Equinixreported a 10% rise in first-quarter revenue to $2.44 billion and lifted its2026 guidance, with the data center operator citing record bookings andaccelerating demand from AI customers as the backbone of the result.Singapore Summit: Meet the largestAPAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)Margins Widen as BookingsHit RecordThe RedwoodCity-based REIT, which runs colocation facilities widely used by exchanges,market makers and interdealer brokers, posted net income of $415 million forthe quarter ended March 31, up 21% year over year. Operatingincome climbed 26% to $577 million, and adjusted EBITDA rose 17% to $1.245billion, with margin reaching 51%, the company said.Annualizedgross bookings hit $378 million, presales reached a record $140 million, andAFFO crossed the $1 billion mark for the first time, at $10.79 per share. The printlanded during a busy week for first-quarter earnings across firms that rely onEquinix-style colocation, including New York market maker Virtu Financial, which nearlydoubled its first-quarter net income to $346.6 million on a 34% jump in trading income.Q1 2026 Key Performance IndicatorsAI Workloads Now DriveMost Large DealsAbout 60%of Equinix's largest deals during the quarter were tied to AI, the companysaid, with eight of the ten largest AI model providers and four of the top fiveso-called neoclouds expanding their footprints with the operator. Equinixalso rolled out Fabric Intelligence, which it said embeds AI directly into itsnetwork to optimize performance, and a Distributed AI Hub for connectingcustomers to GPU clouds, model companies and data platforms.CEO AdaireFox-Martin pointed to "robust customer demand for our AI, cloud andnetworking solutions" as the basis for the raised 2026 outlook. Theacceleration in AI traffic comes alongside a broader pickup in electronictrading volumes running through the same colocation footprint, with Tradeweb's Q1 net income climbing39% to $233 million on record $3.3 trillion average daily volume.A Strong Quarter Acrossthe Trading StackThemomentum extended beyond US venues. Polish broker XTB added 370,000 new clients andposted estimated Q1 net profit of PLN 535 million, up 176% year over year, with operating incomerising 88.5% to PLN 1.09 billion. Swissinterdealer broker Compagnie Financière Traditioncontinued its growth streak, reporting first-quarter revenue up 17.4% atconstant exchange rates to CHF 339.7 million, helped by elevated activity across rates, FXand commodities.Equinixlifted full-year revenue guidance to a range of $10.144 to $10.244 billion,from $10.123 to $10.223 billion previously, reflecting roughly 10 to 11% growthat the midpoint. AdjustedEBITDA guidance was raised to $5.165 to $5.245 billion, with margin expected ataround 51%, while AFFO guidance moved to $4.198 to $4.278 billion.The companyalso flagged a pending acquisition of Nordic operator atNorth, struck jointlywith the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, which Equinix said should closeas immediately accretive to AFFO per share. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.