Boosted by a one-off gain, Singtel has reported earnings of $2.88 billion for its 1QFY2026, up 317.4% y-o-y but in constant currency terms, up 319.7%.
If the exceptional gains of $2.2 billion from the partial trimming of its stake in Airtel and the merger of two related entities in Thailand are excluded, Singtel's underlying net profit was up 16.7% y-o-y to $686 million.
Optus, the Australia unit, and NCS, the regional IT services subsidiary, realised further EBIT improvements year on year. Its Thailand and India-based associates AIS and Airtel lifted regional associate contributions too.
Operating revenue for the same quarter ended June was down 0.6% y-o-y to $3.39 billion, but up 2.9% in constant currency terms.
Singtel derives a big chunk of its revenue from Optus. The Australian dollar depreciated by 7% in the period. Fluctuations in other regional currencies affected the numbers reported in the Singdollar as well.
Group CEO Yuen Kuan Moon calls the 1QFY2026 numbers a "strong set" of results, despite ongoing macroeconomic uncertainties and currency fluctuations.
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In line with Singtel's ongoing capital recycling strategy, it has also trimmed a 1.2% stake in Airtel, taking advantage of a buoyant stock market in India.
"With our momentum in business performance and capital recycling, we are on track to deliver on our goals and accelerate growth in the second year of our Singtel28 plan.
This current FY2026, Yuen expects the company's data centre business to be another bright spot with the completion of Nxera’s data centres in Thailand and Singapore.
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"We remain focused on solid execution and operating discipline to drive sustainable growth," he says.
Singtel shares closed at $3.92 on Aug 12, down 0.25% for the day but up 26.86% year to date.
