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Drake Software Expands Native AI Features for Tax Year 2026

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AI-powered tax document extraction, reimagined client intake and an in-workflow Assistant help tax professionals spend less time on manual work and more time with clients.

FRANKLIN, N.C., Nov. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — This upcoming season, Drake Software®, a leader in professional tax preparation software, is putting more native AI capabilities to work right in the software that more than 70,000 tax professionals know and trust. With Drake SmartExtract™ (beta), a reimagined Drake Portals® experience and an AI Assistant built into Drake Tax® and Drake Tax Online®, preparers can reduce repetitive work and focus more of their time on their clients.

Developed by Drake in conjunction with its customers, these AI capabilities integrate natively with Drake’s tax preparation workflows and wider product suite. They are designed to help professionals move quickly to turn client documents into populated return fields and allow them to get answers instantly while working in a return, with the preparer firmly in control of all tax review and filing decisions.

“Tax professionals want time back during their busiest months, and they want technology they can trust,” said Noha Ghazouani, Vice President of Product Management at Drake Software. “We’re thoughtfully integrating AI into the familiar Drake workflows they already rely on, making it easier to get help with everyday tasks while keeping tax professionals in control. It’s about supporting their expertise, reducing manual work, and giving them more time to focus on their clients.”

Drake SmartExtract turns client tax documents into return-ready data

Drake SmartExtract applies AI to one of tax preparation’s most time-consuming tasks: moving information from client tax documents into a return. Available in beta for Drake Tax® and Drake Tax Online®, Drake SmartExtract extracts data from supported documents and maps it to the corresponding return fields. Preparers can review and adjust extracted information before adding it to the return, reducing manual rekeying.

Drake SmartExtract will be available for purchase in December at $5 per return, with package pricing as low as $1.50 per return when customers purchase 100 or more returns. Pricing is subject to change. Visit our website for more information.

Supported documents include Forms W-2 and 1098; Forms 1099-B, 1099-DA, 1099-DIV, 1099-INT, 1099-K, 1099-MISC, 1099-NEC and 1099-R; Consolidated 1099 statements; and Schedule K-1 (Form 1065).

For Tax Year 2026, planned form expansion includes Forms 1095-A, 1095-B, 1095-C, 1098-E, 1098-T, 1099-C, 1099-G, 1099-Q, 1099-S, 1099-SA, SSA-1099, W-2G, 5498-SA and 5498 for IRA contributions. Planned expansion also includes additional Schedule K-1 data for Forms 1065, 1041 and 1120-S, including related supplemental statements.

Planned Drake SmartExtract enhancements for Tax Year 2026 include deeper integration with Drake Portals and Drake Workflow. These enhancements will help firms move client documents through preparation more seamlessly, focus review on items that need attention, and identify returns that are ready for preparers.

A reimagined Drake Portals experience simplifies client intake

Drake Portals provides the secure, client-facing starting point for tax preparation. Redesigned for 2026, it makes it easier for clients to upload tax documents, complete requests and communicate securely with their preparer. Its AI-powered document ingestion recognizes and then categorizes supported tax documents and connects them to the appropriate checklist items, reducing the time staff spend sorting through files and tracking what has arrived.

The newly launched Guided Organizer™ helps practices onboard clients with customizable questions and personalized document checklists. Preparers can use a client’s prior-year return to help tailor the intake experience, making it clearer what the client needs to provide.

Together with Drake SmartExtract in supported Drake workflows, Portals seamlessly connects document collection with tax preparation: clients upload their documents securely, AI helps organize them, and Drake SmartExtract extracts supported tax data for preparer review and direct population into the return.

An AI Assistant answers questions within the return workflow

The all-new AI Assistant is built directly into the return preparation workflow in Drake Tax and Drake Tax Online, where preparers can ask questions in natural-language chat. Using the screen they’re viewing and information from the return, it answers tax questions, explains forms and alerts, clarifies how amounts were calculated, and suggests next steps. Preparers can get relevant guidance while continuing their work in Drake. A side-by-side view keeps the Assistant and the return visible together, so preparers can review guidance alongside their work without switching screens.

“Our focus is helping preparers accomplish more this season with the Drake software they already rely on,” said Ghazouani. “These capabilities reduce manual work while keeping tax professionals in charge of the return and the client relationship.”

Preparers should verify AI-assisted information against source documents and apply professional judgment before use.

Feature availability, supported documents, beta terms and pricing vary by product and release.

Explore these AI-powered features across Drake products under Drake Intelligence.

About Drake Software

Founded in 1977, Drake Software provides award-winning tax preparation software that helps tax professionals serve their clients with confidence. Its growing portfolio connects tax preparation with client intake, document sharing, signatures, payments and post-filing support, helping firms work more efficiently.

Media Contact

Colleen Woods Heikka
Sr. Director, Product Marketing
Colleen.woods@Taxact.com
+1-781-588-6339

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SOURCE Drake Software, LLC

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Hexagon Composites ASA: Third quarter 2026

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OSLO, Norway, Nov. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Hexagon Composites (OSE: HEX.OL), world leader in composite cylinder technology and related systems for storage and transportation of gaseous energy, reported revenues of NOK 929 million for third quarter 2026 (Q3’25: 538 million). The reported EBITDA was NOK 108 million (Q3’25: NOK -54 million), resulting in a 12% EBITDA margin (Q3’25: -10%).

“This quarter marks a significant step-up year-over-year, delivering our strongest quarterly performance since the record fourth quarter of 2024,” said Philipp Schramm, CEO of Hexagon Composites. “Over the past year, we have built a stronger foundation for our next phase of growth. We have entered new regions, consolidated markets and delivered into exciting new verticals such as aerospace and data centers. Alongside this important progress, we have also improved our financial strength, with a strong free cash flow conversion, and are well on track to deliver on our full-year targets.”

Outlook

Based on the progress delivered during the first three quarters of the year, the strengthening of our financial position, and normalizing demand in our key markets, we reconfirm our full-year EBITDA guidance of around NOK 300 million, with confidence in delivering toward the high side.

For further details, please see the attached third quarter 2026 report and presentation.

Presentation of the results today at 08:30 am CET
Philipp Schramm, CEO, and Eirik Løhre, CFO, will present the results at 08:30 am CET today, broadcasted live via this link.

The presentation of the results will be a virtual event, followed by a Q&A session. The quarterly report, presentation, and webcast recording will be made available at www.hexagongroup.com.

For more information:
Emily Cherry, Senior Communications & Investor Relations Manager, Hexagon Composites
Telephone: +47 480 90 239 I emily.cherry@hexagongroup.com

Berit-Cathrin Høyvik, Senior Director, Communications & Corporate Affairs, Hexagon Composites
Telephone: +47 988 92 161 | berit-cathrin.hoyvik@hexagongroup.com

About Hexagon Composites ASA

Hexagon delivers safe and innovative solutions for a cleaner energy future. Our solutions enable storage, transportation, and conversion to clean energy in a wide range of mobility and industrial applications. Learn more at www.hexagongroup.com and follow @HexagonASA on LinkedIn.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/hexagon-composites-asa/r/hexagon-composites-asa–third-quarter-2026,c4420876

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Zhejiang aims to be highland of AI innovation

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BEIJING, Nov. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ –A news report from China Daily:

The 2026 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit concluded on Thursday after a four-day run. Beyond Wuzhen, a profound transformation driven by artificial intelligence is underway in Zhejiang’s workshops, laboratories and daily life. Building on years of efforts to deepen the Digital Zhejiang initiative, the province is aiming to become a hub of AI innovation.

In the first eight months, revenue of enterprises above designated size in Zhejiang’s core AI industry reached 582.87 billion yuan ($87.2 billion), up 26.9 percent year-on-year. The number of core industry enterprises rose to 2,112, forming a full industry-chain layout spanning chips, large models, intelligent agents and application services.

Computing power is one of the key infrastructure pillars of Zhejiang’s AI development. At a sock factory workshop in Zhuji, a designer can generate 20 original patterns within three minutes. In Yiwu, traders rely on an AI computing platform to produce high-definition product images and marketing short videos with a single click.

Powering these AI application scenarios is a province-wide integrated computing network built by China Mobile’s Zhejiang branch.

As of the end of September, Zhejiang’s total computing power reached 197 EFLOPS (short for ExaFLOPS, a unit of computing performance that quantifies the number of floating-point operations a computer can perform per second), ranking among the highest in the country. Of this, 54 enterprises and institutions in the province received national computing-power vouchers totaling 408 million yuan, accounting for 37 percent of the national total.

“As the Hangzhou and Jiashan intelligent computing centers are put into operation, Zhejiang can achieve millisecond-level access to computing, integrated computing-network scheduling and one-stop security assurance,” said Qiu Xiaoyuan, a manager at China Mobile’s Zhejiang branch.

Large models are another key factor to the game. With the Qwen and DeepSeek large models iterating continuously, Zhejiang’s model ecosystem aims to take the leading position.

In the 2026 government work report of Zhejiang, the province proposed the goal of gaining a leading position in AI development and striving to build a high-quality open-source ecosystem. Open source has been listed as one of the core levers of the province’s AI strategy.

Located in Xihu district, Hangzhou, the ModelScope community is among China’s largest AI open-source communities. Online, it brings together more than 29 million AI developers and more than 200,000 models worldwide, lowering the threshold for AI-related innovation.

Chen Tianrun, born after 2000, is a doctoral student at Zhejiang University and founder of Moxin Technology, which independently developed MoWorld, a real-time interactive world model built entirely on domestic neural processing units. An NPU is a specialized computer microprocessor designed to mimic the processing function of the human brain.

“The relationship between AI and humans is not about AI replacing humans, but about AI and humans working together to do more to raise productivity,” Chen said.

Backed by new production factors such as computing power, models and data, Zhejiang is breaking through its natural-resource constraints to become a trendsetter in innovation.

The Zhejiang provincial government hosted a series of major events during the 2026 WIC Wuzhen Summit, featuring interactive experiences and surprises.

On Monday, at the Light of Internet Expo, a signature event of the WIC Wuzhen Summit, more than 30 embodied-intelligence robots — from companies such as AgiBot, UBTech, Unitree and Zhongke Fifth Era — brought visitors to the world of perceptual intelligence.

Among them, the world’s first bipedal humanoid robot capable of playing badminton with humans autonomously became the centerpiece. The robot has also mastered table tennis; the faster the ball travels, the faster it reacts.

The Global Internet Competition of “Straight to Wuzhen” is another highlight event of the WIC Wuzhen Summit. Since registration opened in June, it has attracted 1,347 projects and one-person company entries from 31 countries and regions.

The Digital Economy Industrial Cooperation Conference held on Wednesday was a signature event of the Wuzhen Summit’s permanent venue. Over the past three years, annual signings of digital economy industrial projects at the event have each exceeded 100 billion yuan.

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SOURCE China Daily

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Broadridge’s Distributed Ledger Repo Processes $7.6 Trillion in October

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October 2026 ADV reaches $345 billion as Broadridge continues to advance institutional tokenization infrastructure

NEW YORK, Nov. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Broadridge (NYSE: BR), global Fintech leader, today announced that its Distributed Ledger Repo (DLR) processed an average of $345 billion in daily repo transactions during October, with volumes totaling $7.6 trillion. The total settled volume reflects the continued scale of tokenized securities financing activity as Broadridge expands its digital asset infrastructure through its recently launched DLX platform.

“DLR has laid the groundwork for the next phase of tokenization, as institutions increasingly shift their focus from exploring initial digital assets use cases to scaling these capabilities across their businesses,” said Horacio Barakat, Global Head of Digital Innovation at Broadridge. “In 2027, we anticipate further integration of tokenized assets into everyday financial market operations, helping institutions unlock efficiencies across the asset lifecycle. Through DLR and our broader DLX platform, we’re focused on making these capabilities more accessible and practical for financial institutions.”

Building on DLR’s proven infrastructure and institutional experience, DLX extends Broadridge’s tokenization capabilities beyond securities financing into a broader range of assets and workflows, spanning issuance, trading, settlement, servicing and distribution. Together, DLR and DLX equip financial institutions with the trusted, resilient technology and operational controls needed to integrate tokenized assets into existing market operations, helping bridge traditional and digital markets while reducing complexity.

To learn more about DLR, the world’s largest institutional platform for settling tokenized real assets, visit Broadridge’s DLR.

About Broadridge’s Tokenization Solutions

Broadridge is building the governance layer for tokenized equities, ensuring investors have access to trusted, institutional-grade governance as securities move on-chain. Through proxy voting, investor communications, disclosures, and corporate actions, Broadridge helps investors exercise their ownership rights across tokenized and traditional holdings, including across issuer-sponsored and third-party tokenization models. 

Broadridge connects traditional and digital finance with the trusted infrastructure institutions need to put tokenization to work. DLX, its multi-chain digital asset platform, brings together capabilities across issuance, distribution, trading, financing, settlement, custody, and asset servicing. DLX builds on the production experience of Broadridge’s Distributed Ledger Repo (DLR) solution, the world’s largest institutional platform for settling tokenized real assets, tokenizing more than $345 billion of repo’s a day. 

Through its integrated platform and connected partner ecosystem, Broadridge helps issuers, banks, broker-dealers, asset managers, and wealth firms bring tokenized investments to market, mobilize collateral, and connect investors to new opportunities through existing systems and workflows. By orchestrating the ecosystem rather than requiring clients to rebuild it, Broadridge helps firms manage complexity and scale across traditional and on-chain markets. 

About Broadridge

Broadridge is a global technology leader with trusted expertise and transformative technology, helping clients and the financial services industry operate, innovate, and grow. Broadridge powers investing, governance, and communications for clients – driving operational resiliency, elevating business performance, and transforming investor experiences.

Broadridge’s technology and operations platforms process and generate over 8 billion communications annually and underpin the daily average trading of over $18 trillion in tokenized and traditional securities globally. A certified Great Place to Work®, Broadridge is part of the S&P 500® Index, employing approximately 16,000 associates in 28 countries.

For more information about us, please visit www.broadridge.com.

Broadridge Contacts:

Investors: 
broadridgeir@broadridge.com  

Media:
Gregg.Rosenberg@broadridge.com

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SOURCE Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.

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