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Affirm Holdings, Inc. (AFRM)·Q1 2026 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Revenue and profitability outperformed: Revenue rose 34% YoY to $933.3M, operating margin reached 6.8% (vs. -19.0% LY), and adjusted operating margin expanded to 28.3%; GMV grew 42% to $10.8B and RLTC hit 4.2% of GMV .
- Versus Wall Street consensus, Affirm delivered a revenue beat and mixed EPS/EBITDA: Revenue $933.3M vs. $880.6M consensus; Primary EPS 0.608 actual vs. 0.616 consensus; EBITDA $137.0M actual vs. $221.8M consensus (S&P Global) (*Values retrieved from S&P Global).
- Notable strategic catalysts: extended U.S. Amazon agreement through January 2031 and amended warrant terms; executed largest ABS deal ($1.1B) at the lowest WA yield since FY’22; expanded capital partnerships (New York Life) and PSP distribution (Worldpay for Platforms) .
- Guidance raised: FY26 GMV raised to >$47.5B (from >$46B) and FY26 operating margin to >7.5% (from >6%); Q2 FY26 guide implies continued strength with revenue $1.03–$1.06B and adjusted OM 28–30% .
- Execution drivers: strong 0% APR product momentum (monthly 0% GMV +74% YoY), Affirm Card acceleration (Card GMV +135% YoY; active cardholders +500k QoQ to 2.8M), and funding costs tailwind (avg funding cost 6.7%) .
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
What Went Well
- Record GMV and accelerating profitability: GMV $10.8B (+42% YoY), operating income $63.7M vs. $(132.6)M LY; adjusted operating income $263.9M (28.3% margin) .
- Strategic wins and distribution expansion: extended Amazon through January 2031; expanded PSP reach via Worldpay for Platforms to >1,000 SaaS platforms; added $500M forward-flow capacity and upsized warehouses .
- Card and 0% APR momentum: Card GMV $1.4B (+135% YoY); active cardholders reached 2.8M; 0% APR monthly GMV +74% YoY; “0% Days” promo to drive merchant-funded offers .
- Quote: “Earlier this week, we extended our U.S. agreement with Amazon for an additional five years through January 2031.” — Max Levchin .
What Went Wrong
- Revenue yield pressure: Revenue as % of GMV fell 52 bps YoY to 8.7% due to shorter-duration 0% monthly loans and mix shift to D2C/Card; interest income as % of GMV declined 74 bps with more loan sales and higher 0% mix .
- Seasonal uptick in delinquency QoQ: 30+ day delinquencies (ex-Peloton & Pay in X) rose 45 bps QoQ (still -4 bps YoY), reflecting seasonality; allowance for credit losses increased to 5.9% of LHI vs. 5.6% QoQ .
- Enterprise partner headwind: one large merchant substantially completed shifting Pay Later volumes to its own wallet in FQ1’26, tempering future concentration benefits .
Financial Results
Core P&L and Unit Economics (Oldest → Newest)
Q1 2026 vs. Wall Street Consensus (S&P Global)
Values retrieved from S&P Global.
Revenue Composition (Oldest → Newest)
KPIs and Platform Metrics (Oldest → Newest)
Guidance Changes
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- “This one was really great… Earlier this week, we extended our U.S. agreement with Amazon for an additional five years through January 2031.” — Max Levchin .
- “We are expanding relationships… increasing their exposure to Affirm while continuing to scale our ABS program… what we produce is… highly valued in the debt capital market.” — Management on ABS execution .
- “We’re really focused on 4% being an upper bound for revenue-less transaction cost take rates… long-term, we think 3 to 4% is the right range.” — Management on RLTC philosophy .
- “Card GMV was up 135% year over year, and active cardholders grew another 500 thousand from last quarter to reach 2.8 million.” — Shareholder letter .
- “Funding costs… declining… to 6.7%.” — Shareholder letter .
Q&A Highlights
- Funding execution/ABS markets: Affirm emphasized a “flight to quality” among investors and best-in-class asset performance enabling favorable ABS pricing .
- PSP strategy: Platforms accelerate integrations and open “more doors,” with Affirm aiming to be a default payment option across top PSPs; Worldpay for Platforms integration expands reach materially .
- RLTC target: Company reiterated 3–4% long-term RLTC range and aims to reinvest above-4% levels to expand the network; Q1’s 4.2% aided by lower provisions and funding costs .
- Consumer health: Delinquency trends stable YoY; management monitoring macro signals, noting minimal impact from government shutdown cohort aside from minor demand slowdown .
- Card adoption and underwriting: Cash-flow underwriting helps younger cohorts with thin files; management is deliberately scaling card marketing while enhancing underwriting confidence before broader rollout .
Estimates Context
- Revenue beat: $933.3M actual vs. $880.6M consensus — strong top-line surprise driven by 0% APR adoption, loan sale gains, and servicing scale (S&P Global; actual from filings) .
- EPS mixed: Primary EPS 0.608 actual vs. 0.616 consensus; note GAAP diluted EPS of $0.23 reflects different methodology/reporting basis (S&P Global; filings) .
- EBITDA miss: $137.0M actual vs. $221.8M consensus — driven by lower revenue yield per GMV and elevated opex in tech/data and G&A despite leverage (S&P Global; filings) .
Values retrieved from S&P Global.
Key Takeaways for Investors
- Top-line momentum with disciplined unit economics: despite a 52 bps decline in revenue/GMV from mix effects, RLTC rose 48 bps and margins expanded — a sign of scalable profitability .
- Strategic durability: Amazon renewal through 2031 de-risks a key enterprise relationship; warrant amendments realign incentives post-renewal .
- Funding tailwind: largest-ever $1.1B ABS, lower yields, and added forward-flow/warehouse capacity support growth while lowering average funding costs .
- Product flywheel: accelerated 0% APR adoption and Card growth (attach up to ~12%) deepen consumer engagement and merchant value while improving credit outcomes .
- Guidance reset supports multi-quarter momentum: FY26 GMV and operating margin raised; Q2 guide implies sustained growth and high adjusted margins .
- Watch mix and yield: continued mix shift toward shorter-duration 0% offers and D2C/Card can pressure revenue % of GMV, but is offset by funding/provision improvements and merchant-funded economics .
- Monitor enterprise wallet transition and seasonality: one enterprise partner shifted Pay Later volumes; QoQ delinquency uplift is seasonal — cohorts remain stable (~3.5% monthly, <1% Pay-in-4) .