CI&T Reports 23.2% Growth in Q1 2026 and Transforms Pricing Model with AI
The Brazilian consultancy listed on the NYSE reported revenue of $136.6 million in the first quarter of 2026. Twenty percent of new sales for the period have already adopted outcome-based pricing models, and 100% of the pipeline is related to AI projects.
Quarterly Numbers
CI&T (NYSE: CINT) announced its fiscal first-quarter results on May 11, 2026, with revenue of $136.6 million, an increase of 23.2% compared to $110.9 million in the same period of 2025. On a constant currency basis, growth was 15.5%.
Adjusted EBITDA reached $20.8 million, with a margin of 15.2%, a decrease from 17.7% in Q1 2025. The adjusted net profit was $10.2 million, representing a year-on-year growth of 6.2%.
The Most Important Signal: Outcome-based Pricing
The figure of greatest interest to the consultancy market is not revenue, but the ongoing change in the business model. Twenty percent of new sales for the quarter were closed using structures based on output, consumption, or results tied to AI productivity, moving away from the traditional time-and-materials model.
CEO Cesar Gon stated that these new contracts have the potential to increase margins by three or four to ten or fifteen percentage points. The temporary decline in margin in Q1 is interpreted by the company as a transition cost to a structurally more profitable model.
100% AI Pipeline
The total value of the business pipeline grew by 30% compared to the previous year. The company claims that 100% of open opportunities are related to AI deployment projects. CEO Cesar Gon summarised the moment by stating that clients are moving from the experimentation phase to rebuilding their technological foundations with AI at the centre.
Performance by Geography
The company's top ten accounts grew by an aggregate of 18.9%.
Headcount and Team Profile
At the end of Q1 2026, CI&T had 8,015 professionals, an increase of 8.3% compared to the same period the previous year. The average number of AI builders in the quarter was 6,600 professionals, up 13.3% year-on-year. The voluntary turnover rate was 10.3%.
Upward Revised Guidance
The company raised its revenue guidance for the full year 2026 to a range of $556 million to $575 million, representing organic growth of between 13.5% and 17.5%. For Q2 2026, the projection is a minimum revenue of $140 million, a year-on-year growth of 19.5%. The projected Adjusted EBITDA margin for the year is between 17% and 19%.
Implications for the Consultancy Sector
The transition of 20% of new sales to outcome-based pricing models is a concrete benchmark for the sector. Consultancies still operating 100% on time-and-materials are facing dual pressure: clients beginning to demand outcome-based contracts and competitors who already possess the capability to execute them. CI&T achieved double-digit revenue growth while simultaneously reducing margins, indicating that the transition cost of model is real and needs to be planned in advance.