Airwallex

E-money or payment institution · Singapore, Singapore

Airwallex is a payments and business-account provider founded in Melbourne in 2015, now headquartered in Singapore and San Francisco. It is not a bank. It holds more than 85 licences, including a Singapore major payment institution licence, an Australian AFSL, UK, Dutch and Lithuanian e-money licences and US state money transmitter licences. Businesses hold 20 plus currencies, pay locally to 120 plus countries and convert at 0.4% to 0.6% above interbank. On 22 January 2026 AUSTRAC ordered its Australian entity, Airwallex Pty Ltd, to appoint an external auditor of its AML/CTF compliance program.

Legal name: Airwallex Pty Ltd (group)
Regulated by: MAS (Singapore Major Payment Institution PS20200541 and CMS licence), ASIC and AUSTRAC (Australia: AFSL 487221; AML/CTF supervision), FCA (UK electronic money institution 900876), De Nederlandsche Bank (Netherlands EMI R179622), Bank of Lithuania (EMI licence 88), Hong Kong Customs and Excise (MSO) and HKMA (stored value facility), US state regulators (money transmitter licences) and FINRA/SEC, FINTRAC and Revenu Quebec (Canada MSB), Japan FSA / Kanto Local Finance Bureau, Bank Negara Malaysia, CNBV Mexico, Banco Central do Brasil, People's Bank of China, Korea Financial Services Commission
Licence confirmed: yes, on a regulator's own list
Established: 2015
Website: www.airwallex.com

Scores, 0 to 10

10.0Business cards (Visa, Mastercard)

Visa physical and virtual company and employee cards with 0% foreign card transaction fees when spending from a held balance, instant creation and per-transaction and periodic limits. · source

9.0Online businesses: e-commerce and SaaS

Collection accounts in 20 plus currencies, acquiring at 3.30% plus USD 0.50 and free local payouts to 120 plus countries. Global Accounts give local receiving details in 17 countries and SWIFT receipt in 22 currencies, alongside an API and card issuing, but no revenue-based financing product is listed. · source

8.5Asia-Pacific (SG, HK, AU, JP, KR)

Licensed in Singapore (MPI), Hong Kong (MSO and SVF), Australia (AFSL 487221), Japan, Malaysia and South Korea, with Singapore as headquarters. · source

8.0Cross-border payments, FX and multi-currency accounts

0.4% to 0.6% above interbank, 20 plus holding currencies, free local payouts to 120 plus countries and local account numbers in 60 plus countries. Global Accounts in 20 plus currencies with API and multi-entity support, but no cash pooling or hedging instruments. · source

7.5Lowest fees

Explore plan is free with free local transfers, but SWIFT costs USD 20 to 35 and Grow and Accelerate cost USD 79 and USD 399 a month. · source

7.5Best interest on business balances

Yield pays 3.30% (Explore) to 3.79% (Accelerate) on USD and 0.64% to 1.13% on SGD, with about USD 1 billion under management at end 2025. · source

7.5Fast digital onboarding

Airwallex says the application takes about 15 minutes and an account usually opens in one to three business days. Its Trustpilot profile sits at 2.9 out of 5 from 2,560 reviews, with users reporting funds held during checks. · source

7.5Foreign-owned & non-resident companies

Applications are online but only from companies registered in 73 listed countries and territories, and individuals cannot open accounts. · source

7.0Startups & VC-backed companies

Airwallex for Startups grant programme covered 1,200 Australian startups by summer 2024 and expanded to Hong Kong and Singapore. · source

6.5Europe (EU, EEA, Switzerland)

Holds Dutch (DNB R179622) and Lithuanian (licence 88) e-money licences with offices in Amsterdam, Paris and Berlin. · source

6.5United Kingdom

FCA-authorised electronic money institution 900876 with GBP local account details; not a bank. · source

6.0United States

Airwallex US, LLC holds state money transmitter licences and the company has a US headquarters in San Francisco, but no bank charter. · source

6.0Fintech companies that need a partner bank

Embedded finance and banking-as-a-service APIs let platforms issue accounts and cards, but Airwallex refuses regulated financial services providers as clients. · source

5.5Latin America, Africa & South Asia

Licensed payment institution in Brazil, IFPE in Mexico, PSP in Indonesia, IPS in Vietnam and Type I stored value account operator in China. · source

5.0Canada

Airwallex (Canada) International Payments Ltd is a FINTRAC-registered MSB (M19395067) and Revenu Quebec licensee. · source

5.0Financial strength & stability

Unrated private company. It raised USD 320 million on 25 June 2026 at a USD 11 billion valuation, up from USD 8 billion in December 2025, against the external AML/CTF audit AUSTRAC ordered on 22 January 2026. · source

4.0Customer satisfaction

Trustpilot 2.9 out of 5 from 2,560 reviews, 57% five-star and 35% one-star. · source

2.5Trade, manufacturing & import-export

Supplier payments and multi-currency collection only; no letters of credit or supply-chain finance. · source

1.5Stablecoins (USDC, USDT and others)

Airwallex led the seed round of the Metal settlement blockchain in June 2026 and its VP of Product wrote on 25 August 2026 that it is integrating stablecoins for agent payments and slow corridors, but no stablecoin balance or payout is available to customers yet. · source

1.0Crypto-friendly bank

Help centre states Airwallex is unable to facilitate transactions for or involving cryptocurrencies or any digital currencies. · source

1.0High-risk verticals (iGaming, cannabis, adult, forex)

The unsupported industries article excludes adult content and related services, gambling services and games of skill, and illegal drugs and controlled substances. · source

1.0Crypto wallet and custody for a business

Airwallex's help centre says it is unable to facilitate transactions for or involving cryptocurrencies or any digital currencies, and its business account holds fiat currencies only, checked September 2026. · source

1.0Accept crypto payments

Airwallex Checkout offers cards and local payment methods in many currencies but no crypto or stablecoin acceptance, checked September 2026. · source

1.0On-ramp: buy crypto with fiat

Airwallex declines transactions for or involving cryptocurrencies, so a business cannot use its Airwallex account or cards to pay a crypto exchange, checked September 2026. · source

1.0Off-ramp: crypto to fiat in a business account

The same help centre policy covers any transaction involving cryptocurrencies, so proceeds from crypto exchanges are not accepted into Airwallex accounts, checked September 2026. · source

1.0Bitcoin

Airwallex offers no bitcoin buying, holding or transfer, and its CEO has said his scepticism of cryptocurrencies remains, checked September 2026. · source

1.0Ethereum

Airwallex offers no ether or token service, checked September 2026. · source

Sources

Built on public information and the BankStore team's own aggregated experience; no confidential client or partner data. Bank Index and BankStore are not banks. This is information, not financial advice.