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CLEAR Announces Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results

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2 months ago

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NEW YORK, Aug. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Clear Secure, Inc. (NYSE: YOU), the secure identity company, has released financial results for the second quarter 2026 on its Investor Relations website at https://ir.clearme.com.

Second Quarter Financial Highlights

(percentage change is expressed as year-over-year, unless otherwise specified)

Revenue of $277.8 million was up 26.6%; Total Bookings of $295.9 million increased 32.8%Operating income of $83.0 million, representing a 29.9% operating income marginNet income of $72.3 million, representing a 26.0% net income marginAdjusted EBITDA of $101.1 million, representing a 36.4% Adjusted EBITDA margin and 900 basis points of year-over-year margin expansion, exceeding long-term Adjusted EBITDA margin target of 35%Earnings per Common Share Basic and Diluted of $0.50 and $0.49, respectivelyNet cash provided by operating activities of $201.2 million; Free Cash Flow of $189.0 million

Operational Achievements

Total CLEAR Members grew to 43.5 million, up 30.0% year-over-year and Active CLEAR+ Members grew to 8.3 million, up 15.2% year-over-year, as of June 30, 202662 CLEAR+ airports, including second quarter launches of Northwest Arkansas (Bentonville) and Indianapolis, and 280 retail locations with TSA PreCheck® Enrollment Provided by CLEAR as of June 30, 2026eGates launched across 50 airports as of today; on track for network wide rollout in 2026CLEAR Concierge, a premium, personalized on-demand airport service now offered at 39 airportsContinued strong momentum in CLEAR1 across core verticals

Capital Allocation Activities

Approximately $22.2 million returned to shareholders in the second quarter of 2026, related to our regular quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share and distributionsClear Secure, Inc. announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.15 per share, payable on September 24, 2026 to shareholders of record of Class A Common Stock as of the close of business on September 10, 2026

Third Quarter and Full Year 2026 Guidance

Third quarter 2026 Revenue of $284-287 million, representing 24.6% year-over-year growth at the midpointThird quarter 2026 Total Bookings of $311-316 million, representing 20.5% year-over-year growth at the midpointFull Year 2026 Free Cash Flow guidance increased from at least $465 million to at least $480 million, representing at least 39.9% year-over-year growth

“Identity has become critical infrastructure and CLEAR has firmly established itself as the trusted, secure identity company. Our second quarter results demonstrate the strength we are seeing across CLEAR Travel and CLEAR1, and we have never been better positioned for what’s ahead,” said Caryn Seidman Becker, CLEAR’s CEO.

Conference Call Details

CLEAR will host a conference call to discuss these results at 8:00 AM (ET) today. Investors and analysts can access the live teleconference call by dialing toll-free 877-407-3089 for U.S. participants and +1-215-268-9854 for international participants. Listeners can access the live webcast at https://event.choruscall.com/mediaframe/webcast.html?webcastid=NTtHOW8v. A webcast replay will be available after the event on the investor relations website at https://ir.clearme.com.

About CLEAR

The mission of CLEAR, the secure identity company, is to strengthen security and create frictionless experiences. With over 43 million Members and a growing network of partners across the world, CLEAR’s secure identity platform is transforming the way people live, work, and travel. Whether you are traveling, at the stadium, or on your phone, CLEAR connects you to the things that make you, you—making everyday experiences easier, more secure, and friction-free. CLEAR is committed to privacy done right. Members are always in control of their own information, and we do not sell biometric or sensitive personal data. For more information, visit clearme.com.

Key Performance Indicators

Q2 2025

Q3 2025

Q4 2025

Q1 2026

Q2 2026

Total Bookings (in millions)

$    222.9

$    260.1

$    287.1

$    291.7

$    295.9

Total CLEAR Members (in thousands)

33,472

35,751

37,998

40,986

43,501

Active CLEAR+ Members (in thousands)

7,227

7,399

7,616

8,167

8,329

Definitions of Key Performance Indicators

To evaluate performance of the business, we utilize a variety of other non-GAAP financial reporting and performance measures. These key measures include Total Bookings, Total CLEAR Members, and Active CLEAR+ Members.

Total Bookings

Total Bookings represent our total revenue plus the change in deferred revenue during the period. Total Bookings in any particular period reflect sales to new and renewing CLEAR+ subscribers plus any accrued billings to partners. Management believes that Total Bookings is an important measure of the current health and growth of the business and views it as a leading indicator.

Total CLEAR Members

We define Total CLEAR Members as the cumulative number of Members that have registered for the CLEAR platform since inception as of the end of the period. This includes Members who have enrolled through CLEAR+, trials, single-use product purchases, other non-paid uses of the CLEAR platform, and associated family accounts. Total CLEAR Members exclude members who are solely marketing opt-ins and purged accounts, and are adjusted to remove identified duplicate non-paid accounts. Management views this metric as an important tool to analyze the efficacy of our growth and marketing initiatives as new Members are potentially a current and leading indicator of revenues.

Active CLEAR+ Members

We define Active CLEAR+ Members as the number of members with an active CLEAR+ subscription as of the end of the period. This includes CLEAR+ members who have an activated payment method, plus associated family accounts and is inclusive of Members who are in a trial or in a billing grace period. Management views this as an important tool to measure the growth of its CLEAR+ product.

Prior period Active CLEAR+ Members have been recast to reflect the removal of certain lapsed accounts identified in connection with a billing system transformation project undertaken during 2025. This recast had no impact on our consolidated financial statements or non-GAAP financial measures.  There has been no other change in the calculation of Active CLEAR+ Members.

CLEAR SECURE, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(UNAUDITED)

(dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)

June 30,
2026

December 31,
2025

Assets

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

$       128,228

$        85,734

Marketable securities

831,040

614,439

Accounts receivable

1,263

1,925

Prepaid revenue share fee

31,347

29,679

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

31,656

32,837

Total current assets

1,023,534

764,614

Property and equipment, net

62,714

59,331

Right of use asset, net

97,215

100,048

Intangible assets, net

2,528

2,753

Goodwill

62,684

62,684

Restricted cash

2,852

2,764

Other assets

326,805

311,198

Total assets

$     1,578,332

$     1,303,392

Liabilities and stockholders’ equity

Current liabilities:

Accounts payable

$         6,175

$         7,156

Accrued liabilities

404,692

236,543

Deferred revenue

572,989

516,201

Total current liabilities

983,856

759,900

Other long term liabilities

351,313

339,107

Total liabilities

1,335,169

1,099,007

Commitments and contingencies

Class A Common Stock, $0.00001 par value – 1,000,000,000 shares authorized; 101,961,485 and
101,940,628 shares issued and outstanding, respectively, as of June 30, 2026 and 97,988,039 and
97,986,631 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2025

1

1

Class B Common Stock, $0.00001 par value – 100,000,000 shares authorized; 151,787 shares issued
and outstanding as of June 30, 2026 and 351,787 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2025

—

—

Class C Common Stock, $0.00001 par value – 200,000,000 shares authorized; 14,246,787 shares
issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2026 and 15,745,891 shares issued and outstanding as of
December 31, 2025

—

—

Class D Common Stock, $0.00001 par value – 100,000,000 shares authorized; 18,380,246 shares
issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2026 and 19,130,246 shares issued and outstanding as of
December 31, 2025

—

—

Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income

(753)

840

Treasury stock at cost, 0 shares as of June 30, 2026 and December 31, 2025

—

—

Retained earnings

158,350

119,791

Additional paid-in capital

48,645

57,102

Total stockholders’ equity attributable to Clear Secure, Inc.

206,243

177,734

Non-controlling interests

36,920

26,651

Total stockholders’ equity

243,163

204,385

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

$     1,578,332

$     1,303,392

 

 CLEAR SECURE, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(UNAUDITED)

(dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)

Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2026

2025

2026

2025

Revenue

$       277,757

$       219,467

$       530,760

$       430,835

Operating expenses:

Cost of revenue share fee

39,289

31,198

76,167

60,765

Cost of direct salaries and benefits

47,997

47,699

96,249

98,441

Research and development

17,772

18,229

37,223

37,228

Sales and marketing

17,152

14,485

33,106

27,871

General and administrative

65,934

58,532

129,571

113,270

Depreciation and amortization

6,661

6,768

13,491

13,300

Operating income

82,952

42,556

144,953

79,960

Other income (expense):

Interest income, net

7,932

5,805

14,693

11,958

Other income (expense), net

471

(4,055)

2,454

(3,607)

Income before tax

91,355

44,306

162,100

88,311

Income tax expense

(19,045)

(6,431)

(33,406)

(11,853)

Net income

72,310

37,875

128,694

76,458

Less: net income attributable to non-controlling interests

22,260

13,153

39,849

26,331

Net income attributable to Clear Secure, Inc.

$        50,050

$        24,722

$        88,845

$        50,127

Net income per share of Class A Common Stock and Class B
Common Stock

Net income per common share basic, Class A

$           0.50

$           0.26

$           0.89

$           0.53

Net income per common share basic, Class B

$           0.50

$           0.26

$           0.89

$           0.53

Net income per common share diluted, Class A

$           0.49

$           0.26

$           0.87

$           0.52

Net income per common share diluted, Class B

$           0.49

$           0.26

$           0.87

$           0.52

Weighted-average shares of Class A Common Stock outstanding, basic

100,694,482

92,990,661

99,954,645

94,150,710

Weighted-average shares of Class B Common Stock outstanding, basic

151,787

612,443

229,135

644,659

Weighted-average shares of Class A Common Stock outstanding, diluted

102,768,573

94,418,159

102,037,728

95,667,917

Weighted-average shares of Class B Common Stock outstanding, diluted

151,787

612,443

229,135

644,659

 

CLEAR SECURE, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(UNAUDITED)

(dollars in thousands)

Six Months Ended June 30,

2026

2025

Operating activities:

Net income

$       128,694

$        76,458

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided from operating activities:

Depreciation of property and equipment

13,266

11,142

Amortization of intangible assets

225

2,158

Noncash lease expense

3,161

3,219

Impairment of strategic investment

—

4,719

Equity-based compensation

22,399

18,091

Deferred income tax

18,296

934

Amortization of revolver loan costs

66

66

Gain on divestiture of a business

—

(635)

Premium amortization and (discount accretion), net on marketable securities

(873)

(85)

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

Accounts receivable

662

(708)

Prepaid expenses and other assets

2,096

6,683

Prepaid revenue share fee

(1,668)

795

Accounts payable

(702)

(6,871)

Accrued and other long term liabilities

151,999

112,439

Deferred revenue

56,788

(824)

Operating lease liabilities

(2,885)

(6,250)

Net cash provided by operating activities

$       391,524

$       221,331

Investing activities:

Purchases of marketable securities

(568,346)

(242,914)

Sales of marketable securities

349,894

269,466

Proceeds from divestiture

—

2,700

Purchase of strategic investment

—

(514)

Purchases of property and equipment

(17,059)

(12,147)

Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities

$      (235,511)

$        16,591

Financing activities:

Repurchase of Class A Common Stock

(1,238)

(126,345)

Payment of dividend

(30,181)

(23,502)

Payment of special dividend

(20,105)

(25,316)

Distributions to members

(9,875)

(9,839)

Tax distribution to members

(17,229)

(25,986)

Payment of taxes on net settled stock-based awards

(20,303)

(4,939)

Debt issuance costs

(325)

—

Payments under tax receivable agreements

(14,254)

(334)

Net cash used in financing activities

$      (113,510)

$      (216,261)

Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash

42,503

21,661

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

88,498

70,348

Exchange rate effect on cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash

79

70

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

$       131,080

$        92,079

Non-GAAP Financial Measures 

In addition to our results as determined in accordance with GAAP, we disclose Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin, and Free Cash Flow as non-GAAP financial measures that management believes provide useful information to investors. These measures are not financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered as a substitute for net income, net income margin, net cash provided by (used in) operating activities or any other operating performance measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, and may not be comparable to a similarly titled measure reported by other companies. Our Non-GAAP financial measures are expressed in thousands, unless otherwise indicated. We periodically reassess the components of our Non-GAAP adjustments for changes in how we evaluate our performance and changes in how we make financial and operational decisions to ensure the adjustments remain relevant and meaningful.

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin

We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income adjusted for income taxes, interest (income), net, depreciation and amortization, impairment and losses on asset disposals, equity-based compensation expense, net other (income) expense excluding sublease rental income, acquisition-related costs and changes in fair value of contingent consideration. We define Adjusted EBITDA Margin as Adjusted EBITDA expressed as percentage of revenue. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin are important financial measures used by management and our board of directors (“Board”) to evaluate business performance. We believe Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin assist investors in evaluating the performance of the Company’s core operations by excluding certain items that impact the comparability of results from period to period.

Free Cash Flow

We define Free Cash Flow as net cash (used in) provided by operating activities adjusted for purchases of property. We believe Free Cash Flow provides useful information to management and investors about the Company’s liquidity and cash flow trends. With regards to our CLEAR+ subscription service, we generally collect cash from our Members upfront for annual subscriptions. As a result, when the business is growing Free Cash Flow can be a real time indicator of the current trajectory of the business. 

See below for reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to their most comparable GAAP measures.

Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain statements that constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to the Company’s future financial or business performance, strategies or expectations, and as such are not historical facts. This includes, without limitation, statements regarding the Company’s financial position, capital structure, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, as well as statements regarding business momentum, growth, anticipated demand for our products and services and our business prospects during 2026, as well as expected impacts from our pricing actions, and our guidance for the third quarter and full year 2026.  In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “guidance,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will” or “would” or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words.

The forward-looking statements contained in this release are based on current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on the Company. Investors are cautioned that any and such forward looking statement are not guarantees of future performance or results and involve risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond the Company’s control), and that actual results, developments and events may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including but not limited to: risks relating to adding and retaining Members and partners, including Active CLEAR+ Members, or failing to increase the utilization of our platform; our inability to meet stakeholder expectations or maintain the value and reputation of our brand; failure to successfully compete, and the highly competitive market in which we operate; risks associated with the increased adoption of new technological solutions and services, including first-party identity verification solutions and credential authentication solutions; public confidence in, and acceptance of, identity platforms and biometrics generally, and our platform specifically; failure to successfully implement strategies to increase adoption of our platform or expand into new verticals; risks associated with our commercial agreements and strategic alliances, as well as potential indemnification obligations and certain of our agreements with first parties; risks related to the dependence of portions of our business and results of operations on concessionaire agreements; risks associated with our growth and ability to develop and introduce platform features and offerings, and the need for adequate research and development resources; risks associated with any decline or disruption in the travel industry or a general economic downturn; risks related to our need for additional capital to support our business growth and objectives, and risks that this capital may not be available to us on reasonable terms (or at all) and may result in shareholder dilution; risks associated with acquisitions and other strategic transactions; the need for high-quality personnel; risks associated with the complexity of our platform, including the negative impacts of any errors, system failures or the successful implementation of upgrades or new technology; the risk that our marketing efforts may not be effective; risks associated with changes in the Internet browsers and mobile device accessibility of Members; the ability to maintain our corporate culture; risks associated with payment processing; risks relating to prospective public private partnerships in airports; potential adverse impacts of climate change; our limited experience operating outside of the United States and risks associated with international operations; risks associated with breaches of our information technology systems or those of first parties upon which we rely, protection of our intellectual property, technology and confidential information and failures by first-party technology and devices on which our business relies; our reliance on first-party technology and information systems and our ability to find alternatives if such technology and information systems fail; potential liability due to the infringement on first-party intellectual property by technologies that we incorporate into our products; our ability to meet the standards set for our airport operations by governmental stakeholders; the risk that we may be sued by first parties for alleged infringement, misappropriation or other violations of intellectual property and other proprietary rights; risks associated with the actual or perceived failure to comply with applicable biometrics, artificial intelligence, health information and data privacy laws; failure to comply with the constantly evolving laws and regulations that we are or may become subject to; potential legal proceedings, regulatory disputes and governmental inquiries; coverage afforded under our insurance policies may be inadequate; risks associated with the use of “open source” software; limitations of the SAFETY Act’s liability protections; risks associated with our financial performance, including the risk of increased expenses and net losses in the near term and our ability to achieve or sustain profitability in the future; the failure of our estimates or judgments relating to our critical accounting policies; the risk that our focus on delivering a safe, reliable, predictable and frictionless Member experience may not maximize short-term financial results, which may yield results that conflict with the market’s expectations and could result in our stock price being negatively affected; risks associated with our structure as a holding company, and our reliance on Alclear Holdings, LLC for certain distributions; risks associated with dividend payments and share repurchases; risks associated with our organizational structure, including those related to our Tax Receivable Agreement; the control of the Company by our co-founder, whose interests in our business may be different than those of our other stockholders; restrictions under our Credit Agreement; the unpredictable nature of tax attributes that will impact our tax treatment; substantial future sales of shares of our Class A Common Stock could cause our stock price to fall; failure to maintain adequate internal controls; the risk that provisions in our charter documents and certain rules imposed by regulatory authorities may delay or prevent our acquisition by a first party; the volatility of our stock price; risks related to the founder performance-based restricted stock unit awards granted at the time of our initial public offering; future issuances of securities, including preferred securities, the terms of which could adversely affect the voting power or value of our Common Stock; and other risks and uncertainties indicated in the Company’s Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) common stock reports or documents filed or to be filed with the SEC. Forward-looking statements included in this release speak only as of the date of this release or any earlier date specified for such statements. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward looking statements contained herein. All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on the Company’s behalf may be qualified in their entirety by this Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements .

Reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted EBITDA and Net Income Margin to Adjusted EBITDA Margin:

Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

(In thousands)

2026

2025

2026

2025

Net income

$      72,310

$      37,875

$    128,694

$      76,458

Income tax expense

19,045

6,431

33,406

11,853

Interest (income), net

(7,932)

(5,805)

(14,693)

(11,958)

Other (income) expense, net

(26)

4,499

(1,564)

4,504

Depreciation and amortization

6,661

6,768

13,491

13,300

Equity-based compensation expense

11,088

10,292

22,399

18,091

Adjusted EBITDA

$    101,146

$     60,060

$    181,733

$    112,248

Revenue

$    277,757

$    219,467

$    530,760

$    430,835

Net income Margin

26.0 %

17.3 %

24.2 %

17.7 %

Adjusted EBITDA Margin

36.4 %

27.4 %

34.2 %

26.1 %

Reconciliation of Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities to Free Cash Flow:

Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

(In thousands)

2026

2025

2026

2025

Net cash provided by operating activities

$       201,168

$       122,984

$       391,524

$       221,331

Purchases of property and equipment

(12,186)

(5,063)

(17,059)

(12,147)

Free Cash Flow

$       188,982

$       117,921

$       374,465

$       209,184

Investor Contact
CLEAR
ir@clearme.com

Media Contact
CLEAR
media@clearme.com

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SOURCE CLEAR

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Sagility India Enters Asia’s Top 60 Best Workplaces, Ranked 57 in 2026

Published

18 minutes ago

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September 21, 2026

By

With over 22,000 employees in India and over 49,000 globally, Sagility continues to expand its workforce Employee initiatives span learning, leadership development, wellbeing and engagement, including STRIDE, PACE, STEP, S.H.E. Leads Program. S.H.E. Circle & Abilities Circle ERG, Wonder of Wellness and Healthcare Academy.  

MUMBAI, India, Sept. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Sagility India has been ranked 57 among Asia’s Best Workplaces 2026 in the Large Companies category by Great Place to Work. The company was ranked 11 among India’s Best Companies to Work For 2026, following previous Great Place to Work recognitions. 

The Asia ranking is based on confidential employee feedback, with more than 3.8 million individual responses representing nearly 8.9 million employees across the region. Employees evaluated their workplace experiences across areas including trust, innovation, company values, and leadership. Of the 100 organizations recognized in the Large Companies category, 34 operate in India. 

The findings also point to the importance of everyday employee experience. Overall sentiment among employees at the Best Workplaces in Asia remained high at 93%, while the Trust Index Grand Mean stood at 91%. More than 95% of employees reported positive sentiment on areas such as feeling safe, being welcomed, being treated fairly, and feeling proud to belong. 

Against this backdrop, Sagility’s workforce has grown to over 22,000 employees in India and more than 49,000 globally. Its people initiatives span career development, continuous learning, wellbeing, and employee engagement. Key programmes include the STRIDE, PACE, and STEP leadership development programmes, the S.H.E. Leads Program for women in junior and mid-level roles, S.H.E. Circle and Abilities Circle Employee Resource Groups, Wonder of Wellness initiatives, employee surveys, hobby clubs, and Healthcare Academy. Sagility also operates a hybrid work model.

Speaking about the recognition, Tina Vas, Chief Human Resources Officer, Sagility, said, “At our scale, culture is about what employees experience every day. Can they learn, speak up, get support, and see an opportunity to grow? Those are the things we pay attention to. We are thrilled to be recognised as the 57th Best Workplace in Asia, building on our earlier recognition as the 11th Best Workplace in India. These recognitions reinforce our commitment to our employees and their well-being, particularly because they are grounded in what employees themselves say about their experience.”

The latest recognition reinforces Sagility’s focus on building a workplace where employees have opportunities to learn, develop and contribute, while fostering an environment that supports wellbeing, inclusion and engagement. As the organization continues to evolve, these priorities remain an important part of its people strategy. 

About Sagility Limited

Sagility is a tech-led, U.S. healthcare-focused business operations solutions and services company that supports payers, providers, and their partners in delivering best-in-class operations, enhancing member and provider experiences, and improving the quality of care, all while ensuring cost-effective financial and clinical outcomes. With over two decades of experience, Sagility’s dedicated experts address complex healthcare challenges through deep domain expertise and technology innovations. The company serves six of the top ten payers in the U.S., utilizing its advanced technology, processes, and solutions to ensure efficient operations and minimize additional administrative costs. The company delivers these services through its skilled talent pool of nearly 50,000 professionals across five global service delivery centers located in the US, India, the Philippines, Jamaica, and Colombia.

To learn more, visit: https://sagility.com/ 

Media contact details:

Srushti Rao | press@sagility.com

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New Research from Kai: UK CISOs Face a Widening AI Security Gap as Attackers Gain the Advantage

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59% of UK CISOs say attackers already hold the advantage, while 67% take more than a week to remediate critical vulnerabilities

SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Kai, the company behind the first agentic AI cybersecurity platform designed to execute security work end-to-end at machine speed with human expert accuracy, today announced UK findings from its inaugural 2026 State of Autonomous Defense Report.

According to the survey of 100 UK CISOs, a growing gap is emerging between the speed of AI-powered attacks and the ability of security teams to respond. As AI makes it faster and easier for attackers to find and exploit vulnerabilities, many UK organisations are still relying on manual processes that can take days or weeks. The findings point to a looming challenge for defenders: security operations built around human speed may not be able to keep pace as attackers become faster and more automated. If organisations fail to close vulnerabilities quickly, attackers could strike before defenders have a chance to act, increasing the risk of a major security incident.

While UK CISOs recognise the need to move toward machine-led security, many organisations aren’t there yet. Barriers including trust, governance and operational readiness could slow that transition as attackers continue to accelerate their use of AI.

“AI is changing the speed of cyberattacks, and security teams can’t afford to fall further behind,” said Nick Degnan, Chief Revenue Officer at Kai. “The concern is that attackers are getting faster while many defenders are still operating with processes built for a different era. UK organisations know they need to change, but moving from human-led to machine-led security takes trust, governance and a willingness to let machines take on more of the work. The longer that transition takes, the more room attackers have to pull ahead.”

UK CISOs understand the AI threat, but many security processes remain human-led

UK security leaders overwhelmingly acknowledge that AI has changed the threat landscape. Nearly all UK CISOs (94%) say their organisation is prepared to defend against AI-accelerated vulnerability exploitation, yet only one-third (33%) describe themselves as very prepared.

That confidence comes as UK CISOs see attackers gaining the upper hand. Fifty-nine percent believe attackers currently have the advantage given current levels of AI adoption and advancement, compared with just 13% who believe defenders have the advantage. As attackers increasingly leverage AI to accelerate exploitation, many UK organisations continue to rely on human-led security workflows that struggle to keep pace.

Slow remediation leaves a growing window for attackers

The research found that vulnerability management remains heavily dependent on manual effort, leaving UK organisations exposed and security teams under pressure. More than half (54%) of UK organisations report their vulnerability and exposure management processes are at least half manual, while 67% require more than one week to remediate critical vulnerabilities. More than half (54%) say at least one-quarter of known vulnerabilities go unremediated for more than 30 days.

These operational challenges are taking a measurable toll on UK security teams. Eighty-four percent of UK CISOs say vulnerability and exposure management contributes at least moderately to security team burnout, including 19% who describe it as a major contributor.

The findings suggest it’s not just the threat landscape creating risk, but the operating model itself.

UK organisations want more automation, but barriers remain

While UK organisations increasingly see automation as essential to keeping pace with AI-powered threats, confidence in autonomous decision-making has yet to catch up. More than half (51%) of UK CISOs identify lack of trust in automated decisions as one of the biggest barriers to broader automation adoption in vulnerability and exposure management, followed by governance or compliance concerns (45%) and skills or talent gaps (45%).

UK organisations are already embracing automation for lower-risk activities such as vulnerability prioritisation (57%) and asset discovery and inventory (55%). However, only 32% currently permit automated remediation actions without human approval, underscoring that most organisations remain cautious about letting machines change the environment.

UK CISOs are also clear about what would give them greater confidence in machine-led security. More than half point to vendor accountability and liability protections (54%), auditability and explainability (53%), and regulatory clarity (52%) as factors that would increase their confidence in allowing machine-led systems to execute remediation actions without human approval.

UK organisations are moving toward machine-led security, but attackers are moving faster

Despite today’s challenges, the research shows UK organisations are further ahead in adopting machine-led approaches. Today, 46% of UK organisations describe their vulnerability and exposure management approach as mostly or primarily machine-led, compared with 35% of organisations globally.

The foundations for further adoption are also being put in place. Ninety-four percent of UK CISOs say their organisation’s governance approach is either already designed to support machine-led security actions or is being adapted for greater machine-led operation.

Looking ahead 12 to 18 months, 40% expect humans to supervise machine-led systems that lead prioritisation and execution, while 25% expect most vulnerability and exposure management workflows to be machine-led and 14% expect autonomous security operations to become the primary operating model.

The findings suggest UK organisations are not waiting for machine-led security to become a future reality. Many are already putting it into practice, while adapting governance and operating models for a more autonomous approach to cyber defence. But as attackers gain speed through AI, the pressure to make that transition is only growing.

Read the full 2026 UK State of Autonomous Defense Report here.

Methodology

The Kai Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research among 500 CISOs at private sector companies with a minimum annual revenue of $500 million, including 100 CISOs in the United Kingdom. The research was conducted in four markets between June 15 and June 29, 2026, using an email invitation and an online survey. All UK findings cited in this release are based on the 100 UK respondents.

About Kai

Kai is the AI company rebuilding cybersecurity for the machine-speed era. Trusted by Fortune 500 and Global 2000 enterprises, the Kai Autonomous Defense Platform replaces fragmented tools and human-limited workflows with agentic AI that works continuously across cyber asset management, application security, infrastructure vulnerability management, and detection engineering. It contextualises, reasons, and acts at machine speed and enterprise scale. What takes human-led teams weeks, Kai executes in hours, driving risk toward zero through Auto Remediation. Human defenders don’t just keep up. They become superhuman.

Media contact: kai@inkhouse.com 

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Bloomsbury Money Group appoints ex-SAP engineer as CTO to head global banking platform

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18 minutes ago

on

September 21, 2026

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LONDON and ST HELIER, Jersey, Sept. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Bloomsbury Money Group today announced the appointment of Thomas Holst as Chief Technology Officer. Holst joins from SAP’s health technology ecosystem, and brings more than a decade of experience building data-intensive, privacy-critical technology platforms. As CTO, he will lead Bloomsbury Money’s technology strategy, engineering and platform architecture as the Group builds out its banking platform across its existing markets and the new jurisdictions it plans to enter.

The appointment comes as Bloomsbury Money moves from a regulated money services and virtual asset business run from Jersey and London to a multi-jurisdiction financial network. The group’s current services span multi-currency accounts, foreign exchange, cross-border payments and regulated virtual asset custody and transfers. Under Holst, these are being brought together on a single platform designed from the outset to run in several regulatory environments with one standard of control.

A single network for cross-border value

Bloomsbury Money’s ambition is a global cross-border payment network in which fiat currencies, regulated digital assets and local payment rails sit side by side. In practice that means a customer can hold, convert and send value in the form that suits the transaction, whether a wire, a card payment, a domestic instant payment or a digital asset transfer, and the network selects the fastest compliant route. The group intends to extend its regulatory footprint and rail connectivity market by market to deliver this, starting in Jersey and the Channel Islands.

Manu Choudhary, co-founder, Bloomsbury Money Group, said:

“Thomas is joining at the right moment. We have a regulated business, live customers and a clear view of where cross-border money movement is heading. What we need now is someone who can turn that view into infrastructure that behaves the same way in every market we enter. Thomas has spent thirteen years building software where getting the data wrong is not an option, and that is the mindset we want at the centre of this platform. Our ambition is a network where a business in one country pays a supplier in another in whatever form of money and over whatever rail makes sense, without ever thinking about the plumbing.”

Chris Park, CEO, Bloomsbury Money Group, said:

“I have spent over decades in banking and the pattern never changes: the firms that last are the ones whose technology is boring in the right ways. Resilient, auditable, fast, and built by people who assume a regulator will one day ask to see how every decision was made. Thomas comes from SAP and from healthcare technology, one of the few sectors where the bar on data protection and control is as high as it is in finance. He has shipped enterprise software to hospitals and research institutions and built and run the cloud infrastructure underneath it. Bringing that discipline to a platform spanning fiat, digital assets and local rails across several jurisdictions is exactly the point. This is an infrastructure hire, and infrastructure is what we are building.”

Thomas Holst, Chief Technology Officer, Bloomsbury Money Group, said:

“Most fintechs bolt new products onto an old core. Bloomsbury Money is building the core with the network in mind from day one: multiple currencies, multiple asset types, multiple rails and multiple regulators, all held to the same standard of control. That is a rare engineering brief and it is why I said yes. I spent more than a decade in SAP’s health technology ecosystem in Germany, building products for hospitals and researchers and health data applications and the cloud infrastructure they run on. Both taught me that trust is a technical property. It comes from architecture, testing and auditability, not from a marketing deck. I will bring the same standard here.”

About Bloomsbury Money Group

Bloomsbury Money Group provides multi-currency accounts, spot foreign exchange, cross-border payments, Visa debit cards and regulated virtual asset services to businesses and individuals, with offices in St Helier, Jersey and London. Its regulated business, Bloomsbury Money Jersey Limited, is a money service business and virtual asset service provider regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC registry reference 210054). Bloomsbury Money Group Limited is a Jersey private company (registered number 165853). The group is building a global cross-border network for fiat, digital assets and local payment rails, and trades under the strapline Better Global Banking.

www.bloomsburymoney.com

Forward-looking statements

This announcement contains some forward-looking statements about Bloomsbury Money Group’s strategy, plans and intended products, including the development of its platform, the extension of its services into additional jurisdictions. These statements reflect current intentions and expectations and are subject to regulatory approvals, technical development, market conditions and other factors outside the group’s control. They are not a guarantee of future performance or of the availability of any product or service in any jurisdiction, and the group undertakes no obligation to update them.

Media contacts: Bloomsbury Money Press Office
Email: press@bloomsburymoney.com
Website: www.bloomsburymoney.com

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SOURCE Bloomsbury Money

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