The global payments platform secures $330 million in Series G funding, establishing a dual headquarters in San Francisco and committing over $1 billion to American expansion.
SAN FRANCISCO - Airwallex, the multinational payments platform originally founded in Melbourne, has solidified its status as a leading contender in the global fintech arena by securing $330 million in Series G funding. The latest capital injection propels the company's valuation to $8 billion, a significant leap that underscores investor confidence despite a challenging macroeconomic environment for technology startups. Alongside the funding news, the company announced a strategic pivot toward the United States, designating San Francisco as its second global headquarters alongside Singapore.
The round was led by venture capital firm Addition, with participation from major institutional investors including T. Rowe Price, Robinhood Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, and Sequoia. According to reports from Bloomberg and Tech Funding News, this raise represents a roughly 30% increase in valuation from its Series F round just seven months ago in May 2025, signaling exceptional momentum in a sector where many competitors have seen valuations stagnate.
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The central narrative of this fundraising effort is Airwallex's aggressive commitment to the North American market. In a statement cited by Ventureburn and Business Wire, the company revealed plans to invest more than $1 billion into its U.S. presence between 2026 and 2029. This capital is earmarked for talent acquisition, physical infrastructure growth, and product development specifically tailored to American businesses.
By establishing San Francisco as a dual global headquarters, Airwallex is physically positioning itself to compete directly with industry incumbents like Stripe and Adyen. Finovate reports that the move is designed to support long-term performance and facilitate deeper integration into the U.S. financial ecosystem. This geographical shift from its Australian roots and Singaporean operational hub reflects a maturation of the company's ambition: to become the default infrastructure for global "borderless" banking.
"Airwallex has raised a fresh $330 million, taking its valuation to $8 billion, seven months after its last fundraising effort... The company confirmed a major strategic move: its second global headquarters in San Francisco." - Payments Dive
The valuation bump is supported by robust operating metrics. According to Crypto Economy and Finextra, Airwallex recently surpassed $1 billion in annualized revenue run rate (ARR), achieving a staggering 90% year-over-year growth. Furthermore, the platform's transaction volume has doubled to exceed $235 billion annually. These figures paint a picture of a company that has successfully scaled its core product-cross-border payments and financial management-while maintaining rapid growth velocity.
Beyond geographical expansion, the new capital will fuel technological advancements. COINTURK FINANCE and TechNews180 highlight the company's intention to launch "AI agents" for financial operations. This suggests a move up the value chain, shifting from pure payment processing to intelligent, automated financial management for businesses, leveraging artificial intelligence to streamline complex cross-border compliance and reconciliation tasks.
This Series G round appears to be the final major private capitalization before a public debut. Caproasia reports that Airwallex is planning an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in 2026. The timing of the U.S. push aligns with this goal; establishing a strong American footprint and headquarters is often a precursor to listing on a major U.S. exchange like the NASDAQ or NYSE.
Founded in 2015 by Jack Zhang, Max Li, Lucy Liu, Xijing Dai, and Ki-lok Wong, the company has navigated a decade of fintech evolution. From its origins solving forex fees for coffee shops in Melbourne to managing billions for global enterprises, the trajectory suggests a disciplined march toward public markets. The backing of "Australia's three biggest venture capital firms" alongside global giants like Tencent and DST Global provides a diverse and powerful base of support for this transition.
The move to challenge U.S. incumbents directly is bold. The payment sector is crowded, with Stripe dominating the developer mindset and legacy banks attempting to modernize. However, Airwallex's specific focus on "borderless" capability-handling multi-currency accounts and complex international flows more natively than some domestic-focused US rivals-remains its key differentiator.
PYMNTS.com notes that the focus is on "business financial management" heating up. As companies become increasingly global and remote-first, the need for financial stacks that operate seamlessly across borders is growing. Airwallex is betting $1 billion that it can capture this specific demand in the world's largest economy.
Looking ahead to 2026, the industry will be watching two key indicators: the speed of Airwallex's U.S. hiring and customer acquisition, and the integration of its promised AI features. If successful, the planned 2026 IPO could be one of the defining tech listings of the year, signaling a full recovery of the fintech IPO market.
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