Airwallex
Airwallex is an Australian-founded financial technology company offering multi-currency business accounts, international payments, cards and embedded finance APIs. It is frequently grouped with business neobanks and FX platforms such as Wise.1
History
Founded in Melbourne, Airwallex scaled across Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America as a business-focused global-payments stack, raising large funding rounds and obtaining licences or partnerships market by market.
Founders
Jack Zhang is co-founder and chief executive officer of Airwallex, the Australian-founded global business-payments platform. After careers spanning banking and multiple side businesses—including a Melbourne café with university friend Max Li—Zhang co-founded Airwallex in 2015 after experiencing painful SWIFT fees importing supplies. He has led the company to multi-billion valuations and global multi-currency accounts, cards and embedded-finance APIs.
Co-founders Lucy Liu, Max Li, Jacob Dai and Ki-lok Wong joined from Zhang's university and early-operator network. Liu was an early investor and operator; Li shared the café genesis story; Dai and Wong helped build technology and product. Together they scaled Airwallex across Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America as business infrastructure overlapping Wise and business neobanks.
Reception
Airwallex is a major Asia-Pacific-origin business payments platform competing with Wise Business and bank FX desks. Multi-currency accounts, cards and embedded finance APIs place it alongside business neobanks for globally trading SMEs.
Products
Business accounts with local details, FX and payouts, expense cards, yield/treasury features in some regions and platform APIs for software companies embedding financial services.
References
- Airwallex provides business financial accounts and payments under local licences and partner arrangements.
Frequently asked questions
- What is Airwallex?
- Airwallex is an Australian-founded business fintech for global accounts, payments and spend management.
- When was Airwallex founded?
- Airwallex was founded in 2015.
- Where is Airwallex headquartered?
- Airwallex is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.
- Who founded Airwallex?
- Airwallex was founded by Jack Zhang, Lucy Liu, Max Li, Jacob Dai, Ki-lok Wong.
- What type of company is Airwallex?
- Airwallex is described as Private in its neobank.wiki profile.
See also
- Alex Johnson — Alex Johnson is the founder of Fintech Takes, a widely read fintech newsletter and podcast; he is active on X as @AlexH_Johnson.
- Alexandre Prot — Alexandre Prot is co-founder and CEO of Qonto, the Paris-based European business neobank.
- Ali Niknam — Ali Niknam is founder and CEO of Bunq, the Amsterdam-based licensed Dutch neobank.
- Ally Bank — Ally Bank is a large U.S. online bank offering deposits, loans and investment products without branches.
- Anne Boden — Anne Boden MBE founded Starling Bank and was the first woman to found a British bank.