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MercadoLibre, Inc.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 7 May 2026: press release. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue grew 49% year on year: Net revenues and financial income were $8,845 million, up 49% YoY and 46% FX-neutral. Management described this as the fastest pace in almost four years. Source
  • Operating income fell 20%: Income from operations was $611 million, down 20% YoY, with the margin down 600bps to 6.9%. Management attributed the decline to investment choices. Source
  • Credit portfolio up 87%: The credit portfolio reached $14.6bn, up 87% YoY, with the largest quarterly nominal increase on record. The credit card was 46% of the portfolio. Source
  • Gross margin down 3ppts: Gross margin fell 3ppts YoY, which management attributed to the lower Brazil free shipping threshold and the rapid growth of 1P. Source
  • Provisions drove most margin pressure: Provisions for doubtful accounts cost 3.9ppts of margin YoY. Two-thirds came from the credit book growing faster than revenue. Source
  • Brazil items sold accelerated: Brazil items sold grew 56% YoY, up from 45% in Q4'25, 42% in Q3'25 and 26% in Q2'25. Management said volume growth doubled in nine months. Source
  • Adjusted free cash flow negative: Adjusted free cash flow was -$56 million in Q1'26, seasonally low and broadly similar to Q1'25, even with higher credit portfolio investment. Source
  • Margin set as a deliberate choice: Management said Q1'26 margins reflect where it chose to set the dial, and it does not expect a material change in the near term. Source

“The same investments that are compressing margins today are building the platform, the user base, and the competitive moats that we believe will drive margins and cash flow significantly higher over time.”

MercadoLibre, Inc., press release

What changed from last quarter

  • New: Rolled out a first AI-powered marketplace search experience, rebuilt around LLMs in place of keyword architecture. Source
  • New: Tap to Phone launched in Mexico during Q1'26 to widen the set of merchants that accept digital payments. Source
  • New: Claude Cowork rolled out across the company to 31,000 employees. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue grew 49% year on year: Net revenues and financial income were $8,845 million, up 49% YoY and 46% FX-neutral. Management described this as the fastest pace in almost four years. Source
  • Operating income fell 20%: Income from operations was $611 million, down 20% YoY, with the margin down 600bps to 6.9%. Management attributed the decline to investment choices. Source
  • Net income declined 16%: Net income was $417 million, a 4.7% margin, down 16% YoY. A $6 million FX gain compared with a $55 million FX loss a year earlier. Source
  • Brazil GMV growth accelerated: Brazil GMV grew 38% YoY on an FX-neutral basis, up from prior quarters after the lower free shipping threshold in Brazil. Source

Segments and regions

  • Brazil revenue lifted by currency: Brazil FX-neutral revenue growth was 39%. Currency movements added to USD growth, which was 55% in Brazil and 62% in Mexico. Source
  • Mexico growth slowed sequentially: Mexico FX-neutral GMV grew 28% YoY, ahead of the market but slowing from the prior quarter. Items sold in Mexico rose 34%. Source
  • Argentina GMV growth of 41%: Argentina FX-neutral GMV grew 41% YoY, driven mainly by items sold up 35%. FX-neutral revenue growth slowed to 65%. Source
  • Chile volume growth of 40%: Chile FX-neutral GMV grew 40% YoY, supported by high free shipping penetration and same- and next-day delivery. Source

“When your business is behaving like this, we believe the right response is not to harvest - it is to invest.”

MercadoLibre, Inc., press release

Products and customers

  • Credit portfolio up 87%: The credit portfolio reached $14.6bn, up 87% YoY, with the largest quarterly nominal increase on record. The credit card was 46% of the portfolio. Source
  • Credit card issuance and balances: The company issued 2.7mn credit cards and grew the card portfolio 104% YoY to $6.6bn. The 15-90 day NPL fell 80bps YoY. Source
  • Fintech users and assets grew: Fintech monthly active users reached 83mn, up 29% YoY. Assets under management reached almost $20bn, up 77% YoY. Source
  • Acquiring volume up 41%: Acquiring TPV grew 41% FX-neutral, with Brazil up 26%, Mexico 46%, Argentina 55% and Chile 69%, lifting market share in the region. Source
  • First-party sales up 69%: First-party GMV grew 69% FX-neutral and generated almost $5bn over twelve months. Management said 1P profitability is improving structurally. Source
  • Cross-border trade spreading beyond Mexico: Cross-border trade GMV grew 68% YoY. Argentina and the Andean countries are contributing more to growth than before. Source

Costs, margins and pricing

  • Gross margin down 3ppts: Gross margin fell 3ppts YoY, which management attributed to the lower Brazil free shipping threshold and the rapid growth of 1P. Source
  • Provisions drove most margin pressure: Provisions for doubtful accounts cost 3.9ppts of margin YoY. Two-thirds came from the credit book growing faster than revenue. Source
  • Sales and marketing up 1ppt: Sales and marketing rose 1ppt YoY as the affiliate channel was scaled across the region. G&A scaled 60bps, per the letter. Source
  • Product development leverage: Product development expenses fell from 9.3% to 7.9% of revenue, reflecting slower headcount growth and greater use of AI among engineers. Source
  • Brazil shipping cost per unit down 17%: Unit shipping costs in Brazil fell 17% YoY in local currency. Some low-ASP ranges below R$79 are now breakeven, per management. Source

“For Mercado Libre and Latin America, the best is yet to come.”

MercadoLibre, Inc., press release

Demand and buyer engagement

  • Brazil items sold accelerated: Brazil items sold grew 56% YoY, up from 45% in Q4'25, 42% in Q3'25 and 26% in Q2'25. Management said volume growth doubled in nine months. Source
  • Unique buyers at five-year pace: Unique buyer growth accelerated to 32% YoY, the fastest in five years. Conversion, frequency, retention and NPS are at record highs, per the letter. Source
  • New cohorts buy more categories: Buyer cohorts joining since the threshold change buy more items across more categories and retain at higher rates than older cohorts, according to management. Source

Capital, cash and funding

  • Adjusted free cash flow negative: Adjusted free cash flow was -$56 million in Q1'26, seasonally low and broadly similar to Q1'25, even with higher credit portfolio investment. Source
  • Credit book investment near $2bn: Changes in loans receivable were almost $2bn in Q1'26, while capital expenditures were $271 million, similar to the prior year. Source
  • Operating cash flow higher: Net cash from operating activities was $2,075 million, up from $1,031 million, and cash, restricted cash and equivalents ended at $15,141 million. Source
  • Net debt rose to $5.7bn: Net debt was $5,748 million at March 31, 2026, against $4,682 million at December 31, 2025, as total debt rose to $12,345 million. Source

Strategy and investment

  • Margin set as a deliberate choice: Management said Q1'26 margins reflect where it chose to set the dial, and it does not expect a material change in the near term. Source
  • Four investments follow one logic: Management listed free shipping, the credit card, first-party, cross-border trade and fulfillment as investments that follow the same logic. Source
  • AI search lifted sponsored listings: In Brazil and Mexico, improved product relevance from AI search lifted conversion and click-through rate on sponsored listings, which management said is incremental revenue. Source
  • Credit card expansion abroad: The company is increasing card issuance in Mexico. Argentina's card launched last year and is in the early stages of investment. Source

People and productivity

  • Headcount up 8% on 2025 hiring: Headcount grew 8% YoY, a carryover of 2025 hiring, while productivity KPIs are growing 7-10x faster, according to management. Source
  • Code rollbacks materially lower: Code rollbacks were materially lower YoY, and many senior engineers who reviewed code now also build it, following AI tool gains. Source
  • Adoption ranked above cost savings: Management said it chose company-wide AI adoption over cost optimization at this stage, with AI used to lower costs in customer service. Source

Coming up, as management said on 7 May 2026

  • Third-party AI model ramp-up: Management expects the ramp-up of third-party AI models to partly offset product development leverage in 2026. Source
  • Path to operating profit: Management said the path to income from operations profitability in 1P is a matter of continued execution and time. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Gross merchandise volume Source$19.0 billion, up 42% YoY (36% FX-neutral)
Total payment volume Source$87.2 billion, up 50% YoY (55% FX-neutral)
Number of items sold Source722 million
Fintech monthly active users Source83 million
Unique active buyers Source84 million
Acquiring total payment volume Source$55,993 million
Fulfillment facilities Sourcemore than 50

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: Management said further gains in shipping unit costs will be harder to achieve as the network moves up the efficiency curve. Source
  • Regulatory: Management said a tax reform in Mexico made the environment harder for small and medium-sized sellers, who raised prices. Source
  • Financial: Management attributed the 4.9ppts YoY decline in NIMAL to the higher mix of the lower-spread credit card and Brazil spread compression from higher provisions. Source
  • External: Management noted rising delinquency in Argentina's financial system, even as the company's own 15-90 day NPL fell sequentially there. Source
  • Demand: Management described Argentina's consumption environment as lukewarm, while the company still reported 41% FX-neutral GMV growth there. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Met: Management said cohort dynamics in the Brazil credit card are playing out as it expected after five years of investment. Source
  • Ahead: Management said unit shipping costs are falling faster than it had anticipated. Source
  • Met: Management said user behavior is responding to the lower free shipping threshold as it expected. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.