Earnings Call Insights: Paymentus Holdings, Inc. (PAY) Q1 2026 Management view "We had a tremendous start of 2026 with record revenue and a strong growth exceeding our CAGR model across all key metrics" (Chairman, President & CEO Dushyant Sharma), and management said the quarter included an "important product launch" it believes "will transform how service providers interact with their customers."...
Earnings Call Insights: Paymentus Holdings, Inc. (PAY) Q1 2026 Management view "We had a tremendous start of 2026 with record revenue and a strong growth exceeding our CAGR model across all key metrics" (Chairman, President & CEO Dushyant Sharma), and management said the quarter included an "important product launch" it believes "will transform how service providers interact with their customers." Sharma highlighted reduced sensitivity to energy-driven volatility, stating, "the impact of elevated energy price index on our numbers has been materially reduced," and tied the Q1 outperformance to greater visibility: "this outperformance is not just about 1 quarter... it actually gives us confidence and additional visibility for the rest of the year." "We continued our strong momentum in the first quarter with robust bookings and a very substantial pipeline" (Chairman, President & CEO Sharma), alongside new client signings across utilities, insurance, telecommunications, government agencies, property management, consumer finance, banking, education, and healthcare, plus channel partners in education and telecommunications. "We delivered a strong start to the year with the first quarter results that came in much stronger than we had anticipated, driven by a higher transaction activity from both new and existing billers" (Senior VP, CFO & Principal Accounting Officer Sanjay Kalra), adding that Q1 produced "a record for the company" on Rule of 40 and that growth rates for transactions, revenue, and contribution profit "accelerated in Q1 2026." On the new product category, Sharma said, "today we announced that we are establishing a new category, AI-native Service Commerce," and described the launch of "Billeo" with components including "BillWallet" and "AI360," with Sharma emphasizing, "All patent families referenced have granted patents in the U.S. and some international jurisdictions, with additional patent applications pending." Outlook Management issued Q2 2026 guidance ...
Anheuser-Busch InBev reported better-than-expected volume growth as the company’s strategy of diversifying beyond beer gathers pace. The world’s largest brewer reported a 0.8% rise in organic volume growth in the first quarter, according to a statement Tuesday. Analysts had expected a 0.3% drop. AB InBev also maintained its medium-term outlook of earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and am...
Anheuser-Busch InBev reported better-than-expected volume growth as the company’s strategy of diversifying beyond beer gathers pace. The world’s largest brewer reported a 0.8% rise in organic volume growth in the first quarter, according to a statement Tuesday. Analysts had expected a 0.3% drop. AB InBev also maintained its medium-term outlook of earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization growth of between 4% and 8%. Drinks makers have been hurt by a consumer pullback in beer, wine and spirits over concerns about cost and negative health impacts. Last month, rival beer makers Heineken NV and Carlsberg A/S said the conflict in Middle East was raising the cost of energy and raw materials. AB InBev is seeking to diversify its portfolio with its growing “beyond beer” category, which includes ready-to-drink — or RTD — cocktails such as Cutwater Cocktails and Mike’s Hard Lemonade. They are among the few growth areas for drinks companies, as consumers increasingly favor convenience and variety. The company reported a 27% increase in no-alcohol beer revenue and 37% rise in Beyond Beer revenue for the quarter.
Despite the Iran war, US military strikes in the eastern Pacific have ramped up in recent weeks The US military said it bombed another boat allegedly ferrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea, killing two people, on Monday. The Trump administration’s campaign of blowing up alleged drug-trafficking vessels in Latin American waters has persisted since early September and killed at least 188 people. Other ...
Despite the Iran war, US military strikes in the eastern Pacific have ramped up in recent weeks The US military said it bombed another boat allegedly ferrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea, killing two people, on Monday. The Trump administration’s campaign of blowing up alleged drug-trafficking vessels in Latin American waters has persisted since early September and killed at least 188 people. Other strikes have taken place in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Continue reading...
IHH Healthcare (IHH), one of the world's largest integrated healthcare providers, has selected Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications across its enterprise finance, human resource (HR) and supply chain systems, as part of its ongoing transformation to future-proof care. With Oracle Fusion Applications, IHH will consolidate multiple enterprise systems onto a single, integrated and scalable platform. This...
IHH Healthcare (IHH), one of the world's largest integrated healthcare providers, has selected Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications across its enterprise finance, human resource (HR) and supply chain systems, as part of its ongoing transformation to future-proof care. With Oracle Fusion Applications, IHH will consolidate multiple enterprise systems onto a single, integrated and scalable platform. This can enable IHH to operate more efficiently as a unified multinational network while harnessing real
The operation of claw and pinball machines could be regulated by capping fees and prize values as a first step to curb addiction to automated games, lawmakers have said, while also warning of “deceptive” designs that make winning impossible. While calling for a balance between user protection and industry development, two legislators said the caps could follow the existing Gambling Ordinance, unde...
The operation of claw and pinball machines could be regulated by capping fees and prize values as a first step to curb addiction to automated games, lawmakers have said, while also warning of “deceptive” designs that make winning impossible. While calling for a balance between user protection and industry development, two legislators said the caps could follow the existing Gambling Ordinance, under which premises with an Amusements with Prizes Licence cannot charge more than HK$5 per game and...
The Tell Sid campaign promised to make the working man rich, but in reality the selling of public assets made us all poorer In the summer of 1987, as life in Britain was being steadily reshaped by Margaret Thatcher, I landed a temporary job as an electrician’s mate in a steel-drum factory. I was a truly useless assistant, and justified my existence by singing songs to entertain my boss as he worke...
The Tell Sid campaign promised to make the working man rich, but in reality the selling of public assets made us all poorer In the summer of 1987, as life in Britain was being steadily reshaped by Margaret Thatcher, I landed a temporary job as an electrician’s mate in a steel-drum factory. I was a truly useless assistant, and justified my existence by singing songs to entertain my boss as he worked. As I recall, by the time I left Stuart had come round to quite liking Bob Dylan, but still had no time for the gothic gloominess of the early Cure. While I handed him tools he didn’t need, and failed to locate the ones he did, we occasionally talked about politics. Stuart was a gentle man in his mid-20s, already married and hoping to buy a house. He was also, it turned out, a cautious believer in Thatcher’s promise of a “people’s capitalism” in which working people would get a piece of the action. Prior to my coming to “help” him, he was one of the millions who had responded to the previous year’s Tell Sid ad campaign and bought shares in newly privatised British Gas. Continue reading...
Quintessentially almost quadrupled staff in Middle East and Asia less than year before wealthy began to flee Gulf The embattled luxury concierge service co-founded by Queen Camilla’s nephew Ben Elliot embarked on what appeared to be an inopportune hiring spree in the Middle East and Asia before wealthy individuals began fleeing the region because of the US-Israel war on Iran. Quintessentially almo...
Quintessentially almost quadrupled staff in Middle East and Asia less than year before wealthy began to flee Gulf The embattled luxury concierge service co-founded by Queen Camilla’s nephew Ben Elliot embarked on what appeared to be an inopportune hiring spree in the Middle East and Asia before wealthy individuals began fleeing the region because of the US-Israel war on Iran. Quintessentially almost quadrupled staff in the regions from 22 to 84 during its financial year to 30 April 2025, according to newly released annual accounts, which again reported multimillion-pound losses and warned of “material uncertainty” about its future. Continue reading...
Iranian visual journalist Parisa Azadi set her images alight in response to January’s violent repression by the regime, not to erase them, but to convey ‘rage, grief and refusal’ In September 2022, as revolution spread across Iran, I witnessed it from Dubai through the unstable glow of phone screens. Raw videos surfaced daily before disappearing into internet blackouts: women burning their hijabs,...
Iranian visual journalist Parisa Azadi set her images alight in response to January’s violent repression by the regime, not to erase them, but to convey ‘rage, grief and refusal’ In September 2022, as revolution spread across Iran, I witnessed it from Dubai through the unstable glow of phone screens. Raw videos surfaced daily before disappearing into internet blackouts: women burning their hijabs, young men wounded by metal pellets, teenagers dragged into unmarked vans. Unable to return safely to Iran, where I had spent six years documenting life under repression, I felt helpless. This work emerged from that pain and is both testimony and absence: the public violence of the state and my private, long-distance bearing witness. Continue reading...
Party leader says vote for Labour or Greens in closely run seats will result in Reform victory at local elections Voters in the home counties will “regret it for a long time” if they do not back the Liberal Democrats and wake up to a Reform-led council, Ed Davey has said. The Lib Dems leader has identified five councils – East Surrey, West Surrey, Hampshire, West Sussex and Huntingdonshire – where...
Party leader says vote for Labour or Greens in closely run seats will result in Reform victory at local elections Voters in the home counties will “regret it for a long time” if they do not back the Liberal Democrats and wake up to a Reform-led council, Ed Davey has said. The Lib Dems leader has identified five councils – East Surrey, West Surrey, Hampshire, West Sussex and Huntingdonshire – where his party could win overall control, as well as swathes of the former “blue wall” where Davey said it was a “straight fight” between his party and Reform at the English local elections. Continue reading...
Cheesy vegetarian sliders with pickles and slaw, and caramelised cheesy cabbage wedges Cabbage is one of my favourite ingredients. I love it for its versatility, and also because it’s nutritious and incredibly satisfying to cook with. I’ve been putting cabbage on my menus for more than two decades now, and at Our Farm in Cartmel , Cumbria, we grow hundreds of varieties to use across my restaurants...
Cheesy vegetarian sliders with pickles and slaw, and caramelised cheesy cabbage wedges Cabbage is one of my favourite ingredients. I love it for its versatility, and also because it’s nutritious and incredibly satisfying to cook with. I’ve been putting cabbage on my menus for more than two decades now, and at Our Farm in Cartmel , Cumbria, we grow hundreds of varieties to use across my restaurants’ kitchens throughout the year. For me, cabbage has always been one of the real heroes in the kitchen, and today’s recipes are about creating generous, seasonal dishes to share with it at their centre. Continue reading...
Letter coordinated by Survivors Against Terror, which includes bereaved relatives, after spate of attacks on Jewish community Dozens of survivors and bereaved relatives of 19 separate terror attacks have written an open letter of solidarity to the Jewish community, saying: “Standing together in the face of hatred is not just the right thing to do – it’s the most effective way of defeating terroris...
Letter coordinated by Survivors Against Terror, which includes bereaved relatives, after spate of attacks on Jewish community Dozens of survivors and bereaved relatives of 19 separate terror attacks have written an open letter of solidarity to the Jewish community, saying: “Standing together in the face of hatred is not just the right thing to do – it’s the most effective way of defeating terrorism.” The letter was coordinated by the group Survivors Against Terror (SAT), after terror attacks on two Jewish men in north London earlier this week, in what was the latest in a series of attacks on the community in the UK. Continue reading...
Government officials said in December that Britain’s largest automotive employer could lead exodus from UK Jaguar Land Rover would have considered moving car production out of the UK and slashing jobs if not for a £380m subsidy for its sister battery company, government officials claimed privately. Officials at the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) warned in December that Britain’s largest a...
Government officials said in December that Britain’s largest automotive employer could lead exodus from UK Jaguar Land Rover would have considered moving car production out of the UK and slashing jobs if not for a £380m subsidy for its sister battery company, government officials claimed privately. Officials at the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) warned in December that Britain’s largest automotive employer may have triggered an exodus from the UK car industry, according to state aid documents prepared by the competition regulator. Continue reading...
Nutthaseth Vanchaichana/iStock via Getty Images Market Update U.S. equities were mostly lower in the first quarter of 2026. The Russell 3000 declined 4%, and the S&P 500 posted its first quarterly decline in a year. The year began on a constructive note as declining yields, improving leading indicators, and rising mortgage applications supported a broadening rally. However, sentiment reversed shar...
Nutthaseth Vanchaichana/iStock via Getty Images Market Update U.S. equities were mostly lower in the first quarter of 2026. The Russell 3000 declined 4%, and the S&P 500 posted its first quarterly decline in a year. The year began on a constructive note as declining yields, improving leading indicators, and rising mortgage applications supported a broadening rally. However, sentiment reversed sharply in March following the Iran conflict escalation. The near-blockage of the Strait of Hormuz sent crude oil surging over 75%, reigniting inflation fears and shifting the Fed narrative from rate cuts to potential hikes. Equity market leadership changed sharply as the quarter progressed. Early cyclical broadening gave way to a narrow, commodity-driven market that benefited energy, agriculture, and hard-asset industries. Large-cap Growth was the only style box to post double-digit losses, hampered by Big Tech weakness and AI displacement concerns in software. Conversely, Small Caps proved resilient; the Russell 2000 finished higher while the Equal-Weight S&P 500 remained flat. Sector dispersion was extreme in the S&P 500, with Energy surging over 35% while Technology fell over 9%. From a factor perspective, Value, Momentum, and Yield drove returns. Quality was mixed, while Growth and Volatility factors detracted. Key Performance Takeaways The London Company Small-Mid Cap portfolio declined 3.4% (-3.6% net) during the quarter vs. a 2.0% increase in the Russell 2500 Index. Both sector exposure and stock selection were headwinds to relative performance. The SMID portfolio trailed its benchmark in Q1 and came up short of our 85-90% upside capture expectations. Early signs of broadening gave way to a narrower, macro-driven market where our structural underweight to Energy and commodity-linked industries was a significant detractor—similar to early 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. Lower-quality, more speculative areas also proved surprisingly defensive. While frustrating, we've n...