Hello Group Inc.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by and welcome to the third quarter 2025 Hello Group Inc. earnings conference call. All participants are in a listen-only mode. There will be a presentation followed by a question and answer session. If you wish to ask a question, you'll need to press the star key followed by the number one on your telephone keypad. Please note this conference is being recorded today. I would now like to hand the conference over to your first speaker today, Ms. Ashley Jing. Thank you. Please go ahead, ma'am.

Thank you, operator. Good morning and good evening, everyone. Thank you for joining us today for Hello Group's third quarter 2025 earnings conference call. The company's results were released earlier today and are available on the company's IR website. On the call today are Mr. Tang Yan, CEO of the company, Ms. Zhang Sichuan, CEO of the company, and Ms. Peng Hui, CFO of the company. We will discuss the company's business operations and highlights, as well as the financials and guidance. We will all be available to answer your questions during the Q&A session that follows. Before we begin, I would like to remind you that this call may contain forward-looking statements made under the safe harbor provision of the Private Security Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are based on management's current expectations and current market and operating conditions. and relate to events that involve known or unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the company's control, which may cause the company's actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. For the information regarding this and other risks, uncertainties, and factors is included in the company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required under law. I will now pass the call over to our COO, Ms. Zhang Sichuan. Ms. Zhang, please.

Thank you. Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining our call. In Q3, our business faced some external challenges, but our team was able to respond proactively and achieve good results in both user and financial metrics. Next, I will give you an update on execution of our strategic goals. Starting with the financial performance, for Q3 2025, total group revenue was 2.65 billion RMB, down 1% year over year. Domestic revenue reached 2.12 billion RMB, down 10% year over year. While overseas revenue was 535 million RMB, up 69% year-over-year, adjusted operating income was 404 million RMB, down 11% from Q3 last year, with a margin of 15.2%. Our key priorities for 2025 include the following. For Momo, our goal is to maintain the productivity of this cash cow business with a healthy social ecosystem. For Tantan, the goal is to improve its core dating experience and build an efficient business model that drives profitable growth. As for the new endeavors, our goal is to deepen our presence in the overseas market, enrich our brand portfolio, and build a long-term engine And now, let me walk you through the details. First, on the Momo app, we believe that a healthy social ecosystem is the foundation of sustained and stabilizing our cash cow business. Therefore, our product efforts are focused on optimizing the chat experience and creating better chat scenarios and tools for users. We fully roll out a in-house developed AI greeting features in the first half of the year. Data shows that the reply rate of male users has increased as a result. It proves the team's exploration on leveraging AI technologies to upgrade social chatting tools is practicable during the past year. In Q3, we updated the AI Chat Assistant model based on earlier tests by leveraging the platform's core press. The model was optimized to better align with users' preferences and chatting style, thereby encouraging more users to adopt the AI Chat Assistant content suggestions during the ongoing conversations. We have increased exposure to this feature to improve its penetration rates on the platform, enabling more users to benefit from it. The optimization of the AI Chat Assistant model and its in-platform promotion had improved the female users' experience, driving ongoing quarter-over-quarter increase in various user matches, such as number of two-way chats, the rate of in-depth chats and user retention, et cetera. On the user acquisition front, we dynamically adjusted the channel budget allocation based on their ROI performance to ensure 100% ROI. Over the past year, although the shift to a profit-oriented channel strategy brought to the turn of large number of ultra-low spending users, It improved the platform's overall profitability by reducing user acquisition expenditure with negative returns. As of Q3, the impact of reduced channel investment on paying users had bottomed out. The multiple new gifting features we introduced in audio-based scenario led by chat rooms drove a paying ratio increase driving the number of paying users to increase by 200,000 quarter-over-quarters to 3.7 million in Q3. Although the reduction in user acquisition stamping has led to a slight year-over-year decrease in overall user scale, Momo Social Fundamental remains robust. thanks to the product upgrades and the recommendation algorithm optimization, which has enhanced the user experience. User engagements continue to grow within a healthy social ecosystem. According to an independent report released by Crest Mobile 2025 on our Consumer Market Insights in June, Momo, as a 40-year-old social brand, remains the top social choice for male users age 30 to 40. This clearly shows that Momo has established strong brand loyalty among high value users with substantial spending power. We believe this is a valuable asset that company will continue to nurture and benefit from for years to come. Now on the productivity of Momo cash cow business. In Q3, Momo's value-added service revenue reached 1.79 billion RMB, down 11% year-over-year and 3% quarter-over-quarter. As we indicated last quarter, the new tax requirements came out at the end of June, coupled with the local tax authorities' inspections of agencies since Q3. have severely impacted the operation focus of some broadcasters and agencies on our platform, leading to a significant revenue decline in revenue in audio and video based scenario. To alleviate supply side pressure, we wrote out a new revenue sharing policy in August. providing appropriate subsidies to broadcasters and agencies that were severely affected by tax changes. The policy has some encouraging effects, but it couldn't fully offset the negative impact from the tax scrutiny in the short term. Turning to TanTan, as of the end of Q3, TanTan has 0.7 million paying users. broadly in line with last quarter. The pressure on the pay-in ratio caused by last year's product upgrade was fully released after the complete rollout of the pilot in Q2. In Q3, the team drove a slight recovery in the pay-in ratio by adjusting the monetization strategy. Turning to Tantan Financials, revenue from the onshore business in Q3 was 150 million RMB, down 30% year-over-year and 5% quarter-over-quarter. The revenue decrease was due to the decline in number of paying users, but AppyPool significantly increased 25% year-over-year and 6% quarter-over-quarter. At the product level, we continue to refine our strategy on optimizing the experience for female users, which includes establishing a curated recommendation pool for newly registered female users to improve their swipe quality and providing highly attractive female users with a more diverse milk recommendation to enrich their matching options. and implementing an overheating protection mechanism to prevent excessive matches that may affect the speed of current interactions. For male users, we optimized fat-gain recommendation rules by adjusting their exposure concentration. Both enhancement in female User experience and ML user recommendation algorithm has driven quarter-over-quarter growth in several key user metrics, such as day one retention, average number of likes per user, and DAU among new users. At the monetization level, we introduced basic products such as unlimited swipe privilege packs to fill the gap in low-tier membership offering. Regarding the algorithm, we slightly adjusted the matching rate for high potential paying users to improve their conversion to paying. In Q3, Although our focus on acquiring higher quality user groups led to a sequential increase in unit acquisition costs, the restructuring of our new membership system combined with the algorithm optimization drove our people growth, pushing Tantan's channel ROI to a record high. As a result, despite pressure on user scale and revenue, Downtown achieved significant year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter profit growth, creating more room for our dating products to exploration tailored to Asian users. Lastly, in overseas businesses, in Q3, revenue reached 535 million RMB. up 69% year-over-year and 21% quarter-over-quarter. Overseas revenue accounted for 20% of the group's revenue, compared to 12% in the same period of last year. In Q3, overseas revenue growth mainly came from audio and video social products in the MENA region. Among them, Yaha Land and Amar continue to enhance product features by improving localized operations and strengthening product and partnerships, driving a steady increase in the bulk number of paying users and app people. On the user acquisition front, during the first half of the year, we observed a rapid rise in user acquisition costs while scaling up channel investments in new products. So we slowed down our marketing efforts and tried to find a scalable solution that can also balance ROI. In Q3, our channel experiment shows initial success, so we moderately increased channel spending and accelerated revenue growth. Meanwhile, SoChill, our largest audio-based social product in MENA region, optimize its marketing strategy by increasing investment proportion in high-value countries, driving a substantial growth in both revenue and profit. Except for these three audio-based products, we have recently begun testing the expansion of audio and video-based social entertainment product into other high output regions, such as the Gulf countries and Japan. We hope this effort will become our growth drivers for the group in the future. Beyond our audio-video social products in the MENA region, another key segment for our overseas business The dating product line focused on developed markets also delivers strong performance. Tantan International returned to substantial growth for the first time in nearly a year. Following a full year of product adjustment and rebranding executed by our Singapore team, additionally, we completed the acquisition of a European dating product happen. at the end of Q3. Happn founded in Paris, France, primarily leverage location-based services to facilitate online to offline dating experiences for users. With Happn joining our portfolio, the group's product landscape now officially extends to Europe, further enriching the diversity of our overseas dating products. We believe that the high quality dating brands like Happn, which originated in Western developed world, have significant growth potential in Asia Pacific region. In the past, these brands were constrained by limited resources and insufficient localization expertise, preventing them from fully realizing their potential in the Asia Pacific region. We hope that the combination of fellow groups and this brand will fully unleash that potential. We have enough patience and commitment to create a high-quality dating experience for young people in China and Asia. We are confident that these dating brands will inject new momentum into the group's future. This concludes my remarks. Now, let me pass the call over to Kathy for the financial review.

Thanks, Vic. Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining our conference call today. Now let me take you through the financial review. Total revenue for the third quarter of 2025 was 2.65 billion renminbi. down 1% year-on-year, but up 1% quarter-on-quarter. Non-GAAP net income attributable to the company was 404.5 million RMB, compared to 493.3 million RMB in the same period of 2024, and 451.9 million RMB in the previous quarter, excluding a one-off tax expense item. Looking into the key revenue items for Q3, total revenue from Value Added Services for the third quarter of 2025 was 2.61 billion RMB, down 1% year-on-year, but up 1% quarter-on-quarter. On a user geography basis, PRC Mainland Value Added Services revenue was 0.08 billion RMB, down 11% year-over-year, and 3% quarter-over-quarter. The decrease was primarily attributable to three factors. Number one, tax scrutiny on certain broadcasters and agencies, which distracted their operational focus. Number two, softened consumer sentiment driven by macro factors. And number three, a decline in paying users on Tantan. VATS overseas revenue came in at 533.1 million RMB, up 69% year-over-year and 21% quarter-over-quarter. The year-over-year and sequential growth was mainly driven by rapid expansion from multiple social entertainment as well as dating brands across our rich portfolio. Turning to costs and expenses, Non-GAAP cost of revenue for the third quarter of 2025 was 1.65 billion RMB compared to 1.62 billion RMB for the same period last year. Non-GAAP gross margin for the quarter was 37.6%, down 1.7 percentage points from the year-ago period. The decrease was primarily attributable to two factors. A deliberately higher payout ratio for the mobile business to ease supply side pressure amid tax scrutiny. Number two, a structural revenue shift towards overseas markets where payment channel costs represent a higher percentage of revenue. Non-GAAP R&D expenses for the third quarter was 170.6 million RMB compared to 185.4 million RMB for the same period last year, representing an 8% decrease year-over-year. The decrease was attributed to personnel optimization. Non-GAAP R&D expenses as a percentage of revenue was 6% compared with 7% from the year-ago period. We ended the quarter with 1,386 total employees compared to 1,355 from a year ago. The RMD personnel as a percentage of total employee for the group was 57% compared to 61% from Q3 last year. Non-GAAP sales and marketing expenses for the third quarter was 335.9 million RMB compared to $350.1 million for the same period last year, both representing 13% of total revenue. The year-over-year decrease in sales and marketing expenses was attributable to the ongoing cost control strategy for the PRC mainland businesses, where both Momo and Tanta narrowed their marketing spend. This decrease was partially offset by the increase in channel investment for the overseas apps. Non-GAAP G&A expenses was 91.0 million RMB for the third quarter compared to 85.2 million RMB for the same quarter last year, both representing 3% of total revenue respectively. Non-GAAP operating income was 404.0 million RMB with a margin of 15.2% compared with 454.7 million RMB with a margin of 17% from the same period last year. Non-GAAP OPEX as a percentage of total revenue was 23%, same as Q3 2024. Now briefly on income tax expenses. Total income tax expenses was 69.0 million renminbi for the quarter with an effective tax rate of 14%. In Q3, the company accrued withholding income tax of 24.5 million RMB, which is 10% of undistributed profit generated by our wealth fee. Without withholding tax, our estimated non-GAAP effective tax rate was around 9% in the third quarter. Now turning to balance sheet and cash flow items. As of September 30th, 2025, HoloGroup's cash, cash equivalents, short-term deposits, long-term deposits, short-term investments, and restricted cash totaled 8.86 billion RMB, compared to 14.73 billion RMB as of December 31, 2024. The decrease in cash reserves was primarily attributable to three factors. Number one, repayment of 4.41 billion RMB bank loans, including accrued interest. Number two, payment of special cash dividends totaling 346 million RMB to our shareholders in Q2. And number three, a one-off withholding tax payment of 356 million RMB in September, which was previously communicated during our last earnings call. Net cash provided by operating activities in the third quarter 2025 was 143.5 million RMB. The gap between operating cash flow and non-gap net income was permanently attributable to the payment of the above-mentioned withholding tax. Lastly, on business outlook, we estimated our fourth quarter revenue to come in the range from 2.52 billion RMB to 2.8 62 billion RMB, representing a decrease of 4.4% to 0.6% year-on-year. This is based on the assumption that, on a year-over-year basis, revenue from our mainland China business will decline by mid to low teens percentage-wise, while overseas revenue is suspected to maintain a growth rate similar to that seen in Q3. Please be mindful that this forecast represents the company's current and preliminary view on the market and operational conditions, which are subject to change. That concluded our prepared portion of today's discussion. With that, let me turn the call back to Ashley to start Q&A.

Just a quick reminder before we take the questions. For those who can speak Chinese, please ask your questions in Chinese first. followed by English translations by yourself. Thank you. Operator, we're ready to take questions.

Thank you. If you wish to ask a question, please press star 1 on your telephone and wait for your name to be announced. If you wish to cancel your request, please press star 2. If you're on a speakerphone, please pick up the handset to ask your question. Your first question comes from Thomas Chong with Jefferies. Please go ahead.

Good evening. Thank you for accepting my question. Just now, Mr. Wang mentioned in his speech that in the third quarter, in order to respond to the pressure of the tax cuts, the government has made rapid adjustments to the policy of division. I would like to ask, how do you see the results of these adjustments? How much impact will it have on the profitability? Also, I would like to ask, why haven't I heard other senators mention similar situations? Good evening. Thanks, management, for taking my question. During the prepared remarks, management highlights Momo is affected by the tax issue from the supply side and adjusts the revenue sharing ratio. Can management comment about the latest progress of the adjustment and how should we think about the margin impact? On the other hand, can management also provide some more color why our peers didn't mention a similar issue? On the guidance we've just given, there's about a low team's year-on-year decline for Momo. just for the full year. So how should we think about the revenue trend for this cash cow business as we come into 2026? Thank you.

二季度末税务机关出台了对灵活用工群体的相关税收调整。 正式实施的时间是10月1号。 对默默平台而言, This adjustment mainly involved a part of the back-up anchors and union groups in the video scene. After the file was moved, some local tax authorities quickly began to communicate with local unions on policy details. This led to a decline in the work efficiency of the supply side. This is why the platform felt the pressure of flowing water before the adjustment was implemented. Our anchors and unions have always been at a relatively low level in the industry. But because of the unique social characteristics of the platform, the union and the anchors are willing to accept relatively low dividends, and they can also get considerable income. But this feature also makes them relatively more affected in this tax adjustment policy adjustment, especially some anchoring anchors. In order to ensure reasonable income for the union and anchors, in August, we launched a new dividend policy against the tax-influenced group, which promoted the return of water in September China China China China China China Originally, we expected that the domestic income in the second half of the year would be the same as the decline in the first half of the year, but from the actual Q3 and the guidance of our Q4, it did not come true as expected. In addition, I would like to echo what Sixth said just now. MoMo is one of the earliest social products to move the Internet, and it still maintains a prosperous brand life. Under the co-option of continuous product play and background algorithm, for example, the two-way message team, deep chat rate, and the core interaction indicators such as user flow rate can still achieve steady improvement. Starting from this quarter, under the guidance of new scenarios such as audio and video chat, our number of paid users has also achieved steady improvement. This not only reflects the continuous strengthening of the connection efficiency between platforms and users, but also proves the solid foundation and scenario innovation ability in a stranger's social environment, and the strategic positioning of adding profits to the direction. The effective cost-benefit control of the team makes us fully confident that Okay, let me translate.

At the end of Q2, tax authorities introduced policy adjustments related to the flexible workforce, which officially took effect on October 1st. For Momo, these adjustments primarily affect some mid-tier broadcasters and agencies in our audio and video-based scenarios Shortly after the adjustments were announced, regional tax authorities in certain areas reached out to their local MCNs to clarify implementation details. This led to a noticeable decline in work enthusiasm among supply sites even before the adjustments were formally effective, resulting in revenue pressure for MomoApp in the third quarter. MoMo has maintained a relatively low revenue sharing ratio to broadcasters and agencies compared to our peers, thanks to our unique social attributes. And agencies and broadcasters were willing to accept this lower ratio while still making considerable income. However, this very characteristic made them particularly vulnerable to these recent tax changes, and especially some mid-tier agencies. to protect the reasonable income level of our supply-side partners. In August, we adjusted the revenue-sharing policy for the groups mostly affected by the tax changes. This initiative led to a modest sequential revenue recovery in September compared to July and August. However, entering Q4, with the formal implementation of the tax policy adjustment and tightened regulatory oversight of the agency's tax compliance, we have observed further pressure on certain agencies and broadcasters. And to partially offset these impacts, we have further increased revenue sharing support for the supply side. And these additional concessions are expected to reduce the group's growth margin by approximately one to two percentage points in the second half of 2025. On the revenue front, we had originally expected the year-on-year decline in the domestic revenue in the second half too narrow compared to the first half. However, based on the Q3 actual results and our Q4 current outlook, this improvement has not materialized to the extent anticipated. Furthermore, I would like to echo six earlier remarks. As one of China's earliest mobile social platforms, Momo has maintained strong brand vitality to this day, driven by continuous product innovation and back-end algorithm optimization. Call engagement matrix, such as two-way messages, in-depth chat rates, and user retention have continued to improve steadily. In Q3, the launch of new scenarios, particularly audio and video chats, contributed to a steady increase in the number of paying users. This not only reflects continuous improving connection efficiency between the platform and our users, but also validates MoMA's solid operational foundation and product innovation capabilities within this open social field. And coupled with our profit-oriented strategy and the team's effective cost control, we are fully confident that MoMA will continue to deliver meaningful profit and operating cash flow to the group. For specific figures, I will hand over to Cassie.

OKAY. I'LL LOOK FOR 2026 FOR DOMESTIC BUSINESS. THOMAS, YOU'RE RIGHT THAT BASED ON OUR Q4 GUIDANCE FOR THE FULL YEAR 2025, FOR THE FULL YEAR 2025, domestic business, including both Momo and Tantan, is on track for a low teen percentage decline versus 2024. At the beginning of 2025, we had expected that exit rate of year-over-year decline to narrow to somewhere around 10%, or even slightly below 10%. That didn't happen because the tax scrutiny starting in Q3 had a meaningful negative impact on the supply side and therefore on revenue as well. That headwind was concentrated in the second half of 2025. In our guidance, we assume that the domestic business is going to exit 2025 with somewhere around 13% year-over-year decline. So if you take that exit rate apply normal seasonality and roll that forward throughout 2026, what you will likely see is this. In the first half of 2026, domestic revenue will probably still show a similar mid to low teens year-over-year decline. As we move into the second half of 2026, the year-over-year decline is likely to naturally narrowed down. That's simply because the bulk of the negative tax-related impact hit the second half of 2025, creating an easier calm date for next year. So that's the modeling perspective. But remember that what math gives you is always going to be influenced one way or another by realities. And here are three fundamental factors I can highlight for you to address your model accordingly based on how you think realities will unfold in 2026. The first factor is always going to be platform fundamentals. On that front, both Momo and Tantan are in a much better position today. Momo's paying user count, as you can see, after a prolonged period of decline, stabilized and grew in Q3. We expect that trend to continue into Q4. Much of that is driven by the long-tail use cases we've added, including one-to-one video and audio chats. Tantan, after spending the last couple of years improving user experience, is also moving in the right direction. The platforms are solid, and this is not where we see major risk as we head into 2026. And then comes the second important fundamental factor that you need to consider, which is macro and consumer sentiment. For domestic value-added service, the macro environment in China and overall consumer sentiment remain the biggest swing factors for us. If sentiment improves, we can outperform the seasonality-based model. If not, you would probably need to adjust estimates modestly downward. And the third factor, as always, is regulatory and taxation environment. Operating and product-side regulations have been relatively stable for the past year. The near-term headwind is mostly concentrated on the taxation side. As we adjust payouts, agencies appear satisfied with the profit level they can retain on our platform. If that stability continues, we can be more constructive about the revenue trend in 2026. So if you put everything all together, if you take the Q4 2025 exit rate of roughly 13% decline for domestic business And later in normal seasonality, you would probably arrive at roughly 10% decline for full year 2026. Then depending on macros, be it economic or regulatory, you would adjust that outlook up or down. That's what I can point to at this point about 2026. With that, back to Ashley to take the next question.

I'll read the next question.

Thank you. Your next question comes from Jenny Wan from UBS. Please go ahead.

Thank you. For the fourth quarter, there is about 70% of transparent growth overseas. Could you please tell us how much of this is from the growth of our original business and how much is from the decline in new purchases? According to this trend, how do we see the growth of overseas next year? Will there be a chance for overseas growth next year to fully match the decline in domestic income? So thanks for taking my question. My question is regarding our overseas business. So overseas revenue grew 69% a year in the third quarter ahead of management previous guidance of 60% growth. So could you please walk us through which part of this is out of expectation? And for the fourth quarter, we are guiding a 70% a year growth in overseas revenue. So could you please break down how much of this is driven by the organic business? and how much is driven by the consolidation impacts from the newly acquired happen. And given this trajectory, how do we expect overseas growth next year? Is there a chance, is it likely that overseas performance could fully offset the revenue decline in the domestic market?

Thank you.

三十度的海外业务,绝大部分的增量 from English-speaking businesses in the Middle East and North Africa, especially the contribution of two new products, Amar and Yahnan. Our core assessment standards for English-speaking overseas businesses are based on R&I. This year, we found that the investment output ratio of channels has dropped during the process of increasing the investment intensity. For this reason, we deliberately reduced the investment budget. The plan is to reduce unit costs or increase After APO and Maldivian, we restarted the addition of investment. Therefore, we also correspondingly reduced the income requirements for English video products. In the third quarter, the local team, through the continuation of the optimization of product play, deepening the cooperation of supply and demand, promoted the growth of APO. At the same time, we reduced the share ratio and realized the improvement of RYA. Therefore, we can increase the investment of customers and accelerate the growth. In addition to English video products in the Middle East region, the dating products overseas in the third quarter have also achieved good results. In the process, Tantan's Singapore team completed the product rescheduling, and launched an internationalized signing process. At present, the signing rate is in line with expectations. At the same time, the income and profits have achieved a steady recovery for the first time in nearly a year. For overseas Chinese-designed product play and UI design, Tantan internationalized the foundation of Southeast Asia and wider overseas markets. In addition, the AI role-playing love product that we promoted in Japan a year ago In terms of revenue, we have also achieved quite good progress. We expect that as the group continues to improve on the model and the product continues to mature, this product will contribute more and more to overseas revenue. In addition to Ziyan products, we completed the income work for the French dating brand Happn in September. The income contribution to the third quarter is relatively small, but it does contribute to the overseas business in the fourth quarter. As for the real number next year, please share it with everyone.

Okay, so in Q3, the vast majority of incremental revenue comes from the overseas business, comes from audio and video-based products in the MENA region, and driven primarily by the two new apps, Amar and Yahlan. Our core performance matrix for the overseas audio and video-based business is to be the ROI. So around mid-year, as we increase the marketing spend, channel ROI began to decline. So in response, we deliberately scaled back marketing investment and planned to resume more spending only after unit acquisition costs decreased or ARPU and growth margin improved. Accordingly, we also moderated our near-term revenue expectations for these audio and video products. During Q3, the local team successfully drove ARPU growth through continued product optimization and deeper supply-side partnerships, while simultaneously lowering revenue sharing ratios. These efforts led to a clear improvement in ROI, which in turn has allowed us to step up user acquisition investment again, and resulting in accelerating growth momentum. And beyond the audio-video products in MENA, our overseas dating portfolio also delivered solid performance in Q3, Notably, following the brand repositioning led by the Singapore team, Tantan International has begun migrating users to its refreshed international version. The migration is progressing in line with our expectation, and both revenue and profit has stabilized and returned to a growth for the first time in nearly a year. Product features and UI designs tailored specifically for overseas Chinese users have laid a strong foundation for Tenta International to deepen its presence in Southeast Asia and other global markets. And furthermore, the AI-powered role-playing dating app we launched in Japan a year ago has made significant revenue progress. And we accept this contribution to overseas revenue to grow steadily as we continue upgrading the AI model and the product matures. On the M&A front, We completed the acquisition of the branch dating brand happened in September. And while its contribution to Q3 revenue was limited, it is expected to make a more meaningful impact on our Q4 overseas performance. As for growth outlook for next year, I will hand it over to Cassie for more details.

CASSIE LIU- Sure. Let me take the more quantitative part of that question. As Tangzong mentioned, our overseas portfolio today is fundamentally very different from what it was a year ago. Before getting into numbers, let me add a couple of quick points that investors may have overlooked. First thing I would like to pull out is that our international growth strategy has become increasingly multi-pillar supported. both in terms of product mix and in terms of business model. From a product perspective, growth is no longer driven by one single engine. If you go back to the year 2024, the overseas business grew about 50% year over year, and almost all of that came from Sochio alone. In 2025, we are on track to grow somewhere around 70%. While Socio still contributed meaningfully, another significant growth driver for 2025 has actually been the non-Socio brands. That piece grew close to 400% year-over-year in 2025, becoming a major pillar of our overseas business. And from a business model perspective, we are also diversifying. The overseas business is increasingly driven by the dating and membership-based model in developed markets, which include Oversea Tantan, Milani Mind, which is our AI-powered dating app in Japan, Happn, and some other quality dating brands. As we move deeper into 2026, we expect the overseas portfolio to rest on three, almost three equally, three roughly equal weighted pillars. One is social, the other is emerging social entertainment apps in developing markets, and the third pillar is going to be dating slash membership brands in developed markets. Now turning specifically to your question about whether Overseas growth can offset domestic declines. I would say that if you look at second half of 2025, at group level, we are seeing somewhere around 2% year-over-year decline. Were it not the tax scrutiny that hit the supply side hard, top line could have turned positive in Q4. At this time, I don't have enough visibility to make that call for 2026 yet, but here are some high-level thoughts about different pieces within our overseas portfolio. Looking ahead, Socio will likely continue to grow, though probably at a slower percentage rate as the base gets larger. That said, I would say that there is a meaningful upside variable, and that is our push into live streaming and into wealthier Gulf markets. Historically, our strengths have been in Turkey and North Africa. Success in the Gulf region and in live streaming could meaningfully influence Socio's growth trajectory in 2026, potentially helping stabilize or even reaccelerate its growth rate. Non-social brands should continue to deliver very robust growth next year. Combined with the scaling of the dating slash membership model, we expect these segments to become increasingly important contributors as we head toward 2026. And with that, back to Ashley for the next question.

I'll put the next question, please.

Thank you. Your next question comes from Leo Chiang from Deutsche Bank. Please go ahead.

谢谢管理层接受我的提问。 我的问题是关于并购的。 能否请管理层分享一下公司在并购方面的重点, 会考虑哪些因素, 例如行业、地域、收入、利润等, 以及对于买回来的产品, 我们是否会参与主动管理? Let me translate myself. Thanks, management, for taking my questions. My question is regarding the company's M&A strategy.

I'm sure the key factors that companies focus on when they're doing M&A such as industry, geography, revenue, and product. And for the suppliers, what do you expect in the business management? Okay.

Leo, we didn't quite get your question. Can you repeat, please? Is that better now?

Yeah, yeah, we can hear you better now. We actually heard most of the Chinese part, but the English translation was not quite clear.

Okay, yeah. So my question is regarding to the company's M&A strategy. Could management share the key factors the company focuses on when doing M&A? such as industry geography, revenue, and profit. And for the acquired products, will the company be actively involved in the business management? Thank you.

Okay, thank you.

自从2011年上线了第一个基于LBS的社交产品默默, 到现在14年的时间里, 我们从早年专注中国市场, China China China China China As domestic market growth is gradually slowing down, we have turned our focus to the overseas market in search of new growth points. After less than five years, the amount of income brought by overseas products has basically been able to make up for the shortcomings caused by domestic decline. We do not have any requirements for potential purchase standards, but if we look at the target we are currently purchasing, there are several aspects of cohesion. The first is that we can understand and agree with the product and team values. And we are confident that we can use the resources of the group to help it to play a better role The second is that we have to have the ability to continue to profit from it and have enough confidence and the third is that the price has to be reasonable As for whether to take the initiative to manage and manage the degree of each standard will not be the same If the original team manages better than we do, then we will put all the local teams and we will do some supportive work But if the local government needs our deep participation, then we are also very willing to invest. In general, we will doubt the participation of the purchasing company and will not break the rules.

Okay, let me translate. Since the launch of our first LBS-based social product, MoMo, in 2011, our company has transformed from the past 14 years from a single product company focused on DAU growth in China market into a diversified group, with more than a dozen brands. These brands cover a wide range of niche markets and user segments, both domestically and internationally. In addition to organic development, acquisitions have been another key growth strategy since 2018. Whether through organic development or M&A, we have consistently stayed focused on our core strengths in the social and dating sector. And in recent years, as growth in the domestic market has slowed, we have shifted our strategic focus overseas to capture new growth drivers. And in less than five years, incremental revenue from overseas products has largely offset the decline in our domestic business. We do not have rigid criteria for M&A targets. However, looking at the acquisitions we have completed so far, They share several common characteristics. And firstly, we must fully understand and recognize the value of the product, the team, and the business model. And we must be confident that the group's resources can help unlock greater potential. And second, we need strong confidence in the target's ability to achieve a sustainable profitability. And third, of course, the valuation must be reasonable. Regarding post-acquisition management and the degree of our involvement, it varies on a case-by-case basis. If the original team is better positioned to run the business than we are, we tend to delegate full authority to the local team while providing necessary support functions. And if the local team ever needs us to dive in deeper, we are more than happy to engage in hands-on daily management. So overall, our level of engagement with acquired companies is tailored to the specific circumstances rather than following a one-size-fits-all rule. So, Leo, I hope we answered your question there. In the interest of time, operator, let's just take one last question before we close the line.

Thank you. Thank you. Your final question comes from Zoe King-Jung from CICC. Please go ahead.

Thank you, Manager Chen, for accepting my question. My question is about the profit and shareholder feedback. Manager Chen shared that the overseas English business growth is the fastest in the group, and the profit is lower than in China. In addition to the adjustment of the ratio of the recent division, how should we look at the overall profit level of the group in the future? In addition, many overseas projects are currently in an investment period. Does this mean that the profit level of the group will increase or decrease next year? Thanks, management, for taking my question. And my question is about profit margin and shareholder returns. Management previously mentioned that the fastest-growing overseas audio and video-based social business has a lower growth margin compared to domestic one. Additionally, more recently adjusted its revenue sharing ratio. So how should we view the overall gross margin going forward? More than many of our overseas initiatives are still in the investment phase. So does it imply that your profit margin may further decline next year? And will this impact decisions regarding shareholder returns?

Thank you.

Okay, let me try to answer the margin and profitability question first. First, it's still a little bit too early to be very prescriptive about 2026 margins. Our portfolio today is more diversified than in prior years. with products carrying very different margin profiles. But I can share a few directional points that should help frame expectations. Number one, on the domestic business, you are correct. Given what we saw in the second half of 2025, domestic gross margin will likely be down a couple of points. The exit rate is going to roll into 2026. On the operating expenses front, we do see room to further optimize so we can mitigate part of the pressure at the operating profit level. But with both revenue and gross margin trending lower, bottom line for domestic business will remain under downward pressure in 2026. Number two, for the overseas business, margins look different by product category. On a standalone basis, most overseas products are actually seeing stable or improving gross margins as they scale. The key factor is the mix. Social entertainment products carry lower margins due to payouts and revenue share arrangements. while the subscription and dating business carry significantly higher gross margins with no payout component. As these categories grow at different speeds, mix will be a bit hard to pin down at this point. Given these moving pieces, the most practical approach now is perhaps to anchor on the Q4 2025 exit level. which, based on our guidance, should be about 36 percent to 37 percent adjusted gross margin. Some forces push it upward. Some forces push it downward. We'll have clearer visibility after we complete our annual planning and can give you more specific color during our next earnings call. On the group level profitability outlook, it's true that we remain in an investment phase for our overseas business. But investment does not mean we are loosening our discipline. We continue to apply very strict ROI filters, and we will not pursue top-line growth by sacrificing profitability. At this point, our expectation is that the overseas business will probably not be able to meaningfully offset the domestic profit pressure in 2026. But at the same time, it will not be a significant dragger on the group bottom line either. So overall, we do expect some compression in profitability next year, but largely from domestic business, not really overseas business. And finally, regarding dividends and shareholder return expectations, profitability for... You're right that profitability for a particular year is a factor in determining our cash dividend, but it is not the only factor. Apart from that, we also evaluate some other stuff, such as potential M&A requirements and strategic cash needs. The other thing is liquidity and repatriation capability from our onshore entities to the holding company. And then there is also, you know, there's always going to be the balance between cash dividends versus share repurchases consideration. All of these elements would go into the board's decision-making process. we will provide more clarity after we finalize our annual plan. But the guiding principle remains unchanged, maintaining a disciplined, balanced capital return framework while ensuring that we have the resources to invest in long-term growth. I guess that wraps up today's call. I'm handing over to Ashley to close today's speech.

Well, thank you everyone for joining us today. So we'll see you next year and happy holidays. Bye.

Thank you. That does conclude our conference for today. Thank you for participating. You may now disconnect.