Strong Profitability Metrics and EPS Growth
Reported EPS of $1.41 (reference to quarter stated on call) with year-over-year EPS growth of 18%. First quarter ROE was 35.1% and ROA was 2.57%, demonstrating high profitability and capital efficiency.
Revenue and Fintech GDV Growth
Total revenue (fee + spread) grew 15% year-over-year. Fintech gross dollar volume (GDV) grew 18% year-over-year, underscoring continued fintech momentum and higher fee opportunity.
Rapid Loan Growth and Credit Sponsorship Expansion
Ending loans were $7.75 billion, representing 9% non-annualized linked-quarter growth and 22% year-over-year growth. Credit sponsorship balances increased to approximately $1.65 billion (reported also ~ $1.67B in Q&A), a ~50% non-annualized increase versus Q4 2025, and accounted for ~88% of linked-quarter loan growth.
Deposit Funding and Off-Balance Sheet Deposit Expansion
Average deposits grew 9% non-annualized linked quarter and fully funded the loan growth; average deposit cost fell to 1.7% (down 7 bps Q/Q and 53 bps YoY). Off-balance-sheet deposits rose to $1.34 billion from $850 million in Q4 and $793 million a year ago, supporting liquidity and partnership-based funding.
Improvement in Asset Quality Metrics
Criticized assets (substandard + special mention) declined from $194.5M to $163.1M, a 16% quarter-over-quarter reduction. REBL criticized loans fell $24M, or 29% Q/Q, to $59M and are down 75% over the last 18 months. Excluding fintech credit sponsorship loans, the traditional lending portfolio produced a provision reversal of $1.3M.
Fintech Fee Mix and Noninterest Income Improvement
Fintech fee revenue represented 29% of the mix (up from 27% prior quarter). Noninterest income mix (excluding credit enhancement) increased to 33% from 30% in the prior quarter and 29% a year ago, reflecting growing fee diversification.
Capital Return and Forward Guidance Maintained
Management maintained 2026 EPS guidance of $5.90 (with $1.75 targeted for Q4) and provided 2027 EPS guidance of $8.10 to $8.30. Share repurchases projected at $200 million for 2026 ($50M per quarter) and buybacks targeted at near 100% of net income in 2027, signaling strong capital return commitment.
Progress on New Fintech Initiatives
Launched the new 'Cash at' program (expected to ramp through 2026-2027) and the embedded finance platform is near completion of its first operational use case with at least one partner announcement planned in 2026; management reiterated plans for at least two additional significant program launches in 2026 (timing partner-dependent).