Spice Factory Selected for the 'Financial Times Ranking: High-Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2026' Top 500 for the Third Consecutive Year

Spice Factory Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Hironosuke Takagi; hereinafter "the Company"), which supports digital transformation, has been selected for the Financial Times Ranking: High-Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2026, conducted jointly by the UK's Financial Times and Germany's Statista, marking its third consecutive year in the top 500.

[Overall] Ranked 303rd in Asia-Pacific / 41st in Japan; [IT & Software Sector] Ranked 60th in Asia-Pacific / 15th in Japan.

This ranking is based on revenue growth rates, and being selected for three consecutive years demonstrates the Company's continuous growth. This success is underpinned by the enhancement of customer value through the company-wide utilization of generative AI.

Furthermore, the Company is reinvesting in further growth while returning the fruits of its success to employees, such as by implementing salary increases to mark its 10th anniversary.

<Spice Factory Inc. Ranking Details>

2026 (Reference: 2025) [Overall] Asia-Pacific: 303rd / 500 companies (Asia-Pacific: 248th / 500 companies) Japan: 41st / 82 companies (Japan: 30th / 91 companies)

[IT & Software Sector] Asia-Pacific: 60th / 107 companies (Asia-Pacific: 72nd / 134 companies) Japan: 15th / 27 companies (Japan: 12th / 30 companies)

Related Information: Spice Factory selected for the 'High-Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2025' top 500 for the second consecutive year Spice Factory selected for the 'High-Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2024' top 500

Value Creation and Growth Through Company-Wide Generative AI Utilization The Company positions generative AI as a core area for accelerating business transformation and value creation for client companies, and has promoted its use across the entire organization. As a result, the Company has achieved a 100% internal utilization rate of generative AI tools.

We continue to advance our use of generative AI, and in March 2026, we launched 'Spice AI Enablement,' a corporate talent development service. Early adopters have reported a satisfaction rating of 4.6 (out of 5.0).

Salary Increases and Continuous Returns Supporting Growth To mark our 10th anniversary, we implemented a base salary increase of 5,000 yen per month per employee. Following similar actions the year before last, we are continuing to provide base salary increases, returning the results of our growth to our employees.

Additionally, we anticipate an average company-wide salary increase of approximately 9.26% or more in 2026*1 (an annual salary increase of approximately 180,000 yen or more*2), creating a virtuous cycle of growth and reinvestment.

*1 The salary increase rate is calculated based on the Company's salary data, with reference to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's 'Basic Survey on Wage Structure.' *2 The annual salary increase amount is an estimate calculated based on the above increase rate.

Related Information: Spice Factory launches 'Spice AI Enablement,' a solution to support corporate AI self-sufficiency Spice Factory Inc., 10th Anniversary Implemented an average monthly salary increase of over 11%. Supporting asset formation for all employees through the introduction of a corporate DC plan.

About the Financial Times Ranking: High-Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2026 Now in its 8th year, the 'High-Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2026' ranking is a survey conducted jointly by the Financial Times, a leading UK economic newspaper under the Nikkei Inc. umbrella, and Statista, a German provider of statistical research data, to identify companies that have contributed most significantly to economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region.

The survey covers companies headquartered in 14 Asia-Pacific regions (Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam), and ranks the top 500 based on revenue growth from 2021 to 2024.

<Selection Criteria> - Revenue of at least 100,000 USD in 2021 - Revenue of at least 1 million USD in 2024 - An independent company (not a subsidiary or branch of another company) - Headquarters located in one of the target countries/regions in the Asia-Pacific - Revenue growth between 2021 and 2024 primarily driven by organic growth (growth from internal business, not M&A, etc.)

▼ High-Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2026 Ranking Details https://www.ft.com/content/c5a3ba72-0333-4830-8280-6bd1592e1f85

Comment from CEO Hironosuke Takagi I am very pleased that we have been selected for this ranking for the third consecutive year. This is a result of our continuous growth and the achievements of our team members who work hard every day to create value.

We have promoted the company-wide use of generative AI to increase the value we provide to our client companies. I believe these efforts have led to our business growth.

Furthermore, we are reinvesting in further growth while returning the fruits of our success to our employees, such as by implementing salary increases to mark our 10th anniversary.

We will continue to contribute to society through sustained growth and value creation.