ACI Worldwide raises 2026 guidance

ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW) has raised its full-year 2026 guidance following strong performance in the first quarter. The company reported Q1 2026 revenue of $426 million, an 8% increase compared to Q1 2025, with recurring revenue rising 10% to $313 million. Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter reached $105 million, up 12% year-over-year, and the company’s net adjusted EBITDA margin improved to 38%.

The Payment Software segment generated $214 million in revenue, with Real Time Payments and Merchant segments growing by 22% and 21%, respectively, on a constant currency basis. The Biller segment also showed robust performance, with revenue increasing 10% to $212 million.

ACI’s new ARR bookings surged 39% year-over-year to $12 million, reflecting strong demand for its cloud-native payments platform. The company also repurchased 1.5 million shares for $65 million in Q1 2026, continuing its commitment to returning capital to shareholders.

Based on its Q1 performance and strong pipeline, ACI has raised its full-year 2026 revenue guidance to a range of $1.89 billion to $1.92 billion, up from the previous range of $1.88 billion to $1.91 billion. Adjusted EBITDA guidance increased to $540 million to $555 million, from $530 million to $550 million.

The company expects Q2 2026 revenue between $420 million and $440 million, with adjusted EBITDA in the range of $85 million to $95 million. ACI’s updated guidance reflects confidence in its ability to maintain growth momentum amid evolving market dynamics and structural shifts in the global payments industry.