"Jack Zhang, CEO of Airwallex, discusses the company's journey to reach a $1 billion valuation and views on the future of payment infrastructure"
Airwallex, a Singapore-based cross-border payments company, is experiencing significant growth in 2025, approaching $900 million in annualised revenue and aiming to hit $1 billion later this year.
The company's strategy to reach this milestone centers on continuous strong growth across core regions, expanding its integrated financial services portfolio, and scaling its global payment infrastructure. Built on an API-driven platform, Airwallex offers a wide range of financial products and solutions, including global multicurrency business accounts, cards, and expense management solutions.
Deepening Integrated Financial Services
About 45% of Airwallex's revenue comes from its multi-currency business accounts, which facilitate global treasury management and cross-border payments at lower fees. More than 50% of customers use Airwallex’s corporate cards, contributing roughly 25% of revenue, supporting expense control and embedded finance services.
Expanding in High-Growth Regions
Nearly 70% of revenues derive from Asia-Pacific (APAC). However, North America and Europe are rapidly growing—over 200% YoY—and expected to contribute 40%+ of revenue within 6-12 months. Airwallex has established itself in APAC, EMEA, and the Americas, and is expanding to new markets such as Japan, Korea, the UAE, and Latin America.
Leveraging AI for Financial Infrastructure
While specific AI technologies or platforms Airwallex uses are not explicitly detailed, its approach to transforming financial infrastructure is centered around embedded finance and automation. The company's platform integrates multiple banking services—multi-currency accounts, cards, payments, and payouts—within one platform, enabling businesses to embed financial services directly into their workflows, improving efficiency and reducing friction.
Given these capabilities and scale, it is highly plausible Airwallex employs AI and machine learning to optimize processes such as fraud detection, transaction routing, spend analytics, and customer service automation, consistent with industry trends.
Future Plans and Challenges
Airwallex has raised $300 million in Series F funding at a $6.2 billion valuation, and plans to invest heavily in expanding its global financial infrastructure, including payment licenses (e.g., recently in Israel). The company is considering the potential of an Initial Public Offering (IPO) versus staying private. As of now, Airwallex has onboarded 150,000 businesses but has under 100,000 monthly active customers, aiming to increase this to over one million by 2030.
Stablecoins play a role in Airwallex's financial ecosystem, but mainstream adoption is still a long way off. There are industry misconceptions about stablecoins that Airwallex seeks to address. The future of financial infrastructure, according to Airwallex, will be significantly influenced by AI.
In summary, Airwallex’s strategy to hit $1bn ARR focuses on deepening integrated global financial services, expanding in high-growth regions, and leveraging its API-powered infrastructure for embedded finance. While details on AI usage are not stated explicitly, its platform’s embedded finance, automation, and scale reflect advanced technological integration likely including AI-driven enhancements to financial infrastructure.
The company's strategy to reach the $1 billion annualized revenue (ARR) involves leveraging technology for its financial infrastructure, such as AI and machine learning for optimizing processes and improving efficiency. Additionally, Airwallex's business expansion plans involve strengthening its integrated financial services portfolio, with a focus on providing globally accessible business accounts, cards, and expense management solutions.
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