty, and related professional fees, arising from a resolved regulatory matter concerning foreign exchange transaction reporting. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2025, these amounts included (i) non-routine legal and professional fees associated with the defense of the 2024 IPO-related shareholder litigation, which are outside the ordinary course of business; and (ii) professional service fees associated with the initial implementation of Sarbanes-Oxley (“SOX”) compliance and IPO readiness.

(3) Represents unrealized net (gain) loss of financial assets measured at FVPL, which include the Company's equity investments.

(4) Represents our proportionate share of recognized gains or losses associated with our investments accounted for using the equity method. See Note 16. Equity Method Investments in the accompanying notes to our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Report.

(5) Totals may not foot due to rounding.

Use of Constant Currency

We provide revenue, including period-over-period growth rates, adjusted to remove the impact of foreign currency rate fluctuations and the impact of deconsolidated and transferred operations, which we refer to as revenue on a constant currency basis. We calculate revenue on a constant currency basis in a given period by applying the average currency exchange rates in the comparable period of the prior year to the local currency revenue in the current period. We calculate revenue growth (as a percentage) on a constant currency basis by determining the increase in current period revenue over prior period revenue, where current period foreign currency revenue is translated using prior period average currency exchange rates. We calculate revenue (including growth rates) on a constant currency basis in each of our revenue streams - Paid Content, Advertising and IP Adaptations - using the same method as laid out herein.

We provide ARPPU, including period-over-period growth rates, on a constant currency basis for our Paid Content revenue streams as average Paid Content revenue on a constant currency basis in a given month divided by the number of MPU for such month, averaged over each month in the given period. As discussed above, we calculate revenue on a constant currency basis in a given period by applying the average currency exchange rates in the comparable period of the prior year to the local currency revenue in the current period and excluding deconsolidated and transferred operations. We calculate ARPPU growth rates (as a percentage) on a constant currency basis as the increase in current period ARPPU over prior period ARPPU, with current period foreign currency ARPPU translated using prior period average currency exchange rates and excluding deconsolidated and transferred operations.

We believe providing revenue, revenue growth rates, ARPPU and ARPPU growth rates on a constant currency basis helps our investors better understand our underlying performance because they exclude the effects of foreign currency volatility and impacts of deconsolidated and transferred operations that are not indicative of our actual results of operations. Adjusting revenue or ARPPU to remove the effects of foreign currency rate fluctuations, deconsolidation, and transfer of operations results in non-GAAP measures that management uses to help make informed decisions by removing the volatility caused by foreign currency rate fluctuations and the impact of deconsolidated and transferred operations, allowing us to assess whether the business is fundamentally healthy and growing. Additionally, these metrics support management in efficiently allocating resources and determining priorities by providing a basis for evaluating the competitiveness and growth potential of the business itself. It is for these reasons that management believes these non-GAAP metrics add value, but they have their limitations as analytical tools for not reflecting all the amounts associated with our results of operations as determined in accordance with GAAP, and you should not consider them in isolation or as substitutes for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP.

The following table presents a reconciliation of revenue to revenue on a constant currency basis, and ARPPU to ARPPU on a constant currency basis, respectively, for each of the periods presented.

(in thousands of USD, except percentages)

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash and cash equivalents, along with the proceeds generated from the issuance of equity securities, constitute our main liquidity sources. At June 30, 2026, our principal liquidity was derived from the residual net proceeds of our 2024 Initial Public Offering (IPO), a subsequent private placement, and a strategic equity investment secured in the first quarter of 2026.

On January 8, 2026, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company (“Disney”), pursuant to which Disney purchased 2,666,757 shares of our common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Shares”), representing an approximately 2% equity interest in the Company, for an aggregate purchase price of $32.8 million. The Shares were issued in a private placement in reliance on the exemption provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act, as a transaction not involving a public offering. We received net proceeds of approximately $32.5 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses payable by us.

In July 2026, we committed $40.0 million as a 40% limited partner in NW Webcomic Adaptation Fund, L.P. (the “Fund”), a content investment fund co-sponsored with N Investment Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of NAVER Corporation. The Fund is not consolidated in our financial statements; we account for our interest as an equity method investment. As of the date of this filing, we have funded $10 million of this commitment, with the remaining $30 million payable in three equal annual installments of $10 million on each of the first three anniversaries of the initial closing. Under the partnership agreement, our obligation to fund capital for the repayment of Fund indebtedness is unconditional, and our maximum exposure under this commitment is $30.0 million, net of amounts funded. We intend to fund capital contributions from existing cash and cash equivalents and do not expect this commitment to materially affect our near-term liquidity.

In addition, on August 6, 2026, subsequent to the balance sheet date, we entered into the RI Games Holdings Agreements with the Seller and other parties thereto, as applicable, pursuant to which we agreed to acquire up to 9,000 shares of common stock of RI Games Holdings, a South Korea-based game developer, for aggregate consideration of KRW 150,000,003,000 (approximately $100 million). We entered into the RI Games Holdings Agreements to acquire a controlling interest in RI Games Holdings and to provide additional equity funding to RI Games Holdings following that acquisition. See Note 19. Subsequent Events for more information on the transactions described above.

In the short term, under the RI Games Purchase Agreement, we expect to pay KRW 49,983,334,333 (approximately $33.2 million) in cash at the first closing. The second closing purchase price of KRW 100,016,668,667 (approximately $66.5 million), also payable in cash, may become due within the next twelve months, depending on when the applicable conditions are satisfied, including a specified commercial launch milestone.

Under the RI Games Shareholders Agreement, from and after the second closing until June 30, 2030, we may be required to subscribe for newly issued shares of RI Games Holdings for up to KRW 50 billion (approximately $33.2 million) in cash. If specified revenue thresholds are achieved, we may also be required to purchase the Seller’s remaining 6,000 shares for no less than KRW 100,000,002,000 (approximately $66.5 million), of which no less than KRW 50 billion (approximately $33.2 million) is payable in cash and the balance in shares of our common stock, and to fund a further capital increase in cash up to a specified maximum. These requirements arise from and after the second closing; if the second closing does not occur by a specified outside date for reasons not attributable to the Seller, the RI Games Shareholders Agreement would terminate automatically, other than certain provisions that survive in accordance with those terms, and substantially all of these requirements would lapse, except for such obligations that have accrued prior to the termination.

Substantially all of these amounts are contingent on events that may not occur, and the amount of the additional capital increase is not determinable at this time. We expect to fund them from cash and cash equivalents on hand and cash generated from operations. We do not expect these commitments to materially affect our liquidity. The obligations are denominated in Korean won and have been translated at the 60-day average of Hana Bank’s end-of-day rate through August 6, 2026. U.S. dollar amounts will vary with exchange rates.

Historically, we have relied primarily upon cash generated from operations and cash provided by NAVER through capital contributions to finance our operations, repay or repurchase indebtedness, finance acquisitions and fund our capital expenditures. NAVER does not have any contractual obligation to provide additional capital to us and therefore there can be no assurance that NAVER will continue to provide additional capital in the form of debt or equity investment in the future to enable us to operate our business. As of June 30, 2026, we had $583.1 million of cash and cash equivalents, which were primarily invested in short-term, highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less from the date of purchase and are mainly comprised of bank deposits. We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalent balances will be sufficient to support our working capital requirements for at least the next 12 months based on our current operating plans. However, our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including our growth rate, sales and marketing activities and other factors affecting our business, including those described in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in the Annual Report. Our expected primary uses of our capital on short and long-term bases are for acquisitions and strategic investments, repayment of debt, working capital, capital expenditures, geographic expansion and other general corporate purposes.

We may, in the future, enter into arrangements to acquire or invest in complementary businesses, products and technologies, including intellectual property rights, which may require us to seek additional financing. To the extent additional funds are necessary to meet our liquidity needs as we continue to execute our business strategy, we anticipate that they will be obtained through the incurrence of indebtedness, the issuance of additional equity or a combination of these potential sources of funds. Such financing, however, may not be available to us on favorable terms, or at all. In particular, high inflation and interest rates have resulted, and may continue to result, in significant disruption of global financial markets, reducing our ability to access capital. If we are unable to raise additional funds on commercially reasonable terms or at all, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business, Industry and Operations—We may require additional capital to support our business in the future, and this capital might not be available on reasonable terms, if at all,” in the Annual Report.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

The following table summarizes our cash flows for the period presented:

(in thousands of USD)

Operating Activities

Net cash used in operating activities increased $5.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2026, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025. The increase was primarily driven by a $20.1 million increase in cash used in receivables, primarily due to the timing of billings, a $10.1 million increase in cash used for other assets, a smaller increase in other liabilities, which provided $7.5 million less cash than in the prior year, and a $5.8 million decrease in non-cash stock-based compensation expense. These were partially offset by a $14.1 million favorable change in income tax receivable, a $14.0 million reduction in cash outflows for accrued expenses, an $8.3 million increase in cash provided by contract liabilities, and a $3.5 million reduction in cash outflows for accounts payable.

Investing Activities

For the six months ended June 30, 2026, net cash used in investing activities was $10.3 million, compared to $5.7 million net cash provided by investing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2025. The increase in net cash used was primarily attributable to a reduction in proceeds from the maturities of short-term investments.

Financing Activities

For the six months ended June 30, 2026, net cash provided by financing was $33.0 million compared to $0.2 million during the six months ended June 30, 2025, primarily driven by proceeds of $32.7 million from the issuance of common stock related to a private placement during the first quarter of 2026.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes thereto included in this Report are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the amounts reported in those Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes. Although we believe that the estimates we use are reasonable, due to the inherent uncertainty involved in making those estimates, actual results reported in future periods could differ from those estimates.

There have been no material changes to our critical accounting policies and estimates as described in the Annual Report. Refer to Note 1.Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies in the accompanying notes to the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for recently adopted and issued accounting pronouncements, if any, since the filing of our Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2025.

For a discussion of our market risks, see “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk” in Part II Item 7A of our Annual Report.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by an issuer in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the issuer’s management, including its principal executive and financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our management, with the participation and supervision of our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at a level of reasonable assurance.

Limitations on the Effectiveness of Controls and Procedures

Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal control over financial reporting will prevent all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been detected.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended June 30, 2026, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Except for the additional risk factor set forth below, there have been no material changes to the risk factors previously disclosed in the “Risk Factors” in Part I. Item 1A of our Annual Report.

If we are not able to realize a return on the investments we have made toward entering new markets and new lines of business, our business and operating results could be adversely affected.

We continue to seek opportunities to enter into new markets and new lines of business, some of which we may have very limited or no experience in. For example, we recently entered into agreements providing for the acquisition of a controlling interest in RI Games Holdings, a South Korea-based game developer focused on developing games, including games based on webcomic intellectual property. This acquisition will expand our business to include the development and operation of video games, a business in which we have little or no prior operating experience. As an entrant to new markets and new lines of business, we may not accurately estimate the infrastructure needs, human resource requirements, or operating expenses with regard to these new markets and new lines of business. We may also fail to accurately anticipate the adoption, monetization, or profitability of such new offerings. As a result, we may face additional operational, technological, and regulatory challenges as we integrate and grow these businesses. If we fail to generate adequate returns from these new markets and lines of business within our anticipated timeframe, or at all, it could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and operating results.