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Aslan Research · Cloud & platforms

ORACLE CORP (ORCL)

Data as of 2026-08-21 · 28 quarters · filed in USD

Backlog stands at $638.0 billion, or 9.5x one year of revenue. That contracted work is far larger than the $67.4 billion trailing-year revenue base, while revenue growth was 0% per year and expenses grew 8%.

Revenue, last 12 mo $67B to 2026-05-31
Spend, last 12 mo $48B cost + R&D + admin + tax
Debt they report $7.2B balance-sheet borrowings
Money promised $37B debt + leases + purchases
Unrealized revenue $15B + $638B signed backlog
Due in next 5 years $111B the obligation wall

Earned, collected early, and merely signed

signed backlogrevenue (qtr)deferredQ3 '19Q2 '21Q1 '23Q3 '24Q2 '26$335B$670B

Reports $7.2B of debt; has promised $37B

Leases make up $30.2 billion of the $37.4 billion total committed, compared with $7.2 billion of reported debt. Total committed obligations were 5.2x reported debt.

promisedreported debtQ3 '19Q2 '21Q1 '23Q3 '24Q2 '26$20B$39B

What the promised total is made of, latest quarter

debtleasespurchase deals
today
19%
81%

Spending, by reported line

Cost of revenueR&DSelling & adminTax
2020
35%
54%
11%
2021
44%
61%
2022
41%
53%
2023
44%
53%
2024
45%
49%
2025
45%
47%
2026
45%
44%
11%

When the promises come due

The largest near-term wall is $110.7 billion due over the next 5 years, against $15.4 billion of deferred revenue and $638.0 billion of backlog. Another $114.2 billion falls after year 5 without a dated payment year.

$111Bnext 5 years$0years 5–10$0beyond 10$114Bafter yr 5, undated

The rates that matter

Revenue growth /yr -0% 2020-Q2 → 2026-Q2
Expense growth /yr 8%
Promised money /yr 54%
Reported debt /yr 20%
Deferred revenue /yr 5%
Quarters re-stated 6 of 28 by cited reconciliation

Expenses as filed vs after cited reconciliation

$14Bfiled2019$14Breality2019$20Bfiled2020$18Breality2020$22Bfiled2021$22Breality2021$26Bfiled2022$26Breality2022$38Bfiled2023$37Breality2023$40Bfiled2024$39Breality2024$44Bfiled2025$43Breality2025$27Bfiled2026$27Breality2026

8 patterns worth a second look

Additional operating lease commitments not recorded on the balance sheets reached $248 billion at November 30, 2025, far above the $6.6 billion of lease commitments entered into after the period in a recent disclosure. A related-party exposure also stands out: a substantial majority of non-marketable investments involved a related-party entity, alongside continuing investments in Ampere. The remaining-performance-obligations disclosure changed its recognition horizon and allocation across filings.

off balance sheet · 2

The filings report rapidly increasing additional operating lease commitments that were not recorded on the balance sheets, including $248 billion at November 30, 2025.

The filings report guarantees of lessor borrowings associated with leases, increasing from $2.2 billion to $3.3 billion.

one time dressing · 1

The filings repeatedly present restructuring charges as current-period expenses while updating the remaining estimated program costs.

redefinition · 1

The remaining-performance-obligations disclosure changes its recognition horizon and reported allocation across filings.

related party exposure · 1

The filings report a substantial majority of non-marketable investments with a related-party entity and continuing investments in Ampere.

subsequent event · 3

The filings report post-period financing and acquisition events that materially recontextualized the preceding period, including the $15.7 billion bridge borrowing and Cerner acquisition.

The filings report substantial post-period lease commitments, including $9.3 billion after May 31, 2024 and $6.6 billion after August 31, 2025.

The filings report an Ampere transaction after the November 30, 2025 reporting date that generated $4.3 billion of proceeds and a $2.7 billion realized gain.

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