Technology

Youdao Reports Second Quarter 2024 Unaudited Financial Results

Published

2 years ago

August 22, 2024

HANGZHOU, China, Aug. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Youdao, Inc. (“Youdao” or the “Company”) (NYSE: DAO), an intelligent learning company with industry-leading technology in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2024.

Second Quarter 2024 Financial Highlights

Total net revenues were RMB1.3 billion (US$181.9 million), representing a 9.5% increase from the same period in 2023.
– Net revenues from learning services were RMB643.8 million (US$88.6 million), representing a 5.5% decrease from the same period in 2023.
– Net revenues from smart devices were RMB166.7 million (US$22.9 million), representing a 25.0% decrease from the same period in 2023.
– Net revenues from online marketing services were RMB511.2 million (US$70.3 million), representing a 68.4% increase from the same period in 2023.Gross margin was 48.2%, compared with 47.0% for the same period in 2023.

“In the second quarter, our financial performance was robust, with operating cash inflow reaching an all-time high and operating loss narrowing significantly year-over-year. Leveraging our advanced large language model capabilities and data advantages, we upgraded our college admission consultation services in Youdao Lingshi to AI-based College Admission Advisers, enhancing both the timeliness and personalization of our services. Driven by RTA (Real-Time API) and AI tools advertising, our online marketing services achieved record net revenues of RMB511.2 million in the second quarter, an increase of 68.4% year-over-year. AI-driven subscription services continued to expand, with the introduction of new applications, including Mr. P AI Tutor, marking a nearly 200% year-over-year increase of total sales in the second quarter. Overall, in the first half of this year, our strategic focus on digital content services, online marketing services, and AI-driven subscription services has yielded significant results, with major financial indicators showing year-over-year improvement,” said Dr. Feng Zhou, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Youdao.

“Looking ahead, with our teams’ continued execution and barring unexpected market changes, we expect the business to achieve full-year positive operating income in the near future. Youdao’s strength lies in our unique ability to advance AI empowerment across business lines, combining technical strength with operational excellence. The rapid development of our online marketing and AI subscription services proves this and will continue to drive our growth. Our online courses, underpinned by high-quality content and differentiated services, are another pillar of our future growth. In the long term, the future of AI + education looks incredibly bright and we will strive to lead the charge,” Dr. Zhou concluded.

Second Quarter 2024 Financial Results

Net Revenues

Net revenues for the second quarter of 2024 were RMB1.3 billion (US$181.9 million), representing a 9.5% increase from RMB1.2 billion for the same period of 2023.

Net revenues from learning services were RMB643.8 million (US$88.6 million) for the second quarter of 2024, representing a 5.5% decrease from RMB680.9 million for the same period of 2023.

Net revenues from smart devices were RMB166.7 million (US$22.9 million) for the second quarter of 2024, representing a 25.0% decrease from RMB222.2 million for the same period of 2023, which was mainly attributable to the decreased unit price due to the change of product mix.

Net revenues from online marketing services were RMB511.2 million (US$70.3 million) for the second quarter of 2024, representing a 68.4% increase from RMB303.6 million for the same period of 2023. The year-over-year increase in revenues from online marketing services was primarily due to the increase in the sales of performance-based advertisements through third parties’ internet properties, which was driven by our continued investments in cutting-edge AI technology.

Gross Profit and Gross Margin

Gross profit for the second quarter of 2024 was RMB636.8 million (US$87.6 million), representing a 12.3% increase from RMB567.2 million for the same period of 2023. Gross margin was 48.2% for the second quarter of 2024, compared with 47.0% for the same period of 2023.

Gross margin for learning services was 60.0% for the second quarter of 2024, compared with 57.4% for the same period of 2023.

Gross margin for smart devices was 30.3% for the second quarter of 2024, compared with 35.8% for the same period of 2023. The decrease was mainly attributable to a lower revenue base of smart devices.

Gross margin for online marketing services was 39.1% for the second quarter of 2024, compared with 31.9% for the same period of 2023. The increase was mainly attributable to the improved gross margin profile of performance-based advertisements through third parties’ internet properties compared with the same period of last year.

Operating Expenses

Total operating expenses for the second quarter of 2024 were RMB709.3 million (US$97.6 million), compared with RMB856.3 million for the same period of last year.

Sales and marketing expenses for the second quarter of 2024 were RMB515.7 million (US$71.0 million), representing a decrease of 12.2% from RMB587.7 million for the same period of 2023. This decrease was attributable to the reduced marketing expenditures and outsourcing labor service fees in learning services in the second quarter of 2024.

Research and development expenses for the second quarter of 2024 were RMB153.0 million (US$21.1 million), representing a decrease of 25.4% from RMB205.1 million for the same period of 2023. The decrease was primarily due to the decreased headcount for research and development employees, leading to payroll savings in the second quarter of 2024.

General and administrative expenses for the second quarter of 2024 were RMB40.6 million (US$5.6 million), representing a decrease of 36.1% from RMB63.6 million for the same period of 2023. The decrease was primarily due to decreased expected credit losses on our accounts receivables, as well as the decreased headcount for general and administrative employees, leading to payroll savings in the second quarter of 2024.

Loss from Operations

As a result of the foregoing, loss from operations for the second quarter of 2024 was RMB72.6 million (US$10.0 million), compared with RMB289.1 million for the same period in 2023. The margin of loss from operations was 5.5%, compared with 24.0% for the same period of last year.

Net Loss Attributable to Youdao’s Ordinary Shareholders

Net loss attributable to Youdao’s ordinary shareholders for the second quarter of 2024 was RMB99.5 million (US$13.7 million), compared with RMB299.2 million for the same period of last year. Non-GAAP net loss attributable to Youdao’s ordinary shareholders for the second quarter of 2024 was RMB96.0 million (US$13.2 million), compared with RMB283.6 million for the same period of last year.

Basic and diluted net loss per American depositary share (“ADS”) attributable to ordinary shareholders for the second quarter of 2024 was RMB0.85 (US$0.12), compared with RMB2.45 for the same period of 2023. Non-GAAP basic and diluted net loss per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders was RMB0.82 (US$0.11), compared with RMB2.32 for the same period of 2023.

Other Information

As of June 30, 2024, Youdao’s cash, cash equivalents, current and non-current restricted cash, time deposits and short-term investments totaled RMB568.5 million (US$78.2 million), compared with RMB527.1 million as of December 31, 2023. For the second quarter of 2024, net cash provided by operating activities was RMB250.2 million (US$34.4 million), capital expenditures totaled RMB3.8 million (US$0.5 million). Youdao’s ability to continue as a going concern is dependent on management’s ability to implement an effective business plan amid a changing regulatory environment, generate operating cash flows, and secure external financing for future development. To support Youdao’s future business, NetEase Group has agreed to provide financial support for ongoing operations. As of June 30, 2024, Youdao has received various financial support from the NetEase Group, including, among others, RMB878.0 million short-term loans, and US$126.5 million long-term loans with maturity dated March 31, 2027 drawn down under the US$300.0 million revolving loan facility.

As of June 30, 2024, the Company’s contract liabilities, which mainly consisted of deferred revenues generated from Youdao’s learning services, were RMB1.0 billion (US$142.9 million), compared with RMB1.1 billion as of December 31, 2023.

Share Repurchase Program

On November 17, 2022, the Company announced that its board of directors had authorized the Company to adopt a share repurchase program in accordance with applicable laws and regulations for up to US$20.0 million of its Class A ordinary shares (including in the form of ADSs) during a period of up to 36 months. This amount was subsequently increased to US$40.0 million in August 2023. As of June 30, 2024, the Company had repurchased a total of approximately 7.5 million ADSs for around US$33.8 million in the open market under the share repurchase program.

Conference Call

Youdao’s management team will host a teleconference call with simultaneous webcast at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, August 22, 2024 (Beijing/Hong Kong Time: 6:00 p.m., Thursday, August 22, 2024). Youdao’s management will be on the call to discuss the financial results and answer questions.

Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:

United States (toll free):

+1-888-346-8982

International:

+1-412-902-4272

Mainland China (toll free):

400-120-1203

Hong Kong (toll free):

800-905-945

Hong Kong:

+852-3018-4992

Conference ID:

8395069

A live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company’s investor relations website at http://ir.youdao.com.

A replay of the conference call will be accessible by phone one hour after the conclusion of the live call at the following numbers, until August 29, 2024:

United States:

+1-877-344-7529

International:

+1-412-317-0088

Replay Access Code:

8395069

About Youdao, Inc.

Youdao, Inc. (NYSE: DAO) is an intelligent learning company with industry-leading technology in China dedicated to developing and using technologies to provide learning content, applications and solutions to users of all ages. Building on the popularity of its online knowledge tools such as Youdao Dictionary and Youdao Translation, Youdao now offers smart devices, STEAM courses, adult and vocational courses, and education digitalization solutions. In addition, Youdao has developed a variety of interactive learning apps. Youdao was founded in 2006 as part of NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES; HKEX: 9999), a leading internet technology company in China.

For more information, please visit: http://ir.youdao.com.

Non-GAAP Measures

Youdao considers and uses non-GAAP financial measures, such as non-GAAP net income/(loss) attributable to the Company’s ordinary shareholders and non-GAAP basic and diluted net income/(loss) per ADS, as supplemental metrics in reviewing and assessing its operating performance and formulating its business plan. The presentation of non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”).

Youdao defines non-GAAP net income/(loss) attributable to the Company’s ordinary shareholders as net income/(loss) attributable to the Company’s ordinary shareholders excluding share-based compensation expenses and impairment of long-term investments. Non-GAAP net income/(loss) attributable to the Company’s ordinary shareholders enables Youdao’s management to assess its operating results without considering the impact of these items, which are non-cash charges in nature. Youdao believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors in understanding and evaluating the Company’s current operating performance and prospects in the same manner as management does, if they so choose.

Non-GAAP financial measures are not defined under U.S. GAAP and are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools, which possibly do not reflect all items of expense that affect our operations. In addition, the non-GAAP financial measures Youdao uses may differ from the non-GAAP measures uses by other companies, including peer companies, and therefore their comparability may be limited.

For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned “Unaudited Reconciliation of GAAP and non-GAAP Results” set forth at the end of this release.

The accompanying table has more details on the reconciliation between our GAAP financial measures that are mostly directly comparable to non-GAAP financial measures. Youdao encourages you to review its financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.

Exchange Rate Information

This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars (“US$”) at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations from RMB to US$ were made at the rate of RMB7.2672 to US$1.00, the exchange rate on June 28, 2024 set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. The Company makes no representation that the RMB or US$ amounts referred could be converted into US$ or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “target,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” or other similar expressions. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual reports to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Further information regarding such risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company’s filings with the SEC. The announced results of the second quarter of 2024 are preliminary and subject to adjustments. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

In China:
Jeffrey Wang
Youdao, Inc.
Tel: +86-10-8255-8163 ext. 89980
E-mail: IR@rd.netease.com

Piacente Financial Communications
Helen Wu
Tel: +86-10-6508-0677
E-mail: youdao@thepiacentegroup.com

In the United States:
Piacente Financial Communications
Brandi Piacente
Tel: +1-212-481-2050
E-mail: youdao@thepiacentegroup.com

YOUDAO, INC.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(RMB and USD in thousands)

As of December 31,

As of June 30,

2023

2024

RMB

USD (1)

Assets

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

454,536

500,811

68,914

Time deposits

277

282

Restricted cash

395

1,719

237

Short-term investments

71,848

62,501

8,600

Accounts receivable, net

354,006

393,111

54,094

Inventories

217,067

195,726

26,933

Amounts due from NetEase Group

26,117

68,104

9,371

Prepayment and other current assets

175,705

176,881

24,340

Total current assets

1,299,951

1,399,135

192,528

Non-current assets:

Property, equipment and software, net

70,906

59,513

8,189

Operating lease right-of-use assets, net

89,022

89,252

12,281

Long-term investments

51,396

77,469

10,660

Goodwill

109,944

15,129

Other assets, net

44,976

46,196

6,357

Total non-current assets

366,244

382,374

52,616

Total assets

1,666,195

1,781,509

245,144

Liabilities, Mezzanine Equity and Shareholders’ Deficit

Current liabilities:

Accounts payables

159,005

110,644

15,225

Payroll payable

282,679

194,622

26,781

Amounts due to NetEase Group

82,430

74,164

10,205

Contract liabilities

1,052,622

1,038,676

142,927

Taxes payable

52,781

47,482

6,534

Accrued liabilities and other payables

591,770

743,511

102,310

Short-term loans from NetEase Group

878,000

120,817

Total current liabilities

3,099,287

3,087,099

424,799

Non-current liabilities:

Long-term lease liabilities

49,337

42,265

5,816

Long-term loans from NetEase Group

630,360

905,553

124,608

Other non-current liabilities

16,314

16,879

2,323

Total non-current liabilities

696,011

964,697

132,747

Total liabilities

3,795,298

4,051,796

557,546

Mezzanine equity

37,961

38,532

5,302

Shareholders’ deficit:

Youdao’s shareholders’ deficit

(2,186,736)

(2,329,034)

(320,486)

Noncontrolling interests

19,672

20,215

2,782

Total shareholders’ deficit

(2,167,064)

(2,308,819)

(317,704)

Total liabilities, mezzanine equity and shareholders’ deficit

1,666,195

1,781,509

245,144

Note 1:

The conversion of Renminbi (RMB) into United States dollars (USD) is based on the noon buying rate of USD1.00=RMB7.2672 on the last
trading day of June (June 28, 2024) as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board.

YOUDAO, INC.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(RMB and USD in thousands, except share and per ADS data)

Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended

June 30,

March 31,

June 30,

2023

2024

2023

2024

RMB

USD (1)

RMB

Net revenues:

Learning services

680,920

717,996

643,762

88,585

1,413,341

1,361,758

Smart devices

222,157

181,198

166,722

22,942

434,906

347,920

Online marketing services

303,557

492,665

511,237

70,348

521,657

1,003,902

Total net revenues

1,206,634

1,391,859

1,321,721

181,875

2,369,904

2,713,580

Cost of revenues (2)

(639,459)

(710,356)

(684,942)

(94,251)

(1,200,879)

(1,395,298)

Gross profit

567,175

681,503

636,779

87,624

1,169,025

1,318,282

Operating expenses:

Sales and marketing expenses (2)

(587,651)

(455,440)

(515,711)

(70,965)

(1,152,856)

(971,151)

Research and development expenses (2)

(205,076)

(146,723)

(152,987)

(21,052)

(387,906)

(299,710)

General and administrative expenses (2)

(63,579)

(49,416)

(40,634)

(5,591)

(113,185)

(90,050)

Total operating expenses

(856,306)

(651,579)

(709,332)

(97,608)

(1,653,947)

(1,360,911)

(Loss)/Income from operations

(289,131)

29,924

(72,553)

(9,984)

(484,922)

(42,629)

Interest income

2,154

975

917

126

4,448

1,892

Interest expense

(17,087)

(20,334)

(20,816)

(2,864)

(32,850)

(41,150)

Others, net

5,730

2,892

(909)

(125)

12,108

1,983

(Loss)/Income before tax

(298,334)

13,457

(93,361)

(12,847)

(501,216)

(79,904)

Income tax (expenses)/benefits

(4,890)

1,028

(7,053)

(970)

(8,091)

(6,025)

Net (loss)/income

(303,224)

14,485

(100,414)

(13,817)

(509,307)

(85,929)

Net loss/(income) attributable to noncontrolling interests

4,065

(2,053)

939

129

5,795

(1,114)

Net (loss)/income attributable to ordinary shareholders of the Company

(299,159)

12,432

(99,475)

(13,688)

(503,512)

(87,043)

Basic net (loss)/income per ADS

(2.45)

0.11

(0.85)

(0.12)

(4.12)

(0.74)

Diluted net (loss)/income per ADS

(2.45)

0.10

(0.85)

(0.12)

(4.12)

(0.74)

Shares used in computing basic net (loss)/income per ADS

122,247,009

118,317,220

117,173,272

122,257,874

117,745,253

Shares used in computing diluted net (loss)/income per ADS

122,247,009

118,928,848

117,173,272

122,257,874

117,745,253

Note 1:

The conversion of Renminbi (RMB) into United States dollars (USD) is based on the noon buying rate of USD1.00=RMB7.2672 on the last trading day of June (June 28, 2024)
as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board.

Note 2:

Share-based compensation in each category:

Cost of revenues

1,049

778

727

100

2,308

1,505

Sales and marketing expenses

2,416

1,136

337

3,547

1,473

Research and development expenses

5,618

3,503

939

129

10,403

4,442

General and administrative expenses

3,261

2,479

1,506

208

6,582

3,985

YOUDAO, INC.

UNAUDITED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

(RMB and USD in thousands)

Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended

June 30,

March 31,

June 30,

2023

2024

2023

2024

RMB

USD

RMB

Net revenues

Learning services

680,920

717,996

643,762

88,585

1,413,341

1,361,758

Smart devices

222,157

181,198

166,722

22,942

434,906

347,920

Online marketing services

303,557

492,665

511,237

70,348

521,657

1,003,902

Total net revenues

1,206,634

1,391,859

1,321,721

181,875

2,369,904

2,713,580

Cost of revenues

Learning services

290,155

264,759

257,482

35,431

568,280

522,241

Smart devices

142,544

122,060

116,274

16,000

271,132

238,334

Online marketing services

206,760

323,537

311,186

42,820

361,467

634,723

Total cost of revenues

639,459

710,356

684,942

94,251

1,200,879

1,395,298

Gross margin

Learning services

57.4 %

63.1 %

60.0 %

59.8 %

61.6 %

Smart devices

35.8 %

32.6 %

30.3 %

37.7 %

31.5 %

Online marketing services

31.9 %

34.3 %

39.1 %

30.7 %

36.8 %

Total gross margin

47.0 %

49.0 %

48.2 %

49.3 %

48.6 %

YOUDAO, INC.

UNAUDITED RECONCILIATION OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP RESULTS

(RMB and USD in thousands, except per ADS data)

Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended

June 30,

March 31,

June 30,

2023

2024

2023

2024

RMB

USD

RMB

Net (loss)/income attributable to ordinary shareholders of the Company

(299,159)

12,432

(99,475)

(13,688)

(503,512)

(87,043)

Add: share-based compensation

12,344

7,896

3,509

483

22,840

11,405

impairment of long-term investment

3,240

–

3,240

–

Non-GAAP net (loss)/income attributable to ordinary shareholders of the
Company

(283,575)

20,328

(95,966)

(13,205)

(477,432)

(75,638)

Non-GAAP basic net (loss)/income per ADS

(2.32)

0.17

(0.82)

(0.11)

(3.91)

(0.64)

Non-GAAP diluted net (loss)/income per ADS

(2.32)

0.17

(0.82)

(0.11)

(3.91)

(0.64)

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/youdao-reports-second-quarter-2024-unaudited-financial-results-302228349.html

SOURCE Youdao, Inc.

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Safetyfirst Systems, LLC Provides Notice of Data Security Event

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July 24, 2026

PARSIPPANY, N.J., July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Safetyfirst Systems, LLC (“SFS”) is providing notice of a data security event that may involve information relating to certain individuals. While SFS is not aware of any misuse of information associated with this event, it is providing notice to potentially affected individuals out of an abundance of caution.

On January 19, 2026, SFS identified suspicious activity involving a limited portion of its server environment. Upon discovering the activity, SFS quickly took steps to secure its systems, notified federal law enforcement, engaged leading third-party forensic specialists, and performed a detailed investigation into the nature, scope, and impact of the activity. The investigation determined that an unauthorized actor accessed and/or acquired certain files from limited SFS systems between January 16, 2026, and January 19, 2026. SFS then conducted a comprehensive review of the affected files to determine what information may have been involved and identify the individuals to whom the information relates. The review has recently concluded, and SFS is providing this notification to potentially impacted individuals out of an abundance of caution. Although the types of information vary by individual, the affected information may include names, Social Security numbers, and driver’s license numbers.

Protecting the privacy and security of the information entrusted to SFS is a responsibility the company takes very seriously. In response to this event, SFS promptly strengthened security measures, continues to enhance its technical safeguards and monitoring capabilities, and is reviewing existing policies and procedures to further protect against similar incidents in the future. SFS is also providing notice to potentially affected individuals and, where required, appropriate regulatory authorities.

Although SFS is unaware of any misuse of personal information impacted by this event, individuals are encouraged to remain vigilant against events of identity theft by reviewing account statements, explanation of benefits, and monitoring free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. Any suspicious activity should be reported to the appropriate insurance company, health care provider, or financial institution.

Individuals seeking additional information regarding this event can contact SFS’s dedicated assistance line at 1-833-289-5523 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Individuals may also write to SFS at PO Box 101, 3299 US Highway 46, Parsippany, NJ 07054-9998.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/safetyfirst-systems-llc-provides-notice-of-data-security-event-302831894.html

SOURCE Safetyfirst Systems, LLC

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Sunrate and Mastercard Release White Paper on Agentic AI and the Future of B2B Global Payments

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SHANGHAI, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Sunrate, the global payment and treasury management platform, and Mastercard, a global technology company in the payments industry, unveiled a joint white paper, Beyond Automation: Defining Agentic Global Payments, at the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC).

Among the first reports in the payments industry to examine the impact of Agentic AI on B2B cross-border payments, the white paper provides a comprehensive framework for understanding how AI agents are reshaping enterprise payment operations. It proposes that cross-border payments are evolving beyond digitisation and automation into a new stage: Autonomy—where AI agents with reasoning, planning, and execution capabilities can independently orchestrate and optimise end-to-end payment and treasury workflows within defined governance frameworks.

As businesses expand across borders, B2B cross-border payments continue to be constrained by fragmented workflows, disconnected systems, foreign exchange inefficiencies, rising compliance requirements, and complex reconciliation processes. While traditional automation improves individual tasks, the white paper demonstrates that Agentic AI represents a fundamental shift by enabling intelligent agents to coordinate entire payment journeys across systems, counterparties, and approval workflows.

Drawing on Sunrate’s global payment infrastructure and AI-native product capabilities, together with Mastercard’s expertise in secure payment networks and data intelligence, the white paper defines Agentic Global Payments — a new category of AI-native global payment infrastructure built to automate and manage complex enterprise workflows.

The report identifies 16 major pain points across the B2B payment lifecycle and outlines 13 high-value AI use cases spanning supplier onboarding, accounts payable and receivable, virtual commercial cards, payment routing, foreign exchange management, compliance screening, fraud detection, reconciliation, and conversational operational support. It also demonstrates how AI agents can automate complex workflows—from extracting information across multiple document formats and conducting compliance checks to initiating payments, optimising FX execution, and completing reconciliation—while operating within enterprise governance and control frameworks.

The white paper further highlights that trusted adoption of agentic payments depends on more than technological capability. It identifies governance, transparency, security, and ecosystem collaboration as essential foundations for enterprise deployment, supported by frameworks such as Know Your Agent (KYA), payment tokenisation, auditability, and cross-industry interoperability.

Sunrate.AI portfolio currently includes the Payment Agent, FX Agent, Compliance Agent, Onboarding Agent, and Chat Agent, designed to help enterprises automate and optimise critical payment and treasury processes while maintaining compliance and operational control.

Mastercard has also been actively building the foundations for trusted agentic commerce – combining AI capabilities with verifiable authorisation, clear accountability and proven payments security. Its work in this area, including Agent Pay (alongside Agent Pay for Machines) and Verifiable Intent, are proof points in how Mastercard is enabling AI to participate in commerce safely and transparently.

“Our mission is to make global payments seamless, compliant, and intelligent,” said Paul Meng, Co-founder and CEO of Sunrate. “As businesses continue expanding internationally, AI agents will fundamentally reshape how enterprises manage global payments—enabling smoother capital flows, reducing operational friction, and embedding real-time intelligence into every payment decision. This white paper represents an important step in helping the industry understand how Agentic AI can be deployed responsibly at enterprise scale.”

“Agentic commerce is changing how businesses make and execute payment decisions, but speed without accountability creates new categories of risk,” said Anouska Ladds, Executive Vice President, Commercial & New Payment Flows, Asia Pacific, Mastercard. “As AI starts to act on behalf of businesses, autonomous payment decisions need a clear, auditable chain of identity, intent and action. That’s what allows organisations to delegate with genuine confidence — and what will determine whether agentic commerce scales past pilots.”

Released under WAIC 2026’s theme, “Intelligent Partners, Co-creating the Future,” the white paper provides business leaders with practical guidance on adopting AI-driven payment capabilities, covering implementation approaches, governance considerations, and real-world enterprise applications.

By combining Sunrate’s expertise in global payments and treasury management with Mastercard’s trusted payment infrastructure and network capabilities, the collaboration reflects a shared commitment to accelerating the next generation of intelligent, secure, and autonomous B2B global payments.

Click here to check the white paper.

About Sunrate

Sunrate is a leading global payment and treasury management platform for businesses worldwide. Founded in 2016, Sunrate has enabled companies to operate and scale both locally and globally in 190+ countries and regions with its cutting-edge infrastructure, global network, and unified solutions.

Sunrate operates through offices across key markets, including Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and London. The company partners with the top global financial institutions, such as Citibank, Standard Chartered, Barclays, J.P. Morgan. Sunrate is also the principal member of Mastercard and Visa. To learn more about Sunrate, visit https://www.sunrate.com/.

About Mastercard

Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re building a resilient economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.

www.mastercard.com

SOURCE Sunrate

Technology

JAMS Launches AI for Enterprise Job Scheduling: JAX and JAMS MCP

Published

51 minutes ago

July 24, 2026

A new AI agent and an open-standard connector let IT teams query, diagnose, and manage automation in plain language, on the model they choose, with operational data able to stay onshore inside their own network

SYDNEY, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — JAMS Software, an orchestration solution for scheduled and event-driven automation, today announced the general availability of two AI capabilities for enterprise job scheduling: JAX, an AI agent built into the JAMS Web Client, and JAMS MCP, a connector built on the open Model Context Protocol standard that brings JAMS into external AI coding tools. Both capabilities ship at no additional cost as part of JAMS Web.

Automation environments grow faster than the teams that run them. Jobs multiply across SQL Server, Azure Data Factory, Airflow, SAP, JDE, and Banner, and when one fails, finding the root cause often means searching several consoles at once, frequently outside business hours. At the same time, IT leaders carry pressure to adopt AI while staying accountable for where operational data goes. JAX and JAMS MCP close both gaps together.

Full details on how JAX and JAMS MCP work, including the control model behind every action, are available at jamsscheduler.com/product/ai.

JAX is an AI agent that runs inside the JAMS Web Client. It finds jobs, troubleshoots failures, and answers how-to questions in plain language, with each response grounded in the JAMS user guide and checked against a built-in glossary. JAX acts only when a user asks it to. Reads flow freely, and every write action pauses for the user’s explicit approval before it runs. JAX does not learn between sessions, and conversations are not retained on the server.

JAMS MCP is a connector, built on the open Model Context Protocol standard, that brings JAMS into the AI tools engineering teams already use, including Cursor, VS Code with Copilot, Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and Codex. Users query jobs, investigate failures, and manage runs in plain language without leaving their tool.

Both capabilities run inside the customer’s own network and act as the signed-in user, with that user’s exact JAMS permissions. There is no elevated AI account: whatever a user cannot do in the JAMS interface, JAX and JAMS MCP cannot do on that user’s behalf. Every JAX and MCP operation is recorded in its own dedicated log, and changes made through the JAMS API land in the JAMS audit trail like any other change. Customers choose their own AI model, whether a commercial provider such as OpenAI or Anthropic or a model running entirely on their own hardware, and JAMS never trains on customer data. In the current release, neither feature edits or deletes a job, folder, schedule, or agent definition. For teams that need operational data to stay onshore, JAX runs on a local model entirely inside the customer’s own network, so nothing leaves at all.

“Adopting AI usually means giving something up, most often visibility into where your data goes,” said Pete Hegland, Chief Executive Officer of JAMS Software. “We built JAX and JAMS MCP so that trade does not have to happen. Every action runs as the signed-in user, every change waits for approval, and the model can run on the customer’s own hardware, keeping operational data onshore.”

“For teams across Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore, two things matter: keeping data onshore, and getting answers when a job fails after hours,” said Shayne Cooper, Account Executive for APAC at JAMS Software. “JAX and JAMS MCP address both. The model can run on the customer’s own hardware, and the answer arrives in plain language at the moment it is needed.”

JAX and JAMS MCP are available now to all JAMS Web customers across Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore, with no separate licence, SKU, or additional cost. AI-assisted creation of new jobs and workflows from a plain-language description is on the roadmap for a future release, gated by the same approvals and permissions as every other action.

Learn how JAX and JAMS MCP work at https://jamsscheduler.com/product/ai.

Fast facts

JAX is an AI agent built into the JAMS Web Client for job scheduling and workflow automation.JAMS MCP is a connector built on the open Model Context Protocol standard, for Cursor, VS Code with Copilot, Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and Codex.Both act as the signed-in user, with that user’s exact JAMS permissions, and there is no elevated AI account.Customers choose the AI model, including a local model that runs entirely inside their own network.JAMS never trains on customer data.Both are available now at no additional cost as part of JAMS Web.

About JAMS Software
Founded in 1987, JAMS Software is an orchestration solution that helps IT teams centralize, automate, and manage scheduled and event-driven jobs across complex, hybrid environments. Over 850 customers rely on JAMS to run their automated workloads. JAMS Software, LLC is headquartered at 108 Patriot Drive, Suite A, Middletown, DE 19709.

Media Contact
Bobby Schmidt, Vice President of Marketing
press@jamssoftware.com
800.261.4267

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SOURCE JAMS Software