Kai keeps apps current for the rules that apply to children, teens and adults.
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- k-ID today launched Kai, a self-serve SDK that makes any app age-adaptive. Every app has users of every age, but rules and regulations in a growing number of markets require that a child, a teenager and an adult receive different experiences. Most builders have no way to tell them apart, nor do they have the time and resources to invest. Kai changes all that in a super-streamlined integration that automatically deploys industry-leading age assurance, and then applies kID's age, consent and permission decisions for every user.
"Every app has users of every age, whether the people who built it planned for that or not. Making an app work properly for all of them has required recruiting specialists for months of work, so most apps simply treat everyone the same. Kai puts age-adaptive design within reach of anyone building, with one SDK, and keeps it true as the rules change," said Kieran Donovan, CEO, k-ID.
WHY NOW
Although the cost of developing an app has been steadily declining, shipping one app everywhere has become harder as the rules multiply, market by market. Three things have moved at once.
- Who is using the product. Userbases are growing with more younger users accessing apps, spread across more markets, and tapping into more of what an app can do. The only thing most builders know about them is a self-declared age, and in a growing number of markets that is no longer acceptable. Kai brings in age assurance at the point a feature needs it.
- How products get built. A small team can take an idea to a working app in hours, but cannot buy the specialist knowledge that makes it work for every age in every market, and should be building a product, not compliance infrastructure. A large company has that knowledge and still builds, reviews, takes the comments and rebuilds, because the answer arrives after the code. Kai puts the answer in the same cycle as the code, inside the coding agents builders already use.
- What the rules ask for. The obligation does not stop at the sign-up screen. It covers how the app behaves for each user, feature by feature and market by market. That is age-adaptive design. Kai applies it.
WHAT A BUILDER CAN DO ON DAY ONE
A builder signs up with no sales call and no credit card. They simply register, explain who the app is for, what it does, and add the SDK. Kai turns that into the permissions for each age.
The same build then behaves differently for different users. Chat might need a parent's approval for a twelve-year-old, be open to an adult, and behave differently again for two users of the same age in different markets, without the builder writing separate rules for each one. Any combination can be checked in Test before going live.
Kai applies k-ID's age, consent and permission decisions and shows what it applied. Certification, legal advice and the product itself stay with the builder, along with their privacy policy and terms.
KAI KEEPS UP WITHOUT NEW CODE
Constantly updating an app to account for changes in the law is daunting for any team. k-ID updates the rules behind Kai once it has tested them, and apps get those updates automatically with no new code and nothing for the builder to do.
LAUNCH PARTNERS
Age-adaptive design requires ecosystem participation and support to truly deliver a safer, more age-appropriate internet for everyone. k-ID is proud to partner with AWS, Checkstep, Deloitte, FastSpring, GGWP, Helpshift, Inworld, Modulate, Persona, Privately, Tremau, Veratad and Yes2Games as we bring Kai to builders everywhere.
BUILD FOR EVERYONE
Last week at the Build for Everyone Hackathon, hosted by Google in San Francisco, 15 teams built on Kai across consumer AI, gaming, marketplaces and social and education. The results included apps that taught reading and language or financial literacy with different levels of complexity based on age, created age-adaptive trading card and e-commerce marketplaces or plugins where teens could shop but not complete purchases across the web without parent permission, and an age-adaptive game similar to Pokémon GO where adults were encouraged to make new connections in their local communities but kids played a scavenger hunt within the safety of their own homes. The work was judged by Brian Behlendorf, a founder of Apache and a board member of the Linux Foundation, the Mozilla Foundation and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Jonathan Lai, a partner at Andreessen Horowitz and co-founder of a16z Speedrun. They were joined by Michael Carney of Google's Venture Capital and Private Equity team. To see the age-adaptive creations from Build for Everyone, please visit www.k-id.com/products/kai
Asked about why he was excited for the launch of Kai and the Build for Everyone Hackathon, veteran investor Jonathan Lai from Andreessen Horowitz responded, "Age-adaptive design will be a best practice for app development in the future. Just like how developers today design responsive apps optimized for both desktop and mobile use, developers going forward will design apps that are tailored with different user experiences based on age."
AVAILABILITY
Kai is available to every builder from today, for web, as a JavaScript and React SDK. Builders can sign up online and run a real result in Test immediately. There is no approval queue. Kai is free for the first 10,000 monthly users of each product, every month. Full information and pricing is at k-id.com/products/kai.
ABOUT K-ID
k-ID powers the age-adaptive internet. Its infrastructure lets digital services establish a user's age band and apply the right experiences, protections and compliance requirements in more than 200 markets, with privacy built in. Products include Kai, AgeKit+, the Compliance Development Kit,
AgeKeys and neimo. k-ID was founded in 2023, is headquartered in Singapore and is backed by Andreessen Horowitz and Lightspeed Venture Partners. It was named one of TIME's Best Inventions in 2025. More information is available at k-id.com.
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Building an app has plummeted in cost. Building for everyone everywhere has ballooned. k-ID launches Kai: age-adaptive design as fast as developers can build.
- Consolidated revenues for the first nine months of 2026 reached AED 57.6 billion, an increase of 10.0 per cent YoY
- Consolidated net profit for the first nine months of 2026 reached AED 17.2 billion, up 45.9 per cent YoY
- Group subscriber base reached 254.8 million
- Group marks 50 years by taking the etisalat name forward into a new era of growth
ABU DHABI, UAE, Oct. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- etisalat today announced its Q3 2026 consolidated financial results, reporting consolidated revenue of AED 19.5 billion, growing 6.9 per cent year-over-year (YoY). Consolidated revenues for the first nine months of 2026 reached AED 57.6 billion, up 10.0 per cent YoY. Consolidated net profit in Q3 reached 11.2 billion, while consolidated net profit for the first nine months of 2026 reached AED 17.2 billion, up 45.9 per cent YoY, reinforced by continued progress in building higher-value capabilities across connectivity, sovereign digital infrastructure and AI and by disciplined portfolio management.
In Q3, EBITDA rose by 5.1 per cent YoY, reaching AED 9.0 billion with a margin of 46.1 per cent. For the first nine months of 2026, EBITDA reached AED 26.7 billion, a growth of 10.3 per cent YoY, with a margin of 46.4 per cent.
etisalat's total subscriber base reached 254.8 million in Q3 2026, representing 29.4 per cent YoY growth. In the UAE, subscribers rose 5.2 per cent YoY to 16.5 million, driven by strong demand for advanced digital services and intelligent connectivity.
Financial Highlights
| | Q3 2025 | Q3 2026 | %Change | 9M 2025 | 9M 2026 | %Change |
| Consolidated Revenues | AED 18.2bn | AED 19.5bn | 6.9 % | AED 52.4bn | AED 57.6bn | 10.0 % |
| Consolidated Net Profit* | AED 3.0bn | AED 11.2bn | 276.2 % | AED 11.8bn | AED 17.2bn | 45.9 % |
| EBITDA | AED 8.5bn | AED 9.0bn | 5.1 % | AED 24.2bn | AED 26.7bn | 10.3 % |
| Earnings per Share | AED 0.34 | AED 1.29 | 276.2 % | AED 1.36 | AED 1.98 | 45.9 % |
| Total Group Subscribers | 197.0 million | 254.8 million | 29.4 % | 197.0 million | 254.8 million | 29.4 % |
| etisalat UAE Subscribers | 15.7 million | 16.5 million | 5.2 % | 15.7 million | 16.5 million | 5.2 % |
Q3 2025
Q3 2026
%Change
9M 2025
9M 2026
%Change
Consolidated Revenues
AED 18.2bn
AED 19.5bn
6.9 %
AED 52.4bn
AED 57.6bn
10.0 %
Consolidated Net Profit*
AED 3.0bn
AED 11.2bn
276.2 %
AED 11.8bn
AED 17.2bn
45.9 %
EBITDA
AED 8.5bn
AED 9.0bn
5.1 %
AED 24.2bn
AED 26.7bn
10.3 %
Earnings per Share
AED 0.34
AED 1.29
276.2 %
AED 1.36
AED 1.98
45.9 %
Total Group Subscribers
197.0 million
254.8 million
29.4 %
197.0 million
254.8 million
29.4 %
etisalat UAE Subscribers
15.7 million
16.5 million
5.2 %
15.7 million
16.5 million
5.2 %
- Net Profit adjusted for Vodafone gain in Q3 2026 is AED 3.2bn and EPS AED 0.37
- Net Profit adjusted for Vodafone gain in 9M 2026 is AED 9.2bn and EPS 1.06
The quarter also saw the completion of etisalat's sale of its entire stake in Vodafone Group, generating total consideration of AED 21.9 billion, including the final dividend and gain of approximately AED 8.0 billion. The transaction contributed to the group's financial performance during the quarter, providing additional financial flexibility.
As etisalat marks its 50th anniversary, it has set out a new vision to become a leading AI-powered and enabling telco and moved forward under the etisalat name, symbolising the central role of connectivity in the AI era. This ambition builds on the capabilities developed across digital services, cloud, cybersecurity, AI, infrastructure and fintech, bringing them into sharper focus around our strong telecommunications foundation with AI at its core.
Building on UAE's ambition to become a global hub for advanced technology and AI, etisalat plans to expand its international connectivity capacity to more than 500 terabits per second (Tbps) by 2030, an increase of over twenty-five times of the current capacity, in addition to developing diverse routes designed to enhance connectivity efficiency and reliability, delivering advanced, low-latency performance. This reiterates the importance of the digital infrastructure as a fundamental pillar for supporting emerging technologies and enabling a knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy.
Masood M. Sharif Mahmood, Group CEO of etisalat, said: "Our performance in Q3 2026 underscores the resilience of our business model and the discipline with which we are turning growth opportunities into tangible results. Consolidated revenue reached AED 19.5 billion, an increase of 6.9 per cent YoY, while EBITDA reached AED 9.0 billion, up 5.1 per cent, with an EBITDA margin of 46.1 per cent. These results reflect the strength of our core connectivity business and the discipline of our execution. Combined with our focus, these strengths underpin our confidence in our ability to excel and create long-term value to our stakeholders"
Masood added: "Over the past several years, etisalat has built an integrated portfolio of broad range of advanced capabilities across AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity, digital services, and fintech. Today, as AI is integrated more deeply into core enterprise and government operations, the foundational connectivity, compute, and secure infrastructure powering it become more critical. With the group firmly establishing itself as a key enabler, we will continue to provide the secure digital infrastructure and ultra-fast connectivity that power this wide-reaching transformation."
He continued: "This gives the etisalat brand, which means 'communications', a renewed purpose with a new and deeper meaning. Connectivity is no longer just about moving data, for us. It is about enabling the modern digital economy by building and operating the infrastructure and intelligent platforms that will define the future."
Masood concluded: "etisalat has proven its ability to create sustainable value and to translate technological progress into direct, tangible commercial and economic impact. Building on decades of strategic achievements, enduring customer relationships, strong operational efficiency and infrastructure designed for maximum readiness and reliability, we remain focused on enabling the networks of the future, anchoring the region's digital economies, and cementing the UAE's position at the heart of the global digital economy. As etisalat embarks on its next fifty years journey, we renew our commitment to build on the UAE leadership's forward-looking vision and to continue investing with full confidence to compete and lead on the global scale."
Contact
Nancy Sudheer
nsudheer@etisalat.ae
** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **
etisalat achieves record 9M 2026 performance as consolidated net profit rises 46% YoY to AED 17.2 billion
etisalat achieves record 9M 2026 performance as consolidated net profit rises 46% YoY to AED 17.2 billion
