Airwallex

Airwallex is a global cross-border payments and financial platform founded in Melbourne in 2015 by four Chinese-Australian entrepreneurs—Jack Zhang, Lucy Liu, Max Li, and Xijing Dai . It began as a solution to the inefficiencies and high costs of cross-border payments, initially targeting Chinese e-commerce and SaaS companies with natural cross-border needs, then expanding to serve local businesses globally . By 2025, its revenue mix had shifted substantially: Europe and the Americas accounted for roughly 30% of business, the broader Asia-Pacific region 70%, with mainland China and Hong Kong falling below 50% .

The company has raised multiple rounds from a roster including Sequoia China, Tencent, DST Global, Mastercard, Square Peg, Salesforce Ventures, and Visa Ventures, among others . In May 2025 it closed a $300 million Series F at a $6.2 billion valuation, then six months later raised $330 million more at an $8 billion valuation in December 2025 . As of late 2025, Airwallex reported annualized revenue exceeding $1 billion, annualized transaction volume surpassing $235 billion, and held over 80 payment licenses across 60+ countries . It positions itself against established Western players like Stripe and Adyen, differentiating through deeper Asia-Pacific market understanding and faster customer response , and is now establishing a second global headquarters in San Francisco with plans to more than double its U.S. team to over 400 people .