MELI 10-K Analysis: The $9.3 Billion Free Cash Flow Illusion
MercadoLibre generated $10.8 billion in free cash flow in FY 2025 — or $1.5 billion, depending on which line of its own 10-K you read. That $9.3 billion gap reveals a fintech business consuming 86% of cash flow for customer deposits and loan originations. Meanwhile, $1.1 billion in credit card receivable gains — classified as 'non-recurring' both years — represent 56% of net income, pushing the effective P/E from 51x to 117x. And Argentina, generating 3.6 times Brazil's adjusted operating margin in a hyperinflationary economy, supplies the profitability that makes the story work.