Airwallex hits $11B valuation with AI finance push

Global payments company Airwallex has secured $320 million in Series H funding at an $11 billion valuation, marking a 38% increase from its December 2025 raise just six months prior. The round was led by New York venture firm Addition, with participation from Baillie Gifford, Hummingbird, QED Investors, T. Rowe Price, and Amex Ventures, among others.

The fintech firm reported annualized revenue of $1.3 billion as of March, representing 74% year-over-year growth. Transaction volume more than doubled during the same period. Over 90% of revenue came from customers using multiple Airwallex products, according to details first reported by CNBC.

Why it matters

Airwallex's aggressive investment in AI-powered finance automation arrives as enterprises face mounting pressure to reduce operational overhead while managing complex multi-currency operations. The company's regulatory footprint—more than 85 licenses across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific—positions it to serve AI agents conducting autonomous transactions, a capability traditional payment processors lack. Co-founder and CEO Jack Zhang told the Australian Financial Review that AI development has made the company's margins "too volatile to go public," suggesting the capital injection allows Airwallex to delay an IPO while building next-generation infrastructure.

Two new AI products

Airwallex unveiled T:0, an AI-native platform designed to automate corporate finance functions including bookkeeping, tax compliance, and reporting. The product is currently in private beta with broader availability expected in coming weeks.

The company also introduced Airi, an agentic consumer wallet that will support delegated agent payments, spending limits, permission controls, and multi-currency balances. These products target what Airwallex calls the "autonomous finance and agentic commerce" market.

"The licenses, local network integrations, and settlement rails we spent ten years constructing are precisely the kind of infrastructure it needs," Zhang said in a statement. "This new capital lets us move faster into Airwallex's next chapter."

Scrutiny over China ties

Founded in Australia in 2015, Airwallex now operates from headquarters in San Francisco and Singapore with 27 offices globally, including locations in Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen. The company serves major clients including McLaren, Qantas, Canva, and Shein.

The firm has faced growing scrutiny over its Chinese investor base, which includes Tencent and HongShan Capital (formerly Sequoia China). In December, Silicon Valley investor Keith Rabois, a board member at rival fintech Ramp, accused Airwallex of being a "Chinese backdoor into sensitive American data."

Zhang rejected the allegations as "wild and totally unfounded conspiracy theories," stating that American customer data is stored in the U.S. and inaccessible to staff in China or Hong Kong.

The funding details and company metrics were first reported by CNBC.