Airwallex aiming for Middle East expansion
Airwallex is one of the fastest-growing payments and financial infrastructure companies in the world
Airwallex, a Melbourne founded global payments and financial platform for businesses, is rapidly growing its Israel office as it expands its financial services to businesses in Israel and the Middle East.
Founded in 2015, Airwallex is one of the fastest-growing payments and financial infrastructure companies in the world and recently exceeded $100 billion in annual processing volume which includes payments, FX, payouts and issuing.
It supports over 100,000 businesses globally and has raised over $US900 million ($A1.34b) from some of the world’s top investors including Salesforce Ventures, Sequoia, Tencent, Square Peg, Lone Pine Capital and 1835i.
Airwallex established its Israel office in Tel Aviv in May last year to tap into Israel’s skilled technology talent pool and join Israel’s advanced high-tech ecosystem, as well as servicing customers. Its Israeli customers include Papaya Global, which helps businesses manage payroll and payments, Mrkter, a unified marketing operations and finance platform and OurCrowd, a Jerusalem-based venture capital investing platform.
The company is now building its Israel team even more, due to strong demand in Israel, while it expands its regional business in key Middle East markets such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which are both encouraging innovation with ambitious technology plans.
Jack Zhang, CEO and co-founder of Airwallex, recently spoke at the Dubai Fintech Summit in UAE and later posted, “I believe the Middle East is primed to play a significant role amid re-globalisation shifts in e-commerce, supply chain and employment trends, and Airwallex wants to be part of this moment for the region and its growing businesses.
“It’s been an exciting trip thus far as we explore our routes into this thriving, hyper-growth market. Our team looks forward to continuing our dialogue with regulators so we can expand our infrastructure to both help companies outside of the Middle East access the region, and help companies in the UAE and Saudi Arabia to grow beyond borders.
“For Airwallex, expanding in the Middle East is not just about a new phase for our company. It’s about playing a critical role in the new world order for the greater economy as we work together to overcome barriers in traditional financial infrastructure so globally native companies can move further – faster than ever.”
Melbourne to host Sheba APAC Summit
In a boost for international healthcare collaboration, Melbourne will host Sheba Medical Centre’s APAC Innovation Summit for two days from March 12-13, 2025 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
In partnership with the Victorian government and Sheba Medical Centre, the inaugural event will bring together Sheba Medical Centre, Israel’s premier and largest hospital and Australian and international top healthcare industry leaders, clinicians, data scientists, policymakers, engineers and entrepreneurs to explore the latest developments in patient care and healthcare delivery.
Under the theme “Transforming Healthcare by Fostering Innovation”, the summit is poised to catalyse a dynamic ecosystem of medical innovation, harnessing Australia’s leading medical research and university capabilities.
The summit will focus on the diverse healthcare needs within the APAC region, including challenges in equity and remote healthcare delivery. Anticipated to attract over 300 attendees, including a substantial international contingent from the APAC region and beyond, the summit aims to forge new local and international partnerships, driving forward the vision of transformative healthcare across boundaries.
Marcus Mandie is CEO of the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce (AICC) Victoria.
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