Naver Pay, Kakao Pay and Toss are holding a combined 25.5 billion won ($18 million) in prepaid balances that users have left untouched for years, financial regulators said. About 1.76 million users, counted on a duplicated basis, have forgotten money they loaded onto the platforms. The three operators will begin notifying users of unused balances this month and streamline refund procedures.
Naver Pay, Kakao Pay and Toss Users Urged to Claim Balances
Long-dormant prepaid balances at three operators — Naver Financial (Naver Pay), Kakao Pay, and Viva Republica (Toss) — totaled 25.5 billion won as of the end of August, according to financial authorities on the 15th. The number of users to be notified reaches 1.76 million, including duplicates.
Prepaid balances are funds users load onto simple-payment services in advance for purchases or transfers. Because validity periods often ran 10 years or longer, users who forgot about their balances rarely received any notice.
The three companies will now disclose balances and expiration dates for long-unused funds at least once a year and simplify the refund process.
Naver Pay and Toss classify funds as long-unused after two years without a top-up or transaction, while Kakao Pay applies a one-year threshold.
Starting on the 19th, Naver Pay will send Naver Talk Talk notifications to users with no activity over the past two years and balances of 1,000 won or more. Users can check their balances through the alert and request a cash refund.
Kakao Pay will revise its KakaoTalk notification messages the same day for users with balances of 1 won or more who have been inactive for a year. The company added the word "refund" to its existing "transfer to my account" button, allowing users to reclaim funds by entering only an account number and amount.
Toss will also periodically inform holders of long-unused balances about their funds and how to claim refunds.
Financial authorities plan to use the results at the three firms to encourage other electronic financial companies to adopt similar measures.
Coupang Pay Balances Rebound to 119.4 Billion Won
Prepaid balances at Coupang Pay, which fell after a personal data breach, are rising again.
Coupang Pay's prepaid balances stood at about 119.4 billion won ($84 million) at the end of the third quarter, up about 4.5 billion won, or 3.9%, from 115 billion won in the previous quarter, according to industry sources on the 15th.
That is 3.3% below the 123.6 billion won recorded in the third quarter of last year, before the data breach, but the balance has risen for three straight quarters this year and is approaching earlier levels.
Coupang Pay's balances hit a record high in the third quarter of last year before falling to about 112.3 billion won in the fourth quarter. They have since gained about 7.2 billion won, or 6.4%, over nine months this year.
User numbers are also recovering. Monthly active users of the Coupang app reached about 35.65 million last month, up 4.4% from a year earlier, according to IGAWorks' Mobile Index.
The figure slid from 34.38 million in October last year to 33.64 million in February before rebounding past pre-breach levels.
Coupang's active customers in its product commerce segment also rose to 24.7 million in the second quarter, an increase of 800,000 from the previous quarter. Paid WOW membership numbers have likewise surpassed pre-breach levels, according to reports.
Because prepaid balances represent money users entrust to a platform in advance, they serve as a gauge of service usage and customer loyalty. Separately from rising balances, consumer protection measures that let users easily check and reclaim long-unused funds are drawing greater attention.