Airwallex Bets on Agentic Commerce Following $11B Valuation
Airwallex is expanding into agentic commerce after reaching an $11 billion valuation, signaling its ambition to become a key infrastructure provider for AI-powered business transactions. The company is positioning itself for a future where autonomous AI agents can initiate purchases, manage payments, and conduct financial operations with minimal human involvement. As businesses increasingly adopt AI-driven workflows, payments providers are racing to build the financial infrastructure needed to support autonomous commerce. Airwallex’s strategy reflects a broader shift across fintech from enabling digital payments to powering intelligent, machine-to-machine financial interactions. The announcement also reinforces how AI is becoming a core growth driver for global payments companies rather than simply an operational efficiency tool. With businesses preparing for the next generation of commerce, agentic payments are emerging as one of fintech’s most closely watched innovation areas. Airwallex’s expansion positions the company at the intersection of payments, AI, and embedded finance—three trends expected to shape the industry’s next decade.
Video of the Day
Insight of the Day
The Thunes Cross-Border Payments Interoperability Index
The Thunes Cross-Border Payments Interoperability Index combines a survey of 6,763 consumers across 10 major markets with a scored index across five dimensions: economic health, digital infrastructure, financial inclusion, cross-border connectivity, and market dynamics.
The Index report reveals a global payments system without effective interoperability, representing a two-speed dilemma where effective domestic payments encounter significant cross-border friction, even in the world’s leading financial markets:
The Paradox: Domestic payments in over 70 countries are now instant. Cross-border payments are not. The gap between what consumers experience locally and what they experience internationally is widening, not closing.
The Macro Drag: Parallel financial ecosystems are developing in isolation, capping economic growth and trapping liquidity. 27% of all international payment recipients still wait two or more days to receive funds — in a world where domestic transfers settle in seconds.
The Pivot to Alternatives: Senders value speed overwhelmingly over cost; 50% rank instant transfers as the single most critical feature. 47.7% of global users choose a mobile wallet or payment app to initiate international money transfers, bypassing legacy bank apps. 23% of global gig workers have already used stablecoins for immediate settlement.
The Opportunity: A massive commercial advantage awaits organisations capable of bridging traditional rails and emerging digital layers.
____
The Regional Picture
Europe (Leads Interoperability): Comprises 16 of the top 20 rankings. The region ranks highest globally, powered by the integrated SEPA network which processes cross-border euro transfers within 10 seconds. However, this friction-free experience remains largely insular to the Eurozone.
The Americas: The US (Ranked 21st), despite being home to many cross-border companies, highlights an adaptability gap, where a distributed banking network slows integration with global real-time rails. Meanwhile, despite the massive domestic success of Brazil’s PIX, strict currency controls mean 42% of international recipients still face multi-day delays.
Asia-Pacific: Singapore (Ranked 2nd) excels by building direct bilateral links with other countries, but scores low in cross-border connectivity. Giants India and China rank lower because their hyper-efficient systems focus heavily inward, leaving 46% of Indian recipients and 30% of Chinese waiting days for overseas funds. In addition, mobile wallets adoption across East, South and South East Asia are heavily siloed and not natively interoperable at a global scale.
Middle East: Markets like the UAE and Saudi Arabia have advanced tech infrastructure, but daily habits remain heavily anchored to physical currency. 72% of Saudi citizens use cash at least weekly, limiting the immediate scale of digital cross-border networks.
Curated News
💳 Payments
Lean and Ziina Launch UAE’s First One-Tap Pay by Bank Experience
Lean and Ziina introduced the UAE’s first one-tap Pay by Bank solution under the country’s Open Finance framework. The launch advances account-to-account payments and demonstrates growing momentum for open banking across the Middle East.
Source
U.S. Bank and GigSafe Build Payments Infrastructure for Logistics
U.S. Bank partnered with GigSafe to deliver payment infrastructure tailored to the logistics industry. The collaboration aims to streamline payments and financial operations for carriers and fleet operators.
Source
GoCardless and Sequence Launch Native Direct Debit Integration
GoCardless and Sequence introduced a native Direct Debit integration for growing businesses. The partnership simplifies recurring payment collection while reducing manual reconciliation.
Source
Retail Payments Infrastructure Board Opens Consultation on UK’s Next-Generation Payments Network
The UK’s Retail Payments Infrastructure Board launched a consultation on the future of the country’s payments infrastructure. The initiative aims to modernize payment rails to support innovation, resilience, and future digital payment needs.
Source
Iceland Joins TIPS Instant Payments Network
Iceland officially joined the Eurosystem’s TIPS platform, enabling instant euro payments. The move strengthens Europe’s real-time payments infrastructure and cross-border payment capabilities.
Source
🏦 Banking
N26 Reports First Full Year of Profitability
Digital bank N26 surpassed €500 million in revenue and achieved its first full year of net profitability in 2025. The milestone marks a significant achievement for one of Europe’s largest challenger banks as the sector shifts from growth to sustainable profitability.
Source
Backbase Powers Albania’s First Digital-Only Bank
Backbase provided the technology platform behind Albania’s first fully digital bank. The launch reflects continued digital banking transformation in emerging European markets.
Source
Top UK Banks Develop Shared Digital Verification Service
Major UK banks are collaborating on a digital identity verification service to improve security and customer onboarding. The initiative could simplify identity verification while reducing fraud across the banking sector.
Source
Upstart Secures Up to $600M Lending Agreement
Upstart announced an agreement with Neuberger Specialty Finance to support investments of up to $600 million in consumer loans. The partnership expands funding capacity for AI-powered lending.
Source
💼 Fintech
Goldman Sachs Leads Taktile’s $110M AI Finance Funding Round
Goldman Sachs led Taktile’s $110 million Series C funding round, highlighting strong institutional interest in AI-powered financial decisioning. The investment underscores growing demand for AI infrastructure across financial services.
Source
Plaid Launches AI Model to Predict Financial Behavior
Plaid introduced a sequential AI model designed to predict financial behavior and reduce loan defaults. The launch demonstrates how AI is increasingly being used to improve credit risk assessment and lending outcomes.
Source
Forter Launches Five AI Agents for Commerce
Forter unveiled five new AI agents and expanded data-sharing capabilities to help merchants modernize commerce operations. The release reflects growing adoption of autonomous AI across e-commerce and fraud prevention.
Source
AI-Native Wealth Manager Arca Raises $64M
Arca raised $64 million to expand its AI-powered wealth management platform. The funding highlights increasing investor confidence in AI-native financial advisory services.
Source
Google Finance Launches Dedicated Android App
Google introduced a standalone Finance app for Android, giving users easier access to market data and portfolio tracking. The launch expands Google’s presence in consumer financial information services.
Source
Kalshi Seeks Funding at $40B Valuation
Prediction market platform Kalshi is reportedly raising capital at a $40 billion valuation. The fundraising reflects growing investor enthusiasm for alternative financial markets and event-based trading.
Source
🪙 Crypto
SBI Launches Japan’s First Trust Bank-Backed Yen Stablecoin
SBI Group introduced JPYSC, Japan’s first trust bank-backed yen stablecoin. The launch represents a major milestone for regulated digital assets in one of Asia’s largest financial markets.
Source
SBI Holdings to Become Japan’s Largest Crypto Exchange Operator
SBI Holdings said its $289 million acquisition of Bitbank will make it Japan’s largest cryptocurrency exchange operator. The deal strengthens SBI’s position in the country’s regulated crypto market.
Source
BIS Warns Stablecoins Pose Financial Stability Risks
The Bank for International Settlements warned that existing stablecoin models could threaten global financial stability without stronger safeguards. The report adds momentum to ongoing discussions around stablecoin regulation.
Source
Kraken Explores Strategic Stake in Aave
Kraken is reportedly in talks to acquire a 15% stake in Aave for approximately $71 million. The potential investment highlights increasing collaboration between centralized exchanges and decentralized finance.
Source
Kraken Parent Pursues $7.2M Legal Claim
Kraken’s parent company is pursuing a $7.2 million claim against another crypto firm. The dispute reflects the increasingly complex legal landscape surrounding digital asset businesses.
Source
📈 WealthTech
Caplight Raises $16M to Modernize Private Markets
Caplight raised a $16 million Series A led by BlackRock and Fin Capital to expand infrastructure for private market investing. The funding supports growing demand for liquidity and technology in private assets.
Source
Disclaimer: Payments Wrap Up aggregates publicly available information for informational purposes only. Portions of the content may be reproduced verbatim from the original source, and full credit is provided with a “Source: [Name]” attribution. All copyrights and trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. Payments Wrap Up does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the aggregated content; these are the responsibility of the original source providers. Links to the original sources may not always be included. For questions or concerns, please contact us at sam.boboev@fintechwrapup.com.