GUANGZHOU, China, Nov. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — This is a news report from South.

Guangdong and Singapore are nearly 2,700 kilometers apart, but the two places have long been intertwined.

“Guangdong has been Singapore’s top provincial trading partner for 36 years for a reason,” says Mr. Ong Ye Kung, Singapore Minister for Health and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, as well as Co-Chair of the Singapore-Guangdong Collaboration Council.

This year, the partnership takes on added significance as Shenzhen prepares to host the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting. This serves as a timely reminder that bilateral ties are part of a wider regional vision.

The vision is already taking shape on the ground. In Singapore’s Punggol district, autonomous robotaxis developed by WeRide, a Guangzhou-based company, are ferrying residents along three routes that connect shopping malls, housing estates and a polyclinic.

“We are complementing the public transport service to improve connectivity and provide better transportation alternatives for local residents,” says Kerry Xu, General Manager of WeRide Singapore. The company plans to deploy thousands of robotaxis across Southeast Asia in the coming years.

Midea, another major company from Guangdong, is providing centralized cooling solutions for Singapore’s public housing. This approach eliminates the need for bulky outdoor units and helps save energy. “The market pushes us to keep improving. It’s a true two-way exchange,” says Adam Yu, the company’s regional director for Singapore and Malaysia.

The flow goes both ways. Lion TCR, a Singapore-born biotech company, set up operations in the Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City and completed a 300-million-yuan Series B financing round through the Guangdong-Singapore Cooperation Council platform.

“It offers a practical, workable mechanism to help Singaporean companies establish a presence in Guangzhou,” says Dr. Peng Xiaoming, Lion TCR’s CEO.

For Tanny Kong, a Singaporean who studied traditional Chinese medicine in Guangzhou for eight years, the connection is personal. “I’ve brought many habits from Guangzhou back with me,” she says. “When I see Singaporean touches in Guangdong, I suddenly feel a sense of familiarity.”

“Collaboration is like that. You go through good times, you go through bad times, and during good times, let’s have win-win cooperation. During bad times, let’s help out each other and try to pull through difficult times. Good times will, if you are patient, if you work together, good times will come again.” says Ong. With the APEC meeting in Shenzhen on the horizon, this message carries a new resonance for the entire region.

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SOURCE South

AI-driven efficiency and an outcome-based model keep gross profit growing faster than OPEX, driving margin expansion

Highlights and achievements of Q3 FY26

Revenue reached a record JPY 13.9 billion, up 21.8% YoY, with organic growth of 27.1% YoY beating the above-25% guidance.Gross profit rose 38.0% YoY to a record JPY 8.5 billion. Gross margin reached an all-time high of 61.3%, up 7.2 p.p. YoY and up from 60.1% in Q2.Operating income more than doubled to a record JPY 2.1 billion, up 104.7% YoY, substantially beating Q3 guidance. Operating margin expanded 6.2 p.p. YoY to 15.2%.Organic growth was led by US & EMEA, up 49% YoY, and NEA, up 33% YoY, with growth momentum across the E-Commerce and Online Travel verticals.Core FCF reached JPY 1.9 billion, up 501.3% YoY with a 13.5% margin, keeping FY26 on track for the first positive full-year core FCF.Backed by 9M outperformance and a positive Q4 outlook, raised FY26 guidance for the second consecutive quarter — gross profit to JPY 31.9 billion (58.6% margin), operating income to JPY 5.9 billion (up 97% YoY) and net income to JPY 5.0 billion (up 95% YoY) — and lifted the dividend forecast to JPY 2.50 per share on improved core free cash flow.

Sustained Organic Growth and Record Gross Margin Lift Profitability to New Highs

TOKYO, Nov. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Appier Group, Inc. (TSE: 4180, “Appier“), an Agentic AI-native company delivering AI as a Service for enterprise marketing, today announced its Q3 2026 financial results. Revenue reached a record JPY 13.9 billion, up 21.8% YoY, while organic revenue grew 27.1% YoY to JPY 13.4 billion, ahead of the above-25% guidance. Gross profit rose 38.0% YoY to a record JPY 8.5 billion, and gross margin reached an all-time high of 61.3%, up 7.2 p.p. YoY. Continuous agentic engineering increased R&D efficiency, while more differentiated algorithms improved customer ROI.

Growth was led by Appier’s core regions and verticals. Organic revenue grew 49% YoY in US & EMEA (21% of revenue) on enterprise wins in E-Commerce and Online Travel, and 33% in NEA (71% of revenue) on strong Ad Cloud momentum. E-Commerce grew over 40% YoY, and Other Internet Services, including Online Travel, grew over 30% YoY.

Agentic AI adoption lifted quarterly gross profit per employee 45% YoY to a record JPY 11.3 million. Customers grew 12% YoY, and quarterly average revenue per customer (ARPC) rose 10% on an FX-neutral basis to a record JPY 5.7 million for organic business, driven by a growing mix of high-value enterprise accounts.

Operating Leverage Doubles Operating Income and Lifts Core Free Cash Flow Sixfold

Operating income rose 104.7% YoY to a record JPY 2.1 billion, well above Q3 guidance, with operating margin up 6.2 p.p. to 15.2%. OPEX-to-Gross profit Ratio has declined steadily over the past three years, as AI-driven productivity compounds across the business. The trend continued in Q3: gross profit grew 38% YoY against OPEX growth of 26%, bringing the ratio down to 78%, the lowest on record. R&D investment remained steady despite FX headwinds, with the improvement driven by operational efficiency rather than reduced investment. Focused R&D investment in AI accelerated algorithm gains and client ROI, supporting revenue and gross margin expansion.

Core free cash flow grew sixfold YoY to JPY 1.9 billion, with a 13.5% margin, on strong profitability and improved cash management. 9M core free cash flow turned positive at JPY 1.25 billion, keeping FY26 on track for positive full-year core free cash flow to self-fund growth and shareholder returns.

Appier Raises FY26 Profit Guidance and Dividend as Organic Momentum Carries into Q4

Backed by strong organic growth, expanding profit and core free cash flow in 9M FY26, as well as a positive Q4 outlook, Appier raised its FY26 guidance for the second consecutive quarter, with gross profit to JPY 31.9 billion (58.6% margin), operating income to JPY 5.9 billion, up 97% YoY and net income to JPY 5.0 billion, up 95% YoY, and increased its dividend forecast to JPY 2.50 per share. Additionally, Q4 revenue is projected at JPY 15.2-15.6 billion, anchored by expected organic revenue of approximately JPY 14.9 billion, up approximately 25% YoY, with operating income of JPY 2.1-2.3 billion, reflecting sustained organic momentum and continued operating leverage.

“AI should be measured by the returns it creates, both for our clients and for our business performance,” said Dr. Chih-Han Yu, CEO and Co-founder of Appier. “Our AI technology earns its place by growing our clients’ business, and those partnerships deepen as the value compounds. When our clients win, we win — a capital-light AI cycle that funds itself, and the reason we raised our full-year profit guidance again.”

Disciplined Capital Allocation Fuels a Self-Funding Growth Cycle and Shareholder Value

Appier deploys its core free cash flow with discipline to maximize long-term shareholder value. Its R&D investment focuses on vertical AI for marketing and agentic engineering to sharpen client ROI and accelerate next-generation models. Its go-to-market efforts continue to strengthen Ad Cloud momentum and enterprise AI adoption, with new wins in NEA and expansion across the US & EMEA, including early traction in Turkey. As cash generation rises, so does Appier’s capacity for shareholder returns, including a dividend forecast to increase to JPY 2.50 per share and opportunistic share buybacks.

Focused R&D sharpens prediction accuracy and lowers unit compute costs. Better predictions deliver higher ROAS, so clients scale their spend, creating the capacity to expand margins and core free cash flow. That cash generation can, in turn, fund the next round of investment and shareholder returns.

About Appier

Appier (TSE: 4180) is an AI-native Agentic AI as a Service (AaaS) company that empowers business decision-making with cutting-edge AdTech and MarTech solutions. Founded in 2012 with the vision of “Making AI Easy by making software intelligent,” Appier endeavors to help businesses turn AI into ROI with its Agentic Advertising and Marketing Platforms. Appier now has 17 offices across APAC, the US and EMEA, and is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Visit www.appier.com for more company information and ir.appier.com/en for more investor relations information.

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SOURCE Appier

SYDNEY and SINGAPORE, Nov. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — UQPAY has secured Visa Associate Membership in Australia, marking an important milestone in its collaboration with Visa and expansion across Asia-Pacific. The approval provides a foundation for extending its card-issuing capabilities in Australia, complementing existing financial services and supporting the evolving needs of businesses operating across borders.

As a major financial and commercial market with a well-established regulatory framework, Australia plays a key role in UQPAY’s regional strategy. This milestone represents further progress in the company’s development of financial infrastructure connected to international card schemes, creating new opportunities to build on its established local account services.

Connecting Account Services with Card Payments

UQPAY currently offers Unified Money Account (UMA) services in Australia, enabling businesses to manage funds across multiple currencies. For companies operating internationally, effective multi-currency fund management goes beyond holding balances. It also involves currency conversion, supplier payments, and day-to-day expenses, often requiring different methods depending on the transaction and recipient.

Building on its existing account, foreign exchange, and cross-border transfer services, UQPAY plans to introduce additional card payment functionality in Australia. While UMA supports multi-currency fund management and international transfers facilitate business payments, cards would provide another option for spending at participating merchants. Together, these offerings aim to give companies greater flexibility in managing funds and meeting operational needs.

By connecting account-based payment services and card-issuing capabilities, UQPAY aims to deliver a more comprehensive, integrated payment offering that brings financial management and business spending closer together. The development and availability of new services will remain subject to applicable regulatory requirements, Visa rules, and necessary approvals, with further details to be announced through official channels.

Supporting Regional Growth Through Strong Governance

UQPAY continues to invest in corporate governance, regulatory compliance, risk management, and system security. As the company expands its presence across Asia-Pacific, these priorities will remain central to product development and daily operations, supporting sustainable regional growth.

“Australia is an important market in our Asia-Pacific strategy. Securing Visa Associate Membership further strengthens the foundation for our collaboration with Visa in Australia. We will continue to enhance connectivity across regional payment networks and develop stronger infrastructure to support businesses operating across borders,” said Dr. Jack Li, Founder and CEO of UQPAY Group.

Looking ahead, UQPAY will focus on connecting its global account, foreign exchange, and international transfer services with planned card payment capabilities. This approach aims to bring fund management and business spending closer together, supporting companies operating across Asia-Pacific and global markets.

About UQPAY

UQPAY Group is a global fintech group headquartered in Singapore, focused on building borderless payment infrastructure for the next generation of the digital economy. Its business ecosystem spans full-stack digital payments, Payment Software-as-a-Service, and fintech venture building. Leveraging its global financial and payment licensing footprint, as well as direct financial infrastructure connectivity with leading international banks and global card schemes, UQPAY provides businesses with efficient, compliant, programmable, and scalable global payment services, helping clients connect with global markets, manage cross-border funds, and unlock growth potential in the digital economy.

Media Contact
UQPAY Group Marketing Team
Email: marketing@uqpay.com
Website: https://www.uqpay.com/en

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SOURCE UQPAY