Newtek Bank expands connected banking capabilities across leading accounting and Business applications. By GlobeNewswire September 28, 2026 Newtek Advantage(R) Integrates Banking, Payments, Payroll and Business Information into a More Connected Customer Experience BOCA RATON, Fla., Sept. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - NewtekOne, Inc. (NASDAQ: NEWT) ("NewtekOne" or the "Company") announced today that its bank subsidiary, Newtek Bank, N.A. ("Newtek Bank"), has expanded connectivity between Newtek Bank accounts and the accounting and business applications independent business owners rely on to manage their businesses. Newtek Bank now integrates with Sage, Xero, FreshBooks, Restaurant365 and other leading applications, building on its existing connectivity with QuickBooks and broadening the digital ecosystem available through Newtek Advantage(R). This expanded connectivity is designed to make business banking integrated with the systems customers already use to track financial performance, reconcile transactions and manage day-to-day operations. By connecting with QuickBooks, Sage, Xero and FreshBooks, Newtek Bank can integrate with accounting platforms representing approximately 85% of the U.S. small-business accounting software market. Additional supported applications include 1-800Accountant, Expensify, AppFolio, BILL and others. Newtek Advantage(R), the Company's internally developed and patent-pending online business portal, serves as the central customer experience for Newtek Bank and NewtekOne's broader suite of business solutions. Through Newtek Advantage(R), independent business owners can access their Newtek Bank relationship, view banking information, monitor real-time payment activity and connect more of their financial data in a single portal. The enhanced application connectivity complements NewtekOne's integrated approach to business financial services. Customers using Newtek Real-Time Payment Solutions can accept credit card, debit card and ACH payments, with merchant processing proceeds settling directly into their Newtek Bank account the same day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Customers using Newtek Payroll have the ability to fund and execute payroll the same day. Together, these capabilities help connect transactional banking, payments and payroll information with many of the accounting and business applications customers use to operate their businesses. Barry Sloane, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of NewtekOne, commented, "Independent business owners increasingly expect their bank to work inside the digital systems they use to run their businesses. By expanding Newtek Bank's connectivity with QuickBooks, Sage, Xero, FreshBooks, Restaurant365 and other applications, we are making banking information more connected to our customers' daily workflows." "The Newtek Advantage(R) brings more of the customer relationship into one connected experience. Business owners can access banking information, view real-time payment activity, settle merchant processing proceeds directly into Newtek Bank, fund and execute payroll the same day and connect all of that information with the accounting and business applications they already use. We believe this is an important step in advancing connected business banking for independent business owners." "These capabilities also complement Newtek Zero-Fee Business Banking(TM), which is truly a 'no fee' bank account - no monthly service fees, no transaction fees, no ACH fees, no wire fees, no overdraft fees and no minimum balance requirement - that also pays a competitive rate of interest on checking balances." Mr. Sloane concluded, "We have built a differentiated, technology-enabled financial services ecosystem that helps independent business owners grow revenue, reduce expense, and reduce risk." About NewtekOne, Inc. NewtekOne(R), Your Business Solutions Company(R), is a financial holding company, which along with its bank and non-bank consolidated subsidiaries (collectively, "NewtekOne"), provides a wide range of business and financial solutions under the Newtek(R) brand to independent business owners. Since 1999, NewtekOne has provided state-of-the-art, cost-efficient products and services and efficient business strategies to independent business owners across all 50 states to help them grow their sales, control their expenses, and reduce their risk. NewtekOne's and its subsidiaries' business and financial solutions include: Banking (Newtek Bank, N.A.),Business Lending,SBA Lending Solutions,Electronic Payment Processing,Accounts Receivable Financing & Inventory Financing,Insurance Solutions and Payroll and Benefits Solutions. In addition, NewtekOne offers its clients the Technology Solutions (Cloud Computing, Data Backup, Storage and Retrieval, IT Consulting and Web Services) provided by Intelligent Protection Management Corp. (IPM.com) Newtek(R), NewtekOne(R), Newtek Bank(R), National Association, Your Business Solutions Company(R), One Solution for All Your Business Needs(R) and Newtek Advantage(R) are registered trademarks of NewtekOne, Inc. Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the rules and regulations of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are based on the current beliefs and expectations of NewtekOne's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. See "Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and the sections entitled "Risk Factors" in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available on NewtekOne's website (https://investor.newtekbusinessservices.com/sec-filings) and on the Securities and Exchange Commission's website (www.sec.gov). Any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of NewtekOne speak only as of the date they are made, and NewtekOne does not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect the impact of circumstances or events that arise after the date the forward-looking statements were made. Investor Relations & Public Relations

FreshBooks Connects to Anthropic MCP to Give SMBs Open AI Optionality. FreshBooks, the leading provider of cloud accounting software, revealed that it has launched a huge functional extension of its financial management platform, enabling open artificial intelligence optionality of small business owners and sole entrepreneurs by native connectivity with the Anthropic's Model Context Protocol (MCP). From employing the open source protocol, FreshBooks allows enterprise and sole entrepreneur clients to interface their accounting data securely with their selected AI models and applications dissociation from the vendor, plus the full data protection and operationhs control. The administration of business finances continues to be a universal administrative overhead for standalone operators, microbusiness, and emerging service companies. Proprietary AI software tools frequently provide a cottage-industry of isolated automation features, yet a small business customer commonly experiences disjointed computing environments and the limitations on data portability. FreshBooks' integration with Anthropic's open MCP framework resolves these structural barriers by establishing a standardized, secure bridge between enterprise financial records and external AI assistants. Unlocking open financial intelligence via Model Context Protocol. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that ensures secure access for artificial intelligence algorithms from external data repositories and applications' API systems. With the help of the mentioned protocol, FreshBooks users can provide their AI assistants with secure read-only access to accounting streams such as invoices, expenses, and cash flows without sharing sensitive information with any third-party systems. Key technical and operational benefits of the FreshBooks MCP integration include: Model Agnostic Flexibility: Allows entrepreneurs to connect their FreshBooks financial data to any AI model or assistant supporting the open MCP standard, avoiding restrictive single-vendor ecosystems. Granular User-Controlled Access: Gives business owners total sovereignty over their financial records, featuring permission-based access rules that determine exactly what data an external AI tool can view. Streamlined Financial Analysis: Enables conversational AI queries regarding profit margins, outstanding invoices, recurring expenses, and seasonal revenue patterns using natural language. Secure Data Transmission Protocols: Employs high-grade encryption and standardized API authentication to safeguard confidential small business records during AI interactions. Automated Workflow Synchronization: Connects financial data smoothly into broader operational workflows, reducing manual data entry for independent service providers. Redefining financial management for independent businesses. Through the adoption of open standards rather than closed app stores, FreshBooks further asserts its position in favor of owner operated businesses who use flexible, modern tools. The implementation enables solopreneurs, freelancers, and small business managers to personalize modern AI to fit their business needs, boost operational speed, reduce cost confusion and retain full control over their commercial data.

FreshBooks announced it is integrating Anthropic's Model Context Protocol (MCP) Connector, allowing small business owners to incorporate AI into their financial workflows. The integration enables users to connect their FreshBooks account through Claude's connector store in approximately 30 seconds. According to a FreshBooks survey of over 600 customers, 60% of small business owners currently use AI, though primarily for marketing, design, and customer service rather than financial management. Of customers using AI, 72% already use Claude. The integration allows business owners to query financial data and automate administrative tasks whilst maintaining control over data access. Users can ask questions about their finances and receive real-time insights without requiring financial expertise or external support. FreshBooks CEO Shaheen Javadizadeh stated the integration addresses existing practices where customers download reports and paste them into AI chatbots without proper security measures, providing a more controlled alternative.