Kakao Bank headquarters in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province (Kakao Bank) Kakao Bank posted record first-half profit as rising fee income and gains from treasury operations helped offset slower household lending under regulatory curbs.Net income climbed 24.4 percent from a year earlier to 328 billion won ($229.7 million) in the first six months of the year, the internet-only lender said Wednesday. Second-quarter profit rose 11.5 percent to 140.8 billion won.Operating revenue increased 5.5 percent to 1.65 trillion won. Noninterest income, excluding interest earned on loans, rose 4.8 percent to 589.5 billion won and accounted for 36 percent of the total.Fee and platform revenue grew 10.5 percent to 169.6 billion won, driven by loan comparison, investment and payment services. Loans arranged through its comparison platform reached 1.56 trillion won in the second quarter, up 12 percent from a year earlier.Treasury income totaled 169.8 billion won in the quarter, helped by increased bond interest income as market rates rose.The gains came as growth in household lending remained subdued. Outstanding household loans increased by 234 billion won in the second quarter, while total lending stood at 48.22 trillion won at the end of June.Loans to individual business owners were a key source of growth, rising by 284 billion won during the quarter to 3.69 trillion won. They accounted for about 48 percent of the bank's total loan growth in the first half.Kakao Bank plans to broaden its nonloan businesses further with an auto-finance comparison service, securities services offered with Kakao Pay Securities and new debit and credit cards. It is also pursuing longer-term expansion through its planned acquisition of Mastern Capital and digital banking projects in Thailand, Indonesia and Mongolia."Despite a challenging and volatile operating environment, we delivered broad-based growth, supported by our expanding customer base and strong platform capabilities," a Kakao Bank official said. "In the second half, we will build on this momentum, expand access to finance and introduce innovative services as we work to become customers' first-choice financial platform."