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Flywire Corp.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 3 November 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 2 narrowed, 2 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue rose 25.1%: The company linked the growth to the seasonal education peak and to execution across all four verticals. Source
  • Revenue less ancillary services up 26.0%: The FX-neutral measure grew by the same 26.0%. The currency effect on this measure in the quarter was $0.1 million. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA up 39.2%: Adjusted EBITDA margin on revenue less ancillary services widened by about 310 basis points, to 32.5%. Source
  • GAAP net income lifted by tax benefit: GAAP net income was $74.5 million, with diluted EPS of $0.57. Management said the quarter reflects a non-cash income tax benefit from the valuation allowance release. Source
  • Full-year guidance raised: Management said it is raising full-year 2026 guidance on revenue growth and adjusted EBITDA margin expansion. Source
  • Fourth-quarter guidance basis: Fourth-quarter and full-year guidance is stated as of November 3, 2026, based on information available on that date. Source

“That gives us real choices, and the best returns we see today are in our own business”

Mike Massaro, Flywire’s CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
FX-Neutral Revenue Less Ancillary Services growth Sourcefiscal year 202625-27% YoYNarrowed, low end up from 21-27% YoY
Adjusted EBITDA margin growth Sourcefiscal year 2026+300 to 360 bps YoYNarrowed from +200 to 400 bps YoY
FX-Neutral Revenue Less Ancillary Services growth Sourcefourth quarter 202614-20% YoYNew
Adjusted EBITDA margin growth Sourcefourth quarter 2026330-530 bps YoYNew

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Full-year 2026 guidance was raised on FX-neutral revenue less ancillary services growth and on adjusted EBITDA margin growth, at the midpoint. Source
  • New guidance: Fourth-quarter 2026 guidance was given alongside the full-year figures. The prior release gave guidance only for the third quarter. Source
  • New: Asset acquisition of customer relationships in Canada, to move a portfolio of higher education institutions to Flywire. Source
  • New: Became Global Preferred Payment Partner for Kinetic Software, which provides technology to higher education and student accommodation operators. Source
  • New: Sabrina Farmer was appointed to the Board of Directors. Source
  • Ended: Alex Finkelstein resigned from the Board of Directors, effective October 29, 2026. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue rose 25.1%: The company linked the growth to the seasonal education peak and to execution across all four verticals. Source
  • Revenue less ancillary services up 26.0%: The FX-neutral measure grew by the same 26.0%. The currency effect on this measure in the quarter was $0.1 million. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA up 39.2%: Adjusted EBITDA margin on revenue less ancillary services widened by about 310 basis points, to 32.5%. Source
  • GAAP net income lifted by tax benefit: GAAP net income was $74.5 million, with diluted EPS of $0.57. Management said the quarter reflects a non-cash income tax benefit from the valuation allowance release. Source

Segments and regions

  • Transaction revenue grew faster: Transaction revenue less ancillary services was $213.2 million against $165.7 million a year earlier. Platform and other was $31.3 million against $28.4 million. Source
  • EMEA travel and hospitality deals: In EMEA, a 24-property Kingfisher rollout was approved after a pilot, and 23 Marriott Sign & Pay deals were won. Source
  • APAC hospitality traction: Hospitality gained traction across APAC, with a Langham Hospitality Group pilot and further expansion in Australia. Source

“The financial profile reflects it: expanding adjusted EBITDA margins, and more profit and free cash flow than at any point in our history.”

Mike Massaro, Flywire’s CEO

Products, partners and customers

  • SFS deals signed with universities: Three US universities and one UK institution signed Student Financial Software agreements, which management described as continuing a shift to larger engagements. Source
  • New local payment options added: Local payment options were added in China, Japan and Türkiye, extending the global payment network. Source
  • Real-time payment confirmations in India: Families making high-value tuition payments in India can see instantly that their money has arrived. Source
  • Liquidity Services B2B deployment: Liquidity Services Inc. is deploying Flywire for domestic and cross-border payments across its global marketplace. Source

Costs and margins

  • Payment processing costs rose faster than revenue: Payment processing services costs were $94.0 million against $72.3 million a year earlier, a faster rise than revenue. Source
  • Gross margin lower year over year: GAAP gross margin was 61.0% against 62.3%. Adjusted gross margin was 63.7% against 65.7%. Source
  • General and administrative expense rose: General and administrative expense was $44.3 million against $36.0 million. The non-GAAP line rose to $34.0 million from $27.0 million. Source
  • Stock-based pay and amortization: Stock-based compensation and related taxes were $17.5 million, close to the prior year. Depreciation and amortization was $8.0 million against $7.2 million. Source

“We have been GAAP profitable before, but this quarter marked a step change in scale of our GAAP profitability.”

Flywire's CFO, Cosmin Pitigoi

Demand and client wins

  • Enterprise-focused client signings: Go-to-market teams deliberately prioritized larger, higher-ARR enterprise relationships when signing new clients this quarter. Source
  • Highest-volume peak executed: Management described the quarter as its highest-volume peak, and said execution was disciplined through it. Source
  • Endeavor Health upsell completed: A major upsell with Endeavor Health for Integrated Financing was completed in the quarter, along with other key upsells. Source

Cash, capital and buybacks

  • Cash balance higher than year-end: Cash and cash equivalents were $407.2 million at September 30, 2026, against $330.3 million at December 31, 2025. Source
  • Operating cash flow for nine months: Management said the company generated more free cash flow than at any point in its history. Nine-month operating cash flow was $130.4 million. Source
  • Share repurchases in nine months: The company repurchased $30.5 million of common stock and $29.0 million of non-voting common stock. Treasury voting shares rose to 12.3 million. Source
  • Capitalized software and equipment: Internally developed software capitalized was $10.1 million for the nine months. Property and equipment purchases were $0.6 million. Source

Strategy and investment

  • Focus on own business: Management said the best returns it sees are in its own business, through deepening its competitive moat and gaining share. Source
  • Invoiced recognized for AR technology: Invoiced was named a Leader in a 2026 accounts receivable technology report, which cited its multi-agent AI alongside the global payment network. Source
  • Antom partnership for Alipay travel: The Antom partnership under Ant International is meant to enable Alipay payments beyond education into cross-border travel. Source

Full-year and fourth-quarter guidance

  • Full-year guidance raised: Management said it is raising full-year 2026 guidance on revenue growth and adjusted EBITDA margin expansion. Source
  • Fourth-quarter guidance basis: Fourth-quarter and full-year guidance is stated as of November 3, 2026, based on information available on that date. Source
  • Q3 tax benefit not expected to recur: Management said it does not expect a benefit of this nature or size to recur, and that third-quarter net income is not indicative of future results. Source

Board and leadership

  • Long-serving director departs: Alex Finkelstein, who led Spark Capital's initial investment, had served on the board since 2011. The company thanked him for 15 years of service. Source
  • New director with platform background: Sabrina Farmer spent 25 years in technology leadership roles, including at Google and GitLab, and now leads the Commerce Platform at Microsoft. Source
  • Earnings call hosts named: The release named the CEO, the President and COO, and the CFO as hosts of the earnings call. Source

Coming up, as management said on 3 November 2026

  • Form 10-Q expected in fourth quarter: The quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the September quarter is expected to be filed in the fourth quarter of 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Total Payment Volume Source$17.8 billion
Clients supported Sourceapproximately 5,400
New clients signed in the quarter Sourceapproximately 180 across 31 countries
Payment plans activated at US institutions via SFS Sourcemore than 1 million since inception

Risks management discussed

  • Regulatory: Fourth-quarter guidance rests on visa assumptions for the big four education markets, which the release describes as prudent. Source
  • Financial: The release cites a $22.2 million Q3 tax benefit with $27 million of discrete items, against about $39.2 million elsewhere in the same release. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Ahead: Management said the quarter exceeded the prior third-quarter guidance for revenue less ancillary services and adjusted EBITDA. 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.