The ANZ arm of Meta has heralded the tech giant’s AI investments as key to driving growth for both the business and its partners, following Meta Platforms Q1 2026 results.
Meta ANZ Managing Director Will Easton said the company’s latest AI rollouts – including Muse Spark and Meta AI for Business – are reshaping how advertisers manage campaigns, optimise performance and engage customers, with further integration to come.
“With the upcoming open beta of Meta ads AI connectors, ANZ advertisers will be able to connect their Meta account directly to any AI agent for campaign analysis and optimisation,” he said.
The comments position Australia and New Zealand as a key market for Meta’s next phase of AI-led ad tools, as the company reported revenue of $56.3 billion for the March quarter, up 33% year-on-year, with advertising continuing to underpin growth.
Will Easton, Managing Director, Meta ANZ
Revenue surges as ad pricing and volume climb
Globally, Meta reported total revenue of $A79 billion for the March quarter, up 33% year-on-year, with advertising continuing to dominate performance.
Family of Apps advertising revenue reached A$77.24 billion, also up 33%, as both pricing and volume increased.
Ad impressions across Meta’s platforms rose 19% year-on-year, while the average price per ad increased 12%, reflecting continued demand from advertisers.
Other revenue within the Family of Apps segment grew 74% to $1,242.84 million, driven primarily by WhatsApp paid messaging and subscription products.
AI tools move into workflow integration
In ANZ, Meta is pushing deeper integration of AI into campaign workflows by launching its ads AI connectors in open beta.
The product allows advertisers to connect their Meta accounts directly to AI tools for campaign creation, analysis and optimisation without requiring developer credentials or API setup.
Powered by Meta’s ads MCP server, the connector provides access to campaign performance data, audience insights and catalogue management, and is designed to integrate with existing AI tools used by marketers.
The connectors sit alongside Meta AI for Business, which provides campaign recommendations, issue resolution and performance guidance across Ads Manager and other surfaces.
User growth steady despite regional disruptions
Meta reported daily active people (DAP) of 3.56 billion for March, up 4% year-on-year.
However, the figure declined slightly quarter-on-quarter, which the company attributed to internet disruptions in Iran and restrictions on access to WhatsApp in Russia.
Profit and outlook
Net income rose 61% year-on-year to A$37.64 billion, with operating income up 30% to A$32.16 billion.
Meta said it expects second-quarter revenue to be in the range of A$81.45 billion to A$85.66 billion.
The company also increased its full-year capital expenditure forecast to between A$175.54 billion and A$203.63 billion, citing higher component pricing and additional data centre investment.
Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said: “We had a milestone quarter with strong momentum across our apps and the release of our first model from Meta Superintelligence Labs. We’re on track to deliver personal superintelligence to billions of people.”
Meta flagged ongoing regulatory scrutiny, particularly in the U.S. and Europe, including trials related to youth safety that could impact its business and financial results.