Core Insights - Airwallex, founded by Jack Zhang, has grown from a small coffee shop venture to a global fintech leader with a valuation of $6.2 billion as of May 2025, showcasing a remarkable journey of resilience and innovation [2][17]. Company Background - Jack Zhang, originally from Shandong, China, faced significant challenges as a teenager in Australia, working multiple jobs to support his education and living expenses [3][4]. - The initial idea for Airwallex emerged from the difficulties faced in cross-border payments while running a coffee shop, leading to the realization of a structural problem in the payment industry [7][8]. Growth and Development - Airwallex's early funding included a pivotal $1 million investment from Lucy Liu, which allowed the company to transition from a coffee shop to a tech startup focused on payment solutions [6][9]. - The company faced multiple near-death experiences during its early stages, including challenges in securing funding and developing a viable product [8][11]. Strategic Decisions - A significant turning point was the decision to pivot from a peer-to-peer payment model to building a comprehensive payment infrastructure, which involved direct engagement with banks [10][12]. - The refusal of a $1.2 billion acquisition offer from Stripe in 2018 marked a critical moment for Airwallex, as the team chose to pursue a larger vision of becoming a global financial platform [14][16]. Current Position and Future Goals - As of 2023, Airwallex has achieved profitability and offers a wide range of services, including global payments, corporate cards, and embedded finance solutions, with a consistent annual growth rate exceeding 100% [17]. - The company's goal is to become the "AWS of finance," enabling small and medium enterprises to access financial services globally with ease [17].

Core Insights - Airwallex has successfully completed a $300 million Series F funding round led by Square Peg, with participation from DST Global, Lone Pine Capital, Blackbird, Airtree, Salesforce Ventures, and several established pension funds. Visa Ventures also joined as a strategic investor [2]. Company Overview - Airwallex is a leading global payment and financial platform that provides modern enterprises with global payment, financial management, expense control, and embedded financial solutions. The company utilizes its self-built global financial service infrastructure to address various frictions and inconveniences in global payments and financial operations, enabling businesses of all sizes to seize new global opportunities and achieve borderless growth. Its core services include global business accounts, global acquiring, global spend management, and platform APIs, with a technological advantage that allows clients to instantly generate local accounts in over 60 countries and conduct fund transfers in more than 150 countries, significantly surpassing traditional banks in speed and efficiency [3]. Funding Utilization - The funding will assist Airwallex in further expanding its global financial service infrastructure and continuously optimizing its software platform to support businesses in achieving borderless growth. The CEO, Jack Zhang, emphasized that this financing marks a significant step in reshaping the global financial system and empowering businesses of all sizes for globalization. The funds will be used to accelerate business expansion in regions such as the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Latin America, while also enhancing technology and service capabilities to provide more efficient and convenient global financial services [4]. Investment Rationale - Square Peg's founder noted that Airwallex is experiencing rapid business growth, with a compound annual growth rate of over 250% in gross profit in both the Americas and Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The company has built a robust global financial service infrastructure through direct integration with local clearing systems and card networks, along with one of the most comprehensive licensing arrangements in the fintech sector. There is confidence in Airwallex's team's exceptional execution and innovation capabilities to continue leading transformation in the global payment and financial sector, creating substantial returns for investors [4]. Market Perspective - The recent funding round for Airwallex is viewed as a significant event in the global fintech sector, reflecting the market's high recognition of its business model and technological strength. The urgent demand for digital transformation in the global payment and financial markets, coupled with supportive government policies promoting fintech innovation and development, positions Airwallex to stand out in this trend and set new benchmarks for the industry. For venture capital institutions, investing in Airwallex is not only an acknowledgment of its technological strength and market potential but also a strategic move to capitalize on the global fintech development trend. This funding represents a crucial milestone for Airwallex, providing strong support for further business expansion and competitiveness [5].