Airwallex

What is airwallex

Airwallex is a fintech platform that provides cross-border payment processing, multi-currency business accounts, foreign exchange (FX), virtual and physical corporate cards, and programmable financial infrastructure through RESTful APIs. The product addresses the needs of businesses that operate internationally: receiving payments in local currencies, converting currency at competitive rates, paying suppliers and employees abroad, and issuing cards to staff or customers.

The platform combines a digital wallet for multiple currencies, outbound and inbound payment rails (local bank transfers, SWIFT, Faster Payments, ACH-like rails where supported), and embedded treasury functions such as FX booking and hedging primitives. Customers use Airwallex to centralize cash across markets, reduce the number of intermediary banks, and automate payment workflows through SDKs, webhooks, and direct API calls.

Airwallex positions itself between incumbent banks and pure payments processors by offering bank-grade rails and compliance in several jurisdictions while exposing developer-friendly tools and integrations. This makes it suitable for startups scaling internationally, mid-market companies reducing treasury friction, and enterprises seeking to embed payments or card issuance into their products.

Airwallex features

What does airwallex do?

Airwallex provides a set of financial services and developer tools to manage cross-border money flows, including:

• Multi-currency business accounts that let companies hold and transact in multiple currencies without opening local bank accounts in each market.
• Competitive FX with real-time quotes, buried fee transparency, and the ability to route payments over local rails to reduce costs and settlement times.
• Outbound and inbound international payments via local bank transfers, SWIFT, and regional payment networks.
• Virtual and physical corporate cards for expense management and programmatic card issuance for platforms and marketplaces.
• Payment acceptance integrations for card acquiring, alternative local payment methods, and reconciliation tooling for automation.

In addition to core payments and FX, Airwallex offers advanced treasury and compliance features such as batch payments, payroll payments in supported countries, collections via local receiving accounts, and anti-money laundering (AML) controls. The portal includes administrative roles, audit logs, compliance workflows, and reporting designed for finance teams.

The platform emphasizes a developer-first approach: full API coverage for account operations, payments, FX quotes, card issuance, and webhooks for real-time event handling. SDKs and client libraries simplify integration, while sandbox environments and API documentation speed up development and testing.

Airwallex pricing

Airwallex offers these pricing plans:

• Free Plan: $0/month for a basic business account with pay-as-you-go transaction fees and self-serve onboarding
• Starter: $29/month with lower transaction fees and limited advanced features
• Professional: $199/month with reduced FX margins, priority support, and additional product access
• Enterprise: Custom pricing with volume discounts, dedicated success management, and SLAs

Pricing on Airwallex is typically transaction- and usage-based: account setup is frequently free for the basic tier, while fees apply to outgoing international transfers, card issuing and processing, and specific product add-ons. FX is charged as a margin on top of interbank rates or as a transparent spread; card issuing and physical card shipping incur per-card fees. For high-volume customers, Airwallex negotiates bespoke fee schedules and revenue share arrangements.

Check Airwallex's current pricing tiers for the latest rates and enterprise options.

How much is airwallex per month

Airwallex starts at $0/month for the base business account offering self-service onboarding and pay-as-you-go transaction fees. Small businesses and startups commonly operate on the no-monthly-fee model until they require advanced features, lower transaction margins, or dedicated support.

How much is airwallex per year

Airwallex costs $0/year for the basic account tier when billed month-to-month, though customers on packaged monthly plans such as Starter or Professional may pay $29/month or $199/month respectively when they choose subscription options—equating to $348/year and $2,388/year in those examples. Enterprise agreements are quoted annually and depend on volume commitments and feature bundles.

How much is airwallex in general

Airwallex pricing ranges from $0 (basic business account) to custom enterprise pricing with transaction fees and FX spreads. The effective cost for a customer depends on payment volumes, average transfer size, number of issued cards, and the mix of inbound versus outbound flows. Additional fees that affect overall cost include per-transfer fees, payout network fees, card issuance and interchange fees, and optional value-added services such as reconciliation connectors.

What is airwallex used for

Airwallex is used to centralize and simplify multi-currency cash management, pay suppliers and contractors abroad, accept local payments from international customers, and issue company cards for expense control. Finance teams use it to reduce FX costs and reconciliation overhead; product teams use its APIs to embed payment capabilities directly into platforms and marketplaces.

Common practical uses include collecting revenue in local currencies using local receiving accounts, converting funds to a single settlement currency with streamlined FX, sending mass payroll and vendor payments, and issuing virtual cards for software or gig workers. Airwallex is also used to automate foreign exchange exposure through scheduled FX conversions and to reconcile transactions via integrations with accounting systems.

Companies with cross-border customers, remote workforces, or international suppliers use Airwallex to reduce the time and cost of moving money globally while maintaining control through role-based access and audit trails. The platform is helpful for reducing dependency on multiple local banking relationships and for consolidating treasury workflows under programmatic control.

Pros and cons of airwallex

Airwallex offers a broad toolkit for global payments with strong developer capabilities, but it also has trade-offs to consider.

Advantages:

• Multi-currency accounts and local receiving capabilities reduce reliance on correspondent banking and speed up settlements.
• Developer-friendly APIs, SDKs, and sandbox environments make it straightforward to embed payments and automation into existing systems.
• Transparent FX and competitive rates at scale can lower overall cross-border costs compared with traditional banks.
• Card issuing and management let businesses control employee spend and integrate expense workflows.

Limitations:

• Coverage varies by country and payment rail; not all features are available in every market or for all business types.
• For very low-volume customers, per-transaction fees can be higher than expected unless a subscription or negotiated rate is in place.
• Regulatory and compliance checks can delay onboarding in higher-risk jurisdictions or for complex corporate structures.
• Some enterprises may prefer a single incumbent bank relationship for settlement if they require heavily custom legacy integrations or in-country banking services not provided by Airwallex.

Decision makers should weigh the operational benefits of API-driven treasury functions and multi-currency wallets against coverage needs, expected volumes, and the level of onboarding effort required for compliance.

Airwallex free trial

Airwallex typically offers a sandbox environment and a live trial period for new business accounts so teams can test payments, FX quotes, and card issuance workflows before committing to production. The sandbox provides simulated payment flows, API keys, and test credentials for development and QA.

In production, new customers can often sign up for a basic account with no monthly fee and perform limited live transactions to validate integrations; however, full production access to certain rails (for example, issuing physical cards or high-value FX) may require KYC and compliance approvals. The combination of sandbox and no-monthly-fee basic accounts effectively acts as a free trial for many teams.

If you require a time-limited promotional trial or a pilot with dedicated support, enterprises typically negotiate pilot terms as part of a commercial engagement. Check the Airwallex developer documentation for details on sandbox access and steps to move to production.

Is airwallex free

Yes, Airwallex offers a basic business account with no monthly subscription fee. That entry-level option allows companies to open multi-currency wallets and send or receive payments with pay-as-you-go transaction charges. Advanced features, lower per-transaction margins, and enterprise services typically require upgrading to a paid plan or entering a commercial agreement.

Airwallex API

Airwallex provides a comprehensive RESTful API covering accounts, payments, FX, card issuance, reconciliation, and webhooks for event-driven workflows. The API is organized around clear resource endpoints for creating payments, retrieving FX quotes, issuing and managing cards, and retrieving transaction histories.

Key API capabilities include:

• Programmatic creation and management of multi-currency accounts and local receiving details.
• Endpoints to request real-time FX quotations, execute conversions, and book rates for a specified time window.
• Payment creation APIs supporting local rails, batch payouts, and SWIFT transfers with idempotency controls and status callbacks.
• Card issuing APIs for virtual and physical cards, including spend controls, merchant category restrictions, and tokenization for secure integration.
• Webhooks for notifications on payment state changes, card events, and chargebacks to keep internal systems synchronized.

Airwallex supplies SDKs in major languages, example code, Postman collections, and sandbox credentials to accelerate integration. The platform typically exposes API keys for authentication, supports role-based access control, and documents error codes and retry patterns. For enterprise customers, Airwallex may provide connectivity options, dedicated API rate limits, and custom SLA terms.

Check the Airwallex developer documentation for API references, SDK downloads, and onboarding steps to production.

10 Airwallex alternatives

• Wise — Cross-border money transfers and multi-currency accounts focused on low-cost international transfers.
• Revolut Business — Multi-currency accounts, cards, and expense management for businesses and startups.
• Payoneer — Global payouts and receivables for marketplaces, freelancers, and SMBs.
• Stripe — Payments, card issuing, and treasury APIs with strong developer tools and marketplace support.
• Adyen — Enterprise payment processing with broad global acquiring and risk tools.
• Worldpay — Global merchant acquiring and payment processing services.
• HSBC Global Banking — Traditional bank services with global cash management and country coverage.
• Grant Thornton/Local Banks — Regional banking partners offering in-country settlement and lending.
• Airbase — Expense management and corporate card issuance with spend controls for finance teams.
• Tipalti — Accounts payable automation and mass payments for suppliers and partners.

Paid alternatives to airwallex

• Stripe — Payment acceptance, treasury and card issuing solutions with detailed developer tooling for embedded finance scenarios.
• Adyen — Enterprise-grade merchant acquiring and reconciliation with global acquiring coverage and risk management.
• Revolut Business — Subscription-based business accounts with multi-currency support and corporate cards.
• Payoneer — Paid plans for high-volume payout orchestration and global receiving accounts.
• Wise — Paid transaction fees with transparent exchange rates and business accounts for international receivables.

Open source alternatives to airwallex

• Apache Fineract — Open source core banking platform suited for building financial services and payment features.
• Mifos X — Financial services platform for lending and deposit services that can be extended for treasury use.
• Kill Bill — Open source billing and payments orchestration that can be combined with payment gateways to manage flows.
• Open Bank Project — API platform for banking data and integrations useful for building custom payment rails.

Frequently asked questions about Airwallex

What is Airwallex used for?

Airwallex is used for international payments, multi-currency accounts, FX, and card issuance to help businesses collect, convert, hold, and move money across borders. Businesses use it to centralize treasury operations, reduce FX costs, automate payouts, and embed payment features into their products.

Does Airwallex offer local receiving accounts?

Yes, Airwallex provides local receiving accounts in many major currencies so companies can accept payments locally without opening bank accounts in each jurisdiction. Availability depends on the country and regulatory permissions; consult the platform for exact currency coverage.

How much does Airwallex cost per user or per account?

Airwallex starts at $0/month for a basic business account with pay-as-you-go transaction fees; subscription tiers such as Starter and Professional are available for lower transactional margins and additional features. Enterprise pricing is available by contract based on volume and service levels.

Can Airwallex be used for payroll and mass payouts?

Yes, Airwallex supports batch payments and mass payouts through its payout APIs and file upload capabilities, which are commonly used for payroll, supplier payments, and marketplace disbursements. Local payout rails and currency support vary by region.

Does Airwallex provide virtual and physical cards?

Yes, Airwallex offers virtual and physical corporate cards that can be issued programmatically, controlled by spend limits and MCC blocking, and integrated with expense workflows. Card issuing availability depends on jurisdiction and regulatory approvals.

Is Airwallex compliant with regulatory and security standards?

Airwallex follows regional regulatory requirements and maintains industry-standard security controls including encrypted connections and role-based access; specific certifications vary by market. Enterprise customers can request detailed security documentation and attestations.

Can I integrate Airwallex with my accounting software?

Yes, Airwallex provides integrations and export formats for accounting and ERP systems and supports automated reconciliation via APIs and webhooks. Off-the-shelf connectors and CSV exports simplify mapping transactions into general ledgers.

What developer tools does Airwallex provide?

Airwallex supplies RESTful APIs, SDKs, sandbox environments, and SDK examples to accelerate development. Public developer documentation and Postman collections make it practical to prototype and validate payment flows before going live.

How fast are transfers with Airwallex?

Transfer speed depends on the payment rail and destination country: local transfers can arrive same-day or within 1–2 business days, while SWIFT or other cross-border rails may take 1–5 business days. Using local rails where available typically reduces settlement time.

Does Airwallex support refunds and chargebacks?

Yes, Airwallex supports refunds and handles chargeback workflows where applicable for card and certain payment types; the specific process and timelines depend on the acquiring rails and local rules. The platform provides APIs and reporting to manage disputes and reconciliations.

airwallex careers

Airwallex hires across engineering, product, compliance, operations, sales, and finance roles to support its global payments infrastructure. Opportunities typically emphasize experience with payments, regulatory compliance, distributed systems, and fintech product development. Career pages and job listings on their site provide region-specific openings and role descriptions.

airwallex affiliate

Airwallex operates partner and referral programs for resellers, platform partners, and accounting or payroll software vendors. Affiliate and partner arrangements vary by market and often include referral fees, co-marketing programs, and technical partnerships to integrate Airwallex capabilities into third-party platforms.

Where to find airwallex reviews

Find customer reviews and independent evaluations on software review sites and business app marketplaces. Search for Airwallex reviews on trusted review platforms and industry publications to see user experiences with onboarding, FX pricing, API reliability, and customer support. For the most current details on rates and product availability, consult Airwallex's pricing and documentation pages and developer documentation directly.