MELI's fintech unit, in particular, showed significant revenue growth, up nearly 74% in U.S. dollar terms, to reach $1.3 billion, helped by the consolidation of financial services across Latin America. Total Payment Volume (TPV) via Mercado Pago grew by more than 45% in dollar terms (80% in constant currency) to $36.0 billion. Meanwhile, the company's loan portfolio jumped 65% from a year earlier to $2.8 billion during the quarter. Net revenue from commerce hit $1.7 billion, or up 22% in U.S. dollar terms during the three-month period. The company added that gross merchandise volume (GMV) - a key metric in the e-commerce industry - rose nearly 21% in U.S. dollars to $9.6 billion. "We strengthened our leadership position in e-commerce, gaining market share throughout the operation, especially in Brazil and Mexico," said Chief Financial Officer Pedro Arnt. By the end of last year, MercadoLibre claimed 96.6 million unique active users, an 18% rise on a year earlier. (Reporting by Andre Romani; Writing by Carolina Pulice; Editing by Isabel Woodford and Sonali Paul)
(Adds analyst comment, quote)
SAO PAULO, Feb 23 (Reuters) - South American e-commerce
giant MercadoLibre Inc reported a fourth-quarter net
profit of $164.7 million on Thursday, recovering from a loss a
year earlier and beating forecasts on the back of strong growth
from its fintech unit.
The fourth quarter marked an earnings record for
MercadoLibre's e-commerce and fintech businesses despite
uncertainty over consumption, interest rates and inflation, the
Argentina-based company, also called MELI, said in a statement.
MELI executives said they expect e-commerce growth in major
markets Brazil and Mexico to land somewhere in the "mid- to
high-teens" this year, speaking on a call with analysts.
In the year-ago period, MELI lost more than $46 million.
The company, which operates in 18 countries across Latin
America, posted net revenue of $3.0 billion for the
October-to-December period, slightly above a Refinitiv estimate
of $2.9 billion.
The result surprised some analysts.
"It underscores MELI's ability to grow market share while
considerably expanding margins," Citi analysts said in a
research note.
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