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IAS Reports First Quarter 2025 Financial Results

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Total revenue increased 17% to $134.1 million

Net income of $8.0 million at a 6% margin; adjusted EBITDA of $41.5 million at a 31% margin 

Raises midpoint of full-year revenue and adjusted EBITDA outlook

NEW YORK, May 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Integral Ad Science (Nasdaq: IAS), a leading global media measurement and optimization platform, today announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025.

“We exceeded our expectations for the first quarter with 17% revenue growth highlighted by a 24% increase in optimization revenue and a 33% increase in publisher revenue,” said Lisa Utzschneider, CEO of IAS. “IAS is an AI-first company. We empower global marketers to optimize their digital investments and realize their target outcomes with our advanced technology. We are executing on our strategy as we prioritize performance, product innovation, and global reach. We are raising the midpoint of our full-year financial outlook to reflect our strong first quarter performance.”

First Quarter 2025 Financial Highlights

Total revenue was $134.1 million, a 17% increase compared to $114.5 million in the prior-year period.Optimization revenue was $64.8 million, a 24% increase compared to $52.5 million in the prior-year period.Measurement revenue was $48.4 million, a 4% increase compared to $46.3 million in the prior-year period.Publisher revenue was $20.9 million, a 33% increase compared to $15.8 million in the prior-year period.International revenue, excluding the Americas, was $42.7 million, an 18% increase compared to $36.0 million in the prior-year period, or 32% of total revenue for the first quarter of 2025.Gross profit was $103.9 million, an 18% increase compared to $88.4 million in the prior-year period. Gross profit margin was 78% for the first quarter of 2025.Net income was $8.0 million, or $0.05 per basic and diluted share, compared to a net loss of $1.3 million, or $0.01 per basic and diluted share, in the prior-year-period. Net income margin was 6% for the first quarter of 2025.Adjusted EBITDA* was $41.5 million compared to $33.1 million in the prior-year period. Adjusted EBITDA* margin was 31% for the first quarter of 2025.Cash and cash equivalents were $59.1 million at March 31, 2025.

Recent Business Highlights 

TikTok Social Optimization Expansion – In April, IAS announced an expansion of Social Optimization for TikTok to include pre-bid Video Level Exclusion Lists. Paired with TikTok’s Inventory Filter, advertisers applying pre-bid Video Level Exclusion Lists benefit from pre-bid granular exclusions, powered by IAS’s multimedia technology and based on brand-specific needs.Reddit Total Media Quality (TMQ) Expansion – In April, IAS announced the expansion of its partnership with Reddit to include Viewability and Invalid Traffic Measurement, as part of IAS’s TMQ for Reddit. This expansion builds on IAS’s earlier integration with Reddit to provide brand safety and suitability measurement.Google Search Partner Network (SPN) Expansion – In May, IAS announced the launch of IAS’s Pre-Screen brand safety solution for SPN. With this launch, IAS will provide advertisers with additional control over their investments before their ads are shown across the network.Spotify Podcast Tools – In May, IAS announced with Spotify the launch of new brand safety and suitability targeting and measurement tools for podcast advertisers for the Spotify Audience Network.Nextdoor Pre-Bid Partnership – In May, IAS announced a strategic first-to-market partnership with Nextdoor. IAS will now power Nextdoor’s first-party brand safety tool as a provider of pre-bid brand safety and suitability optimization on the platform.Roblox Measurement Partnership Update – In April, Roblox announced that IAS will offer coverage across media quality and performance solutions, including fraud, brand safety and suitability, and viewability.

Financial Outlook

IAS is providing the following financial outlook for the second quarter of 2025 and raising the midpoint of its full year 2025 revenue and adjusted EBITDA outlook:

Second Quarter Ending June 30, 2025:

Total revenue of $142 million to $144 millionAdjusted EBITDA* of $45 million to $47 million

Year Ending December 31, 2025:

Total revenue of $590 million to $600 millionAdjusted EBITDA* of $204 million to $210 million

Financial outlook is based on information as of today, May 12, 2025, and may be impacted by factors outside IAS’s control. See “Forward Looking Statements.”

* See “Supplemental Disclosure Regarding Non-GAAP Financial Information” section herein for an explanation of these measures. IAS is unable to provide a reconciliation for forward-looking guidance of adjusted EBITDA and corresponding margin to net income (loss) and corresponding margin, the most closely comparable GAAP measures without unreasonable effort, because certain material reconciling items, such as depreciation and amortization, interest expense, income tax expense (benefit) and acquisition, restructuring and integration expenses, cannot be estimated due to factors outside of IAS’s control and could have a material impact on the reported results. However, IAS estimates stock-based compensation expense for the second quarter of 2025 in the range of $19 million to $21 million and for the full year 2025 in the range of $72.5 million to $75.5 million.

INTEGRAL AD SCIENCE HOLDING CORP.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(UNAUDITED)

(IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT SHARE DATA)

March 31, 2025

December 31, 2024

ASSETS

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

$           59,120

$            84,469

Restricted cash

288

506

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for credit losses of $5,622 and $7,454

as of March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively

86,866

79,427

Unbilled receivables

51,053

53,388

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

41,008

36,639

Due from related party

7

28

Total current assets

238,342

254,457

Property and equipment, net

3,941

4,004

Internal use software, net

56,428

53,636

Intangible assets, net

132,533

140,943

Goodwill

674,505

673,025

Operating lease right-of-use assets, net

18,811

17,888

Deferred tax asset, net

1,731

1,675

Other long-term assets

6,061

5,943

Total assets

$      1,132,352

$       1,151,571

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Current liabilities:

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

$           47,732

$            72,910

Operating lease liabilities, current

10,801

10,184

Due to related party

—

11

Deferred revenue

841

1,061

Total current liabilities

59,374

84,166

Deferred tax liability, net

1,727

3,118

Long-term debt, net

14,305

34,189

Operating lease liabilities, non-current

13,177

13,374

Other long-term liabilities

8,743

8,713

Total liabilities

97,326

143,560

Commitments and Contingencies

Stockholders’ Equity

Preferred Stock, $0.001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized at March 31, 2025;

0 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024

—

—

Common Stock, $0.001 par value, 500,000,000 shares authorized, 163,988,856 and

162,871,266 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024,

respectively

164

163

Additional paid-in-capital

981,980

964,765

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

(1,860)

(3,666)

Retained earnings

54,742

46,749

Total stockholders’ equity

1,035,026

1,008,011

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

$      1,132,352

$       1,151,571

 

INTEGRAL AD SCIENCE HOLDING CORP.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

(UNAUDITED)

Three Months Ended March 31,

(IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT SHARE AND PER SHARE DATA)

2025

2024

Revenue

$       134,066

$       114,530

Operating expenses:

Cost of revenue

30,126

26,161

Sales and marketing

32,128

31,825

Technology and development

19,700

17,978

General and administrative

26,196

21,380

Depreciation and amortization

16,463

15,080

Foreign exchange (gain) loss, net

(1,998)

1,569

Total operating expenses

122,615

113,993

Operating income

11,451

537

Interest expense, net

(72)

(1,926)

Net income (loss) before income taxes

11,379

(1,389)

(Provision) benefit for income taxes

(3,386)

134

Net income (loss)

$           7,993

$          (1,255)

Net income (loss) per share – basic and diluted:

$             0.05

$           (0.01)

Weighted average shares outstanding:

Basic

163,646,444

159,385,167

Diluted

166,811,853

159,385,167

Other comprehensive income (loss):

Foreign currency translation adjustments

1,806

(1,059)

Total comprehensive income (loss)

$           9,799

$          (2,314)

Stock-Based Compensation 

(UNAUDITED)

Three Months Ended March 31,

(IN THOUSANDS)

2025

2024

Cost of revenue

$                80

$              124

Sales and marketing

4,773

5,738

Technology and development

4,806

4,399

General and administrative

5,866

5,477

Total stock-based compensation

$         15,525

$         15,738

 

INTEGRAL AD SCIENCE HOLDING CORP.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(UNAUDITED)

Three Months Ended March 31, 2025

Common Stock

(IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT SHARES)

Shares

Amount

Additional

paid-in

capital

Accumulated

other 

comprehensive 

loss

Retained

earnings

Total

stockholders’

equity

Balance, December 31, 2024

162,871,266

$                163

$         964,765

$            (3,666)

$            46,749

$      1,008,011

RSUs and MSUs vested

917,186

1

—

—

—

1

ESPP purchase

200,404

—

1,690

—

—

1,690

Stock-based compensation

—

—

15,525

—

—

15,525

Foreign currency translation adjustment

—

—

—

1,806

—

1,806

Net income

—

—

—

—

7,993

7,993

Balance, March 31, 2025

163,988,856

$                164

$         981,980

$            (1,860)

$            54,742

$      1,035,026

Three Months Ended March 31, 2024

Common Stock

(IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT SHARES)

Shares

Amount

Additional

paid-in

capital

Accumulated

other

comprehensive

loss

Retained

earnings

Total

stockholders’

equity

Balance, December 31, 2023

158,757,620

$                 159

$         901,259

$               (916)

$              8,954

$         909,456

RSUs and MSUs vested

806,546

1

—

—

—

1

Option exercises

44,049

—

313

—

—

313

ESPP purchase

153,239

—

1,895

—

—

1,895

Stock-based compensation

—

—

15,725

—

—

15,725

Foreign currency translation adjustment

—

—

—

(1,059)

—

(1,059)

Net loss

—

—

—

—

(1,255)

(1,255)

Balance, March 31, 2024

159,761,454

$                 160

$         919,192

$            (1,975)

$              7,699

$         925,076

 

INTEGRAL AD SCIENCE HOLDING CORP.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(UNAUDITED)

Three Months Ended March 31,

(IN THOUSANDS)

2025

2024

Cash flows from operating activities:

Net income (loss)

$           7,993

$          (1,255)

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by

(used in) operating activities:

Depreciation and amortization

16,463

15,080

Stock-based compensation

15,525

15,738

Foreign currency (gain) loss, net

(2,486)

1,395

Deferred tax benefit

(1,447)

(5)

Amortization of debt issuance costs

116

116

Reversal of credit losses

(1,134)

(188)

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

(Increase) decrease in accounts receivable

(5,439)

6,436

Decrease in unbilled receivables

2,656

3,167

Increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets

(3,429)

(13,759)

Increase in operating leases, net

(526)

(202)

Decrease in other long-term assets

4

19

Decrease in accounts payable and accrued expenses and other

long-term liabilities

(24,548)

(28,278)

(Decrease) increase in deferred revenue

(229)

644

Increase (decrease) in due to/from related party

10

(39)

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

3,529

(1,131)

Cash flows from investing activities:

Purchase of property and equipment

(554)

(1,128)

Acquisition and development of internal use software and other

(10,347)

(9,163)

Net cash used in investing activities

(10,901)

(10,291)

Cash flows from financing activities:

Repayment of long-term debt

(20,000)

(30,000)

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

—

313

Cash received from Employee Stock Purchase Program

1,232

1,393

Net cash used in financing activities

(18,768)

(28,294)

Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash

(26,140)

(39,716)

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and

restricted cash

597

(847)

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, at beginning of period

87,335

127,290

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash, at end of period

$         61,792

$         86,727

Supplemental Disclosures:

Net cash (received) paid during the period for:

Interest

$               (23)

$           1,879

Taxes

$              822

$              268

Non-cash investing and financing activities:

Property and equipment acquired included in accounts

payable

$                55

$                  2

Internal use software acquired included in accounts payable

$              520

$              573

Lease liabilities arising from right-of-use assets

$           2,993

$              189

Supplemental Disclosure Regarding Non-GAAP Financial Information
We use supplemental measures of our performance, which are derived from our consolidated financial information, but which are not presented in our consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA is the primary financial performance measure used by management to evaluate our business and monitor ongoing results of operations. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income (loss) before depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, interest expense, net, provision (benefit) from income taxes, acquisition, restructuring and integration costs and foreign exchange gains and losses, and other one-time, non-recurring costs. Adjusted EBITDA margin represents the adjusted EBITDA for the applicable period divided by the revenue for that period presented in accordance with GAAP.

We use non-GAAP financial measures to supplement financial information presented on a GAAP basis. We believe that excluding certain items from our GAAP results allows management to better understand our consolidated financial performance from period to period and better project our future consolidated financial performance as forecasts are developed at a level of detail different from that used to prepare GAAP-based financial measures. Moreover, we believe these non-GAAP financial measures provide our shareholders with useful information to help them evaluate our operating results by facilitating an enhanced understanding of our operating performance and enabling them to make more meaningful period-to-period comparisons. Although we believe these measures are useful to investors and analysts for the same reasons they are useful to management, these measures are not a substitute for, or superior to, U.S. GAAP financial measures or disclosures and should be read only in conjunction with financial information presented on a U.S. GAAP basis. Our non-GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies. Other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate non-GAAP financial measures differently than we do, limiting the usefulness of those measures for comparative purposes.

Reconciliation of historical Adjusted EBITDA and corresponding margin to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, net income (loss) and corresponding margin are presented below. We encourage you to review the reconciliations in conjunction with the presentation of the non-GAAP financial measures for each of the periods presented. In future fiscal periods, we may exclude such items and may incur income and expenses similar to these excluded items.

Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA

Three Months Ended March 31,

(IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT PERCENTAGES)

2025

2024

Net income (loss)

$         7,993

$       (1,255)

Depreciation and amortization

16,463

15,080

Stock-based compensation

15,525

15,738

Interest expense, net

72

1,926

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

3,386

(134)

Acquisition, restructuring and integration costs

74

126

Foreign exchange (gain) loss, net

(1,998)

1,569

Adjusted EBITDA

$       41,515

$       33,050

Revenue

$     134,066

$     114,530

Net income (loss) margin

6 %

(1) %

Adjusted EBITDA margin

31 %

29 %

Conference Call and Webcast Information
IAS will host a conference call and live webcast to discuss its first quarter 2025 financial results today at 5:00 p.m. ET. To access the live webcast and conference call dial-in, please register under the “News & Events” section of IAS’s investor relations website. A replay will be available on IAS’s investor relations website following the live call: https://investors.integralads.com.

About Integral Ad Science
Integral Ad Science (IAS) is a leading global media measurement and optimization platform that delivers the industry’s most actionable data to drive superior results for the world’s largest advertisers, publishers, and media platforms. IAS’s software provides comprehensive and enriched data that ensures ads are seen by real people in safe and suitable environments, while improving return on ad spend for advertisers and yield for publishers. Our mission is to be the global benchmark for trust, safety, and transparency in digital media quality. For more information, visit integralads.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This earnings press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements give our current expectations and projections relating to our financial condition, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance, including guidance, and business, including pipeline and industry trends. You can identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements may include words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “plan,” “intend,” “believe,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “can have,” “likely,” and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of the timing or nature of future operating or financial performance or other events. For example, all statements we make relating to our estimated and projected costs, expenditures, cash flows, growth rates and financial results, including forecasted revenue and adjusted EBITDA, or our plans and objectives for future operations and products, growth initiatives or strategies, expected features and functionality of our products, and expectations regarding technology, including the use of artificial intelligence, are forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those that we expected, including: (i) factors that affect the amount of advertising spending, such as economic downturns and marketability, uncertainty surrounding the stability of economic conditions due to new and proposed tariffs and uncertainty in the global trade environment, instability in geopolitical or market conditions generally, and any changes in tax treatment of advertising expense; (ii) our failure to innovate or make the right investment decisions; (iii) our ability to provide digital or cross-platform analytics; (iv) our ability to sustain our profitability and revenue growth rate, particularly if our revenue continues to decline; (v) issues in the development and use of artificial intelligence and machine learning; (vi) our failure to maintain or achieve industry accreditation standards; (vii) our dependence on integrations with advertising platforms, demand side providers (“DSPs”) and proprietary platforms that we do not control; (viii) our ability to maintain high impression volumes; (ix) risks that our customers do not pay or choose to dispute their invoices; (x) our dependence on the overall demand for advertising; (xi) our ability to compete successfully with our current or future competitors in an intensely competitive market; (xii) our international expansion; (xiii) our ability to expand into new channels; (xiv) risks of material changes to revenue share agreements with certain DSPs; (xv) our ability to effectively manage our growth; (xvi) the impact that any acquisitions we have completed in the past and may consummate in the future, strategic investments, or alliances may have on our business, financial condition, and results of operations; (xvii) our ability to successfully execute our international plans; (xviii) the risks associated with the seasonality of our market; (xix) the difficulty in evaluating our future prospects given our short operating history; (xx) uncertainty in how the market for buying digital advertising verification solutions will evolve; (xxi) the risk that a perceived failure to comply with laws and industry self-regulation may damage our reputation; (xxii) interruption by man-made problems such as terrorism, computer viruses, or social disruptions; (xxiii) the risk of failures in the systems and infrastructure supporting our solutions and operations; (xxiv) our ability to avoid operational, technical, and performance issues with our platform; (xxv) risks associated with any unauthorized access to user, customer, or inventory and third-party provider data; (xxvi) our ability to provide the non-proprietary technology, software, products, and services that we use; (xxvii) the risk that we are sued by third parties for alleged infringement, misappropriation, or other violation of their proprietary rights; (xxviii) our ability to obtain, maintain, protect, or enforce intellectual property and proprietary rights that are important to our business; (xxix) our involvement in lawsuits to protect or enforce our intellectual property; (xxx) risks that our employees, consultants, or advisors have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their current or former employers; (xxxi) risks that our trademarks and trade names are not adequately protected; (xxxii) the impact of unforeseen changes to privacy and data protection laws and regulation on digital advertising; (xxxiii) our ability to maintain our corporate culture; (xxxiv) risks posed by earthquakes, fires, floods, and other natural catastrophic events; and (xxxv) other factors disclosed in our filings with the SEC. Given these factors, as well as other variables that may affect our operating results, you should not rely on forward-looking statements, assume that past financial performance will be a reliable indicator of future performance, or use historical trends to anticipate results or trends in future periods.

We derive many of our forward-looking statements from our operating budgets and forecasts, which are based on many detailed assumptions. While we believe that our assumptions are reasonable, we caution that it is very difficult to predict the impact of known factors, and it is impossible for us to anticipate all factors that could affect our actual results. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward- looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.

Investor Contact:
Jonathan Schaffer
ir@integralads.com

Media Contact:
press@integralads.com

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SOURCE Integral Ad Science, Inc.

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U.S. News & World Report Reveals the 2027 Best Places to Retire

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Affordability is a top priority for attendees as Midland, Michigan, holds No. 1 spot.

Summary

Midland, Michigan, is the No. 1 Best Place to Retire for the second year in a row.Affordability is the most considered factor when choosing a place to retire in 2027.Florida and Texas dominate the top 250 Best Places to Retire, offering a number of affordable and retiree-tax friendly locations.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice, today revealed the 2027 Best Places to Retire in the United States.

Midland, Michigan, retained the No. 1 rank for the second year in a row. Midland scored high in affordability and retiree taxes, helping it to lock in the top spot.

“Retirees are seeking a place that gives them a sense of security and comfort as they live out their golden years,” said Megan Wood, assistant managing editor, home services and real estate. “Whether that comfort prioritizes scenic nature spots, access to multi-cultural experiences, or everyday affordability, places like Midland, Michigan, offer financial safety while still providing a good quality of life.”

Homosassa Springs, Florida, came in at No. 2 due to strong scores in affordability, 55+ population growth and retiree taxes. High performance for, quality of life, retiree taxes, affordability and quality of life resulted in Weirton, West Virginia, placing No. 3 on the list.

U.S. News adjusted its scoring weights for the 2027 rankings to mirror a growing concern for affordability in America. This resulted in multiple double-digit jumps in the top 25, including Paducah, Kentucky (No. 8), ascending into the top 10 for the first time.

“It’s no secret that affordability is top of mind for Americans this year, which is why U.S. News updated its weighting criteria to better align with what retirees prioritize,” Wood said. “The 2027 rankings reflect key metrics used to highlight the places that best suit retiree needs.”

U.S. News evaluated more than 850 U.S. cities – publishing the top 250 places – based on how well they meet American retirees’ expectations against measures including quality of life, affordability, healthcare, retiree taxes, job market, and population and migration for retirees aged 55 and older.

The six measures factored into this year’s rankings were weighted based on a public survey of individuals across the U.S. who are at or approaching retirement age (45 and older) to find out what matters most to people when they’re considering where to retire. Resources include federal, state and local data provided by Applied Geographic Solutions, which includes data sourced from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting program, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis and U.S. News’ Best Hospitals rankings. To learn more about how the rankings are determined, read the Best Places to Retire methodology.

Best Places to Retire is part of U.S. News’ Real Estate section, which provides rankings and tools to help individuals navigate the housing market, including home value estimates to working with an agent.

2027 U.S. News Best Places to Retire – Top 10 
*See the full rankings here.

Midland, Michigan Homosassa Springs, Florida Weirton, West VirginiaThe Woodlands, TexasSpring, TexasRancho Rio, New Mexico Altoona, PennsylvaniaPaducah, KentuckyLynchburg, Virginia Palm Coast, Florida 

For more information on Best Places to Retire, explore Facebook, LinkedIn, Tik Tok, Instagram and X using #BestPlacesToRetire.

About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, insurance, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services.

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SOURCE U.S. News & World Report, L.P.

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IBM Introduces Identity and Control for AI Agents, Securing Frontier Intelligence for the Enterprise

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Enterprises are deploying agents faster than they can verify them. HashiCorp Vault uses Agent Identity to give each agent a governed identity Verified agents still need limits on access. Vault extends its established secrets management to AI agents, built to enforce least-privilege access and enable real-time revocation when an agent attempts an unauthorized action Enterprises can’t scale agents they can’t see, test or account for. IBM watsonx Orchestrate is designed to unify discovery, containment, and evaluation across Amazon Bedrock, Microsoft Foundry and Google Gemini 

ATLANTA, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — At TechXchange 2026, IBM (NYSE: IBM) is announcing new capabilities to help developers, IT and security teams put AI agents to work across business systems with clear authority and accountability. IBM brings together agent discovery, verified identities, access controls and performance evaluation to help organizations understand who owns each agent, control what it can access, and trace its actions across existing applications and infrastructure.  

According to Gartner, by 2028 the average Fortune 500 enterprise will use over 150,000 AI agents. But only 13% of organizations believe that they have the right AI agent governance in place [1]. Persistent credentials, unclear ownership and disconnected controls make it harder to govern agents as they interact with other agents, invoke tools and act across teams, platforms and clouds. 

“The winners in enterprise AI are changing how their business runs, not simply adding more AI to it,” said Dinesh Nirmal, Senior Vice President, IBM Software. “For agents to take on real work across the systems a company depends on, it requires an AI operating model – one that connects agents to the business’s data, applications and infrastructure and runs them with the same discipline as its most critical systems. Build trust and control into that model, and agents stop being a technology and become a way of doing business.”  

Today’s announcements extend IBM’s portfolio to deliver an AI operating model of four essential systems working together: agents, data, automation and hybrid infrastructure. This starts with the trust and control every agent needs – a verified identity, only the access it needs, and one place to discover, secure and evaluate agents regardless of where they were built. 

Extending HashiCorp Vault to AI agents
HashiCorp Vault manages the secrets and credentials that applications and services use to access business systems. It provides that control through centrally managed secrets, automated rotation for supported credentials, and dynamically generated credentials that expire or can be revoked. These capabilities help reduce the time exposed credentials remain usable and limit access to the permissions configured for each role. 

HashiCorp Vault already secures non-human identities for organizations including ABN AMRO, Adobe, athenahealth, BBVA, BlackRock, Canva, Duke Energy, Expedia, London Stock Exchange, Starbucks, Swiss Federal Railways and Target, across systems that process billions of dollars in transactions [2]. HashiCorp will now extend those capabilities to AI agents, issuing secured, short-lived credentials that limit each agent to what it needs. 

Establishing agent identity and accountability
AI agents are a growing class of non-human identity, alongside applications and services. As they begin acting across business systems, enterprises need a clear record of who owns each agent and what authority it has been granted. HashiCorp is combining governed agent identity with credential controls to help organizations delegate work with defined authority and accountability. 

When used with HashiCorp Vault, Agent Identity establishes the authoritative record for each agent, such as who owns it, its lifecycle status and the authority it has been granted. Built to extend existing identity and security investments, it shares relevant identity and authorization context with Vault’s credential controls – ultimately enforcing least-privilege access and enabling real-time revocation when an agent attempts an unauthorized action. 

Controlling agent credentials and access
Identifying an agent is only the start. Enterprises also need to control the credentials it uses to reach databases, applications and cloud services – and how long those credentials remain valid. As agents invoke tools and act across business systems, their credentials become a critical security boundary. An agent with a long-lived, overprivileged credential can put systems and data at risk if it’s compromised or acts outside its intended task. Enterprises need to establish what each agent’s job is, limit the access it receives and revoke that access when circumstances change. 

These controls extend beyond initial authentication. If an agent attempts to retrieve information or perform actions outside its approved permissions, the access can be denied and session revoked in real time to prevent unauthorized activity. Vault’s short-lived credentials and least-privilege controls can further restrict what an agent accesses and the duration of those permissions.  

Additional capabilities include: 

Vault 2.2 gives agents their own secured accounts, automatically renews their credentials and incorporates post-quantum encryption for quantum-era threats. Secure Hub (public preview) gives companies centralized visibility across their Vault environments to make it easier to understand operational health, usage and security resources. 

At TechXchange, client speakers will share how they use Vault to secure enterprise applications, workloads and AI agents 

athenahealth: Automating certificate management with Vault’s PKI engine. Albert Einstein College of Medicine: Applying IBM Verify and Vault to AI agent identity, just-in-time access, dynamic secrets and auditability. Optum: Using Vault Radar to detect exposed secrets and Boundary for just-in-time, identity-based access. Seven-Eleven Japan: Centralizing and encrypting secrets with Vault Enterprise and detecting hardcoded secrets with Vault Radar. Yum! Brands: Building an identity security platform with IBM Verify, with a look ahead to machine identities and secrets management. 

“AI presents extraordinary opportunities to accelerate biomedical research and discovery, but realizing its potential requires a foundation of security, trust, and responsible governance,” said Shailesh M. Shenoy, Assistant Dean for Information Technology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “In my experience, technologies such as IBM Verify and HashiCorp Vault can play an important role in helping organizations establish the identity, access, and security controls needed to innovate with confidence.”  

Managing agents across platforms
Identity tells organizations what an agent is. But they also need to see every agent they have, wherever it was built. IBM watsonx Orchestrate works across the AI ecosystem, not inside a single vendor’s platform, to give organizations one place to discover, secure and evaluate their agents. Capabilities include: 

Discover (tech preview): Organizations can’t govern agents they don’t know exist. Orchestrate connects to platforms such as Amazon Bedrock, Microsoft Foundry and Google Gemini to find agents built in third-party environments, so teams can see and manage agents instead of adding them manually. This capability also extends to models and MCP servers. Contain (tech preview): One rogue agent can disrupt others and spread mistakes across the business. Orchestrate now runs agents in isolated sandboxes so a rogue agent can’t interfere with others. Teams also now have access to a kill switch to shut down any agent. Evaluate: Agents that aren’t tested and tracked can quietly drift off course and increase costs. Teams using Orchestrate can now test the quality, accuracy and compliance of agents, models and MCP servers before deployment, then monitor them in production. Built-in cost tracking shows each agent’s model and token use, so teams can spot what’s driving spend and fix it. 

Orchestrate also works with Vault’s credential controls and Agent Identity to establish what each agent’s job is, govern its authority and enforce least-privilege credential access. Together, these controls help organizations authorize and audit agent actions and rapidly revoke trust and credentials when risk changes. 

Connecting agents to the business
Once agents are authorized to use a company’s APIs and tools, they need to know what already exists, how systems connect, what can be reused safely and what their actions could affect. IBM Integration Intelligence Hub is built to provide that knowledge through its Unified Context Engine, so agents can fix problems like stuck messages or deploy an API using what’s already in place. Skills, approval policies and audit controls keep those actions in check. Instead of rebuilding for AI, organizations can put agents to work on the systems they already depend on. 

Scaling agents with NVIDIA
Agent Identity and HashiCorp Vault integrate with NVIDIA OpenShell secure runtime software, the foundation of the NVIDIA OpenShell Architecture. Together, they pair a protected environment for agents to run in with a verified identity and short-lived credentials for every agent, so each action can be traced, limited and reviewed. 

“Businesses need enforceable control over how agents operate and what they can access,” said John Fanelli, vice president, enterprise software, NVIDIA. “Our work with IBM combines NVIDIA OpenShell’s policy-governed runtime with Agent Identity and HashiCorp Vault to help enterprises scale AI agents with secure execution, verified identities and tightly scoped access to business systems.” 

Responding to Emerging Security Threats
When new vulnerabilities are discovered, enterprises must quickly identify affected systems, determine required changes and deploy fixes without disrupting critical operations. In complex environments, this process often involves multiple teams, tools and processes. 

IBM Concert integrates observability, optimization, incident management and security across applications, infrastructure and networks. With AI-powered insights and proof of exploitability, Concert helps teams to identify high-risk vulnerabilities, assess operational impact, and coordinate responses. These capabilities also help organizations address performance, manage costs and maintain resilience in hybrid environments. 

HashiCorp Terraform provides an infrastructure context and governed workflows for change implementation. New features now generally available and in public preview, including Terraform policy, Terraform Developer Portal and Terraform remote MCP server, enable developers and AI agents to access approved configurations and implement infrastructure changes through established controls. Terraform powered by Infragraph also helps teams understand infrastructure relationships and dependencies for more informed decisions. 

Together, these capabilities enable organizations to progress from identifying vulnerabilities to implementing and verifying remediation, while optimizing the visibility and governance essential for enterprise operations. 

A comprehensive system intelligence and change orchestration layer for IBM Z 
IBM Z Atlas maps a client’s entire z/OS stack across infrastructure, middleware, and applications, and then uses that intelligence to address the manual effort of tasks like patch management, regulatory response, and sharing system knowledge across teams, from systems programmers to application developers. Atlas addresses the leading cause of unplanned z/OS outages – changes that aren’t proven to be safe – by mapping how a change impacts the z/OS stack and testing and validating it. This design (in tech preview) accelerates clients’ modernization efforts by keeping experts in control and giving practitioners, in operations or development, the same shared Z system visibility to reduce risk. 

Availability
HashiCorp Vault 2.2, Agent Identity, watsonx Orchestrate evaluate capabilities, IBM Concert, and HashiCorp Terraform policy are generally available. Secure Hub, Terraform Developer Portal, Terraform remote MCP server, and IBM Z Atlas are in public preview. IBM Integration Intelligence Hub and watsonx Orchestrate discover and contain capabilities are in tech preview. 

Statements regarding IBM’s future direction and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice and represent goals and objectives only. 

Learn more
IBM TechXchange is IBM’s annual conference for developers and technology practitioners and brings together nearly 6,500 attendees from 85 countries. This year, the event incorporates HashiConf to bring together the HashiCorp community with practitioners from across IBM, Red Hat and Confluent. Attendees can choose from more than 1,000 sessions and experiences, including 180 hands-on labs, 260 client-led sessions and more than 50 certification exams. Speakers include American Airlines, Bradesco, Citi, CVS Health, Deutsche Bank, DoorDash, Hertz, and US Bancorp who will share how they are making AI enterprise ready. 

Session livestream and replays will be available here: ibm.biz/txc26-livestream.  

Supporting Materials

Strengthen security for agentic AI with new Vault, Verify, Boundary, and Secure Hub capabilities  IBM Agent Identity now generally available: Building Trust for the Agentic Era  Vault Enterprise 2.2 advances identity security, PKI, and cryptoagility  Announcing the public preview of Secure Hub: govern Vault at scale  IBM watsonx Orchestrate advances AI agent management with new capabilities  IBM Integration Intelligence Hub gives AI the context to act, not just access IBM Concert platform advances the path to cross-domain agentic IT operations  Terraform advances infrastructure lifecycle management for the agentic era Introducing IBM Z Atlas: Change Intelligence for IBM Z 

[1]: Gartner Identifies Six Steps to Manage AI Agent Sprawl
[2]: HashiCorp Vault client stories  

About IBM  
IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Thousands of governments and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more information. 

Media contacts:

Sarah Benchaita
IBM
sarah.benchaita@ibm.com

Kate Lehman
IBM
Kate.Lehman@ibm.com 

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Three Blind Spots Leave Industrial Companies Exposed to Critical Mineral Shortages

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Boston Consulting Group Finds Industrial Companies Underestimate Their Critical Mineral Exposure, Which Also Limits Their Access to Public CapitalDemand for Key Minerals Is Projected at 120% to 250% of Forecast Supply Through 2040An Estimated $3.5 Trillion of Products Depend on Gallium, a “Mosquito Mineral” Traded in a Market Under $350 Million a YearSome Governments Have Deployed Less Than 10% of Their Critical Minerals Funds

BOSTON, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Industrial companies are underestimating their exposure to critical mineral shortages and missing a strategic opportunity as a result, according to new analysis from Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Three blind spots in the metrics that companies rely on hide where the risk sits, including what BCG calls “mosquito minerals,” so small by traded value that they never reach a risk register.

These are among the findings of Why Critical Mineral Shortages Are a CEO Issue, a BCG report released today. BCG’s proprietary model projects demand for key inputs, including rare earths, graphite, copper and lithium, at roughly 120% to 250% of forecast supply through 2040.

“Most industrials track exposure through spend and direct supplier data, and the minerals that can stop a production line are often the ones they spend almost nothing on,” said Tycho Möncks, a BCG managing director and partner and a coauthor of the report. “The question for CEOs and boards is not whether their company is exposed. It is. The question is whether they intend to live with that exposure or turn it into an advantage.”

Small Markets Can Stall Large Industries

Companies often start their risk assessment with the bill of materials, which points them toward high-volume metals such as copper and lithium. Mosquito minerals fall outside that view. Their traded value is tiny, but the value chains that depend on them are not.

Rare earths. The rare earths used in a fighter jet are worth less than the paint that coats the plane.Gallium. The global market is worth under $350 million a year, with production of only about 900 tons, yet BCG estimates about $3.5 trillion of final products depend on it.Arsenic. The upstream market is about $50 million worldwide, yet a single producer supplies roughly 60% of the ultra-high-purity grade used in 5G and 6G infrastructure, data center optics, radar systems, and defense electronics.Byproduct supply. Gallium, germanium and arsenic are recovered as byproducts of other mining and industrial processes, so the host metal’s market sets their supply. Even a sharp price spike may not bring new production.

Exposure Hides Below Tier One Suppliers

A company that buys almost no critical minerals directly can still be acutely exposed because minerals arrive embedded in motors, magnets, power modules, lasers and sensors. They also sit in the tools and processes used to make those components, from crucibles and catalysts to dies and the capital equipment itself.

Turbine blades, engine blocks and structural aerospace components, for example, are machined with cutting tools made of tungsten carbide bonded with cobalt. A manufacturer that has never bought either metal directly can still see production stop if those tools run short, a dependency that appears on no bill of materials.

Companies also tend to map where critical minerals are mined, but for some minerals the bottleneck is processing, not production. A map of where assets sit and a map of who owns them can look very different, so a change of supplier that looks like diversification may leave a company’s exposure unchanged.

Public Capital Is Committed but Largely Unspent

The three blind spots also lead to a strategic miss. The International Energy Agency reports that public finance commitments to critical minerals in advanced economies reached around $65 billion in 2025, more than four times the 2023 level. BCG’s review of government-backed vehicles found the flagship instruments barely deployed, with some countries having spent less than 10% of their allocated capital and others nothing.

These vehicles are designed to draw in private capital, and offtake requirements are typically the main eligibility gate. BCG argues that companies without a clear view of their own exposure cannot make a credible commitment, and so cannot qualify. The funds are not free money: they carry conditions such as reporting obligations and localization requirements, and they represent only about one tenth of the capital needed through 2040. But for industrial companies, BCG says, they are a way to build a competitive advantage.

Several of the companies that have reframed their approach and tapped public capital are industrial companies and trading firms, not miners, and BCG found that in each case the CEO and executive team led the process of identifying and correcting their blind spots.

“These blind spots have a cost beyond risk. The money is there, but it comes with offtake requirements, and a company cannot make a credible commitment without knowing its own exposure,” said Karthik Valluru, a BCG managing director and senior partner who coauthored the report. “Mapping that exposure properly is where the opportunity starts.”

Download the publication here:

https://www.bcg.com/publications/2026/critical-minerals-risk-blind-spots

Media Contact: 
Bruce Wraight
wraight.bruce@bcg.com 

About Boston Consulting Group
Boston Consulting Group bridges the gap between ambition and outcomes for the world’s leading companies and organizations. We are built for this era of unprecedented change — bringing strategic clarity rooted in over 60 years of deep domain knowledge, combined with applied AI shaped by our practitioners. BCG works shoulder-to-shoulder with CEOs across industries and geographies to deliver transformative impact at scale: stronger returns, transferred capabilities, and change that sticks. For more information, visit bcg.com.

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SOURCE Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

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