DUBAI, UAE – August 19, 2026 – Yalla Group, the largest Middle East and North Africa (MENA)-based online social networking and gaming company, operates two flagship apps—Yalla and Yalla Ludo—built around localized social interaction and gaming experiences.
In the second quarter of 2026, Yalla delivered solid financial results, with games services revenue rising 11.6% year over year and MAUs increasing 12.3% to 47.6 million. Meanwhile, the company continued to strengthen its gaming ecosystem, expand its product pipeline and deepen its presence across MENA.
Resilient Earnings
Yalla Group’s second-quarter results highlighted the growing contribution of its gaming business. Revenue reached US$82.6 million, exceeding the upper end of the company’s guidance, while Non-GAAP net income was US$34.4 million, with a healthy Non-GAAP net margin of 41.7%.
The revenue mix, however, is becoming more critical than the headline figure. Chatting services generated US$47.4 million, while games services revenue reached US$34.2 million—up 11.6% year over year and representing 41.4% of total revenue. The rising contribution from gaming marks a meaningful shift in Yalla’s revenue mix as new titles move through their early rollout and user acquisition phases.
Capital allocation remains another important part of the story. The company repurchased approximately US$27.6 million of ADSs and Class A ordinary shares in the first half of 2026, including approximately US$18.0 million in the second quarter. The newly authorized 2026 program allows for up to US$150 million of repurchases over 24 months.
Engagement Sustains the Core
User engagement remained a key pillar of Yalla’s operating model.
In the second quarter, Yalla’s monthly active users (MAUs) reached 47.6 million, representing a 12.3% year-over-year increase from 42.4 million a year earlier. Paying users stood at 10.9 million, up 3.7% quarter-over-quarter.
The company’s flagship products continued to benefit from refined operations and targeted marketing. Yalla Ludo saw a sequential rebound in paying users, supported by the continued success of Yalla Ludo Carnival Season 6 and the launch of the new long-term “Yalla Season” campaign. The quarter also marked the 10th anniversary of Yalla, the company’s flagship social product. A series of locally resonant online campaigns was launched around the anniversary, drawing on the cultural characteristics of the Middle East.
Taken together, these initiatives illustrate one of Yalla’s most established competitive advantages: localization. Rather than relying solely on user acquisition, the company continues to use cultural events, community engagement and product operations to deepen user relationships and support monetization.
Gaming Enters Scale-Up
Yalla’s new gaming portfolio is increasingly moving beyond initial market validation toward broader commercialization.
Its first self-developed match-3 title, Turbo Match, continued to expand its user base during the quarter while maintaining healthy retention in MENA, the US and Europe. In mid-July, the title was featured by the Apple App Store in MENA markets including Saudi Arabia, enhancing its visibility.
The company’s desert-themed SLG title benefited from a co-promotion campaign with Yalla Ludo. A major version update is now under development, with richer gameplay and other enhancements designed to deepen engagement and improve conversion and monetization.
Beyond these products, the company has several self-developed titles in its pipeline. This broader pipeline is important to Yalla’s longer-term strategy: the company is seeking to capture new growth opportunities across MENA while gradually extending its reach into the wider global market.
Deepening Regional Engagement
Yalla’s localization strategy extends beyond product operations into broader regional engagement.
This quarter, Yalla served as the Official Event Partner of Saudi eLeague 2026 and the Presenting Partner of Yalla Saudi eLeague Women 2026, operating an activation zone at the Championship Festival Finals, showcasing its products and engaging with visitors through immersive on-site experiences. Its participation strengthened the company’s connection with local users and further established its presence within the region’s evolving digital entertainment and esports ecosystem.
Alongside its product expansion, Yalla is accelerating the adoption of AI across its R&D processes. The company deepened the integration of AI-assisted programming into its game development workflow and launched a proprietary AI model-based system for match-3 level generation and difficulty evaluation. The initiative is designed to accelerate level design and iteration, improve development efficiency and deliver more engaging experiences to users.
The company’s broader technology strategy is closely linked to its product ambitions. As Yalla expands its gaming portfolio, greater development efficiency can support faster product iteration and more frequent content updates, while strengthening the synergy between its social and gaming ecosystems.
Toward the Next Cycle
Yalla Group’s Q2 results highlight a shifting growth profile. Core social products maintain a solid baseline, while gaming increasingly drives revenue and user engagement.
Looking ahead, Yalla projects Q3 revenue of US$78.0 million to US$85.0 million. As new titles scale and social-gaming synergies deepen, these efforts should unlock further growth across MENA and accelerate global expansion.
About Yalla Group Limited：
Yalla Group Limited is the largest MENA-based online social networking and gaming company, in terms of revenue in 2022. The Company operates two flagship mobile applications, Yalla, a voice-centric group chat platform, and Yalla Ludo, a casual gaming application featuring online versions of board games, popular in MENA, with in-game voice chat and localized Majlis functionality.
Media ContactCompany Name: Yalla Group LimitedContact Person: Kerry Gao – IR DirectorEmail: Send EmailCity: DUBAICountry: United Arab EmiratesWebsite: www.yalla.com
