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Marqeta, Inc.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 5 May 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 raised, 3 new, 2 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue and gross profit each grew 19%: Net revenue was $166 million and gross profit $118 million, both up 19% year over year, driven mainly by higher volume. Source
  • Processing volume grew 33%: Total processing volume was $112.4 billion, up from $84.5 billion a year earlier. TPV is net of returns and chargebacks. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA rose 66%: Adjusted EBITDA was $33 million, up 66%, and its margin on net revenue was 20%, against 14% a year earlier. Source
  • Ramp expands across five markets: Ramp is using one Marqeta integration to issue virtual and physical cards with custom spend limits in Australia, Japan, Singapore, Brazil and Mexico. Source
  • Second-quarter guidance introduced: Second-quarter guidance covers net revenue growth of 14 to 16%, gross profit growth of 14 to 16% and Adjusted EBITDA growth of 10 to 12%. Source
  • Full-year Adjusted EBITDA growth raised: Fiscal 2026 Adjusted EBITDA growth is now guided to mid-to-high 20s, against mid 20s in the prior release. Source
  • Share repurchases declined: Share repurchases were $39.2 million in the quarter, against $111.3 million a year earlier; tax payments on RSU settlement were $8.8 million. Source

“Our first quarter results demonstrate the power of our platform at scale as we delivered on our promise of achieving GAAP Net Income profitability”

Mike Milotich, CEO of Marqeta

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Net revenue growth Sourcesecond quarter 202614 - 16%New
Gross profit growth Sourcesecond quarter 202614 - 16%New
Adjusted EBITDA growth Sourcesecond quarter 202610 - 12%New
Net revenue growth Sourcefiscal year 202612 - 14%Kept
Gross profit growth Sourcefiscal year 202610 - 12%Kept
Adjusted EBITDA growth Sourcefiscal year 2026Mid-to-high 20sRaised from Mid 20s

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Fiscal 2026 Adjusted EBITDA growth guidance moved to mid-to-high 20s from mid 20s. Source
  • New guidance: Second-quarter 2026 guidance was issued for net revenue, gross profit and Adjusted EBITDA growth. Source
  • New: An automated financial assistant customer selected Marqeta to migrate its U.S. secured credit card portfolio. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue and gross profit each grew 19%: Net revenue was $166 million and gross profit $118 million, both up 19% year over year, driven mainly by higher volume. Source
  • Processing volume grew 33%: Total processing volume was $112.4 billion, up from $84.5 billion a year earlier. TPV is net of returns and chargebacks. Source
  • Net income turned positive: GAAP net income was $8 million, against a net loss of $8 million a year earlier; diluted EPS was $0.02. Source
  • Operating income turned positive: Income from operations was $2.1 million, against a loss of $18.5 million a year earlier. Source
  • Other income declined: Other income, net was $5.9 million, down 44% from $10.5 million a year earlier. Source

Margins and operating costs

  • Gross margin held at 71%: Gross margin was 71% in the quarter, flat year over year. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA rose 66%: Adjusted EBITDA was $33 million, up 66%, and its margin on net revenue was 20%, against 14% a year earlier. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin on gross profit: Adjusted EBITDA as a share of gross profit was 28%, against 20% a year earlier. Source
  • Total operating expenses declined 1%: Total operating expenses were $115.5 million, down 1% from $117.2 million a year earlier. Source
  • Adjusted operating expenses rose 7%: Adjusted operating expenses, which exclude share-based compensation and D&A among other items, rose 7% to $84.3 million. Source
  • Technology and D&A costs rose: Technology costs rose to $18.1 million and depreciation and amortization to $8.9 million, from $14.8 million and $5.3 million. Source

“As a modern card issuer capable of delivering a continuum of products and innovative solutions across multiple use cases and geographies, Marqeta is uniquely positioned to enable growth and engagement for our customers.”

Mike Milotich, CEO of Marqeta

Products and customers

  • Ramp expands across five markets: Ramp is using one Marqeta integration to issue virtual and physical cards with custom spend limits in Australia, Japan, Singapore, Brazil and Mexico. Source
  • Sezzle virtual card launched in Canada: Marqeta enabled a virtual card for Sezzle in Canada, giving Canadian consumers the same flexibility and checkout experience as in the U.S. Source
  • New secured card portfolio migration: A new customer will move its U.S. secured credit card portfolio to Marqeta and become an early adopter of Mastercard One Credential. Source
  • Credit builder card with embedded brand: An embedded finance brand added a credit builder card alongside its established debit program; management highlighted option value for customers using several products. Source

Guidance for 2026

  • Second-quarter guidance introduced: Second-quarter guidance covers net revenue growth of 14 to 16%, gross profit growth of 14 to 16% and Adjusted EBITDA growth of 10 to 12%. Source
  • Full-year Adjusted EBITDA growth raised: Fiscal 2026 Adjusted EBITDA growth is now guided to mid-to-high 20s, against mid 20s in the prior release. Source
  • Full-year revenue and gross profit kept: Fiscal 2026 net revenue growth stays at 12 to 14% and gross profit growth at 10 to 12%. Source
  • No forward Adjusted EBITDA reconciliation: A reconciliation of forward Adjusted EBITDA growth to the GAAP comparable is not provided, as some items cannot be reasonably predicted. Source

Cash flow and share repurchases

  • Operating cash flow turned negative: Operating cash flow was negative $3.4 million in the quarter, against positive $10.0 million a year earlier. Source
  • Receivables absorbed cash in quarter: Network incentives receivable used $18.8 million of cash and settlements receivable used $14.4 million in the quarter. Source
  • Share repurchases declined: Share repurchases were $39.2 million in the quarter, against $111.3 million a year earlier; tax payments on RSU settlement were $8.8 million. Source
  • Cash and equivalents declined: Cash and cash equivalents were $674.8 million at March 31, 2026, down from $709.4 million at December 31, 2025. Source
  • Diluted share count declined: Diluted weighted-average shares were 433.6 million, against 501.2 million a year earlier. Source

Customer funds and one-time costs

  • One-time CEO transition costs: Restructuring and other one-time costs of $0.8 million covered the CEO transition and one-time retention bonuses for key employees. Source
  • Restricted cash held for customers: Restricted cash of $280.3 million is mainly customer funds held by TransactPay in segregated accounts for program management. Source
  • Funds payable to customers declined: Funds payable and amounts due to customers were $280.3 million, down from $306.9 million at December 31, 2025. Source

Coming up, as management said on 5 May 2026

  • Ramp expansion later in 2026: Further geographic expansion for Ramp is planned for later in the year, on the same single integration. Source
  • Mastercard One Credential early adoption: The new secured card customer will be one of the early adopters of the issuer-managed Mastercard One Credential. Source

Risks management discussed

  • Financial: Net revenue growth was partly offset by a shift toward card programs where the company provides processing services with minimal or no program management. Source
  • Financial: Gross profit growth carried a 1.5 percentage point headwind from the revised accounting policy for Card Network Incentives. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Met: Management said the company delivered on its earlier promise of GAAP net income profitability in the quarter. 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.