Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - For the full year 2025, the company achieved net revenues of $5.2 billion, an increase of 12% year-over-year [6][24] - Solutions revenue grew 11% to $4 billion, representing 76% of total net revenue [23] - Annual operating income was $2.9 billion, up 16%, with diluted EPS growth of 24% [6][24] - Fourth quarter net revenue was $1.4 billion, up 13% year-over-year, with solutions revenue of $1.1 billion, up 12% [7][24] - Operating expenses for the fourth quarter were $609 million, up 8% year-over-year, leading to an operating margin of 56% [7][36] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Capital access platforms delivered quarterly revenue of $572 million, up 12%, with annual revenue of $2.1 billion, up 10% [25] - Index revenue increased by 23% in the fourth quarter, with net inflows of $99 billion over the last 12 months [26] - Financial technology revenue in the quarter was $498 million, up 12%, with annual revenue of $1.85 billion, up 11% [29] - Market services achieved record annual net revenue of $1.2 billion, up 17% year-over-year [19][32] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company secured three of the five top IPOs of 2025, including the largest IPO of the year, Medline [11] - The Nordic markets welcomed the largest IPO in Europe, Verisure, contributing to strong performance in the region [11] - The index franchise achieved record average AUM, with ETP AUM reaching $882 billion, an all-time high [14] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company focuses on three strategic pillars: integrate, innovate, and accelerate, which have driven strong results [8] - Plans to launch 23x5 trading in the Nasdaq Stock Market in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory approval [9] - The company aims to leverage AI across its business and has begun rolling out new AI-enabled products [8][9] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the company's ability to build on its strong foundation and deliver durable growth in 2026 [21] - The company sees signs of accelerating capital markets activity, supported by recent Fed cuts and a healthy pipeline of late-stage private companies [12] - Management highlighted the importance of managing risk and advancing market structure as key industry priorities [20] Other Important Information - The company generated free cash flow of approximately $2.2 billion in 2025, with a conversion ratio of 109% [37] - The company paid dividends totaling $601 million in 2025 and repurchased 7.2 million shares for $616 million [38] Q&A Session Summary Question: Expectations for expanded options expirations and market volumes - Management noted that expanded options expirations provide clients with more choices for managing risk and are expected to drive market volumes [39][40] Question: Growth in equity options volumes and structural shifts - Management indicated that growth in equity options volumes is driven by a broadening investor base and increased engagement from both retail and institutional investors [42][44] Question: Pipeline and pace expectations for the data and listing segment - Management highlighted momentum in new issuances and active dialogue with late-stage private companies looking to go public, with expectations for increased activity in 2026 [45][46] Question: Outlook for financial crime management growth - Management discussed the variability in revenue due to implementation timing for enterprise deals but expressed optimism about the pipeline of opportunities in 2026 [47][49] Question: Nasdaq's ambitions in the proxy market - Management emphasized the focus on policy reform and modernization of proxy infrastructure to streamline processes for public companies [58] Question: Tokenization of equity securities - Management explained that the goal is to integrate tokenization with existing infrastructure while ensuring investor protection and issuer choice [60][62]

Core Insights - Nasdaq Verafin has launched the Agentic AI Workforce, a suite of digital workers aimed at automating anti-money laundering (AML) compliance processes, enhancing banks' ability to combat financial crime [1][3][6] - A survey indicated that 75% of financial professionals increased headcount investment for financial crime prevention, yet nearly half reported insufficient resources and technology [2] - The Digital Sanctions Analyst and Digital EDD Analyst are key components of the Agentic AI Workforce, designed to streamline compliance tasks and significantly reduce operational burdens [4][5] Group 1: Product Launch and Features - The Agentic AI Workforce will automate low-value, high-volume compliance processes, allowing banks to focus on more complex investigations [1][3] - The Digital Sanctions Analyst can reduce alert review workload by over 80%, addressing the challenge of false positive alerts in sanctions compliance [4] - The Digital EDD Analyst automates periodic EDD reviews, enabling banks to efficiently handle low-risk cases and meet regulatory requirements [5] Group 2: Industry Context and Challenges - Financial institutions face increasing compliance challenges due to evolving regulations and legacy technology, necessitating innovative solutions [3][7] - The financial services industry is under pressure to enhance operational efficiency while maintaining robust compliance operations amid sophisticated threats [7] - The introduction of digital workforce solutions like the Agentic AI Workforce represents a transformative shift in how compliance teams allocate their time and resources [7] Group 3: Adoption and Impact - Since the rollout of the GenAI Entity Research Copilot, over 1,300 clients have utilized Nasdaq Verafin's integrated capabilities to streamline investigations [6] - The Agentic AI Workforce is expected to deliver significant efficiency gains, allowing compliance teams to focus on serious financial crimes such as human trafficking and drug trafficking [3][6]