At Airwallex, we’re building global economic infrastructure to empower businesses of all sizes to grow without borders. Our teams continuously innovate—expanding our reach, evolving our infrastructure, and launching new products that help businesses grow faster.
But don’t just take our word for it—we recently ranked #3 in Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in finance and personal finance. This recognition reflects our commitment to solving complex challenges, driving meaningful change, and creating opportunities to innovate.
To celebrate, we’re spotlighting a few of the brilliant minds behind our technology. We spoke with members of our engineering, product, and AI teams worldwide to get their insights on innovation, impact, and the future of global finance. Here’s what they had to say:
Share a project where you tackled a complex challenge.
Pavel L., Engineering Manager, Amsterdam:
“We’re building a clearing & settlement platform for merchants like SHEIN that processes millions of daily transactions. This is challenging not just due to the high transaction volume but also the need to ensure financial integrity and full traceability. Every transaction must be securely transferred from shoppers worldwide—across hundreds of payment methods and currencies—to our global merchant base, all while maintaining market-leading settlement speeds across multiple data centers.”
Rob S., Software Engineer, Melbourne:
“I’ve been working on enabling customers to schedule payouts up to 90 days in advance. This project aligns with our mission to create the most convenient and user-friendly financial operating system, which means simplifying complexity.
Developing a solution that allows customers to schedule future transfers at a fixed upfront rate while effectively managing risk has been complex. I’m proud of how easy we’ve made it to schedule future payouts and excited to see its impact on our customers.”
What’s the toughest problem you’ve solved?
Aziza A., Director, Solutions Engineering, US:
“Our Solutions Engineering team is on the front lines of helping customers seamlessly adopt and integrate our solutions. Recently, we supported PartnerStack in integrating Airwallex’s new embedded tax form and filing capability, enabling creator platforms in the U.S. to meet their tax reporting obligations. Meanwhile, in Europe, we partnered with Hyperline to embed Airwallex’s global payment gateway into their subscription and billing products, empowering businesses to scale effortlessly with seamless cross-border transactions.
Delivering this level of impact across regions comes with unique challenges—each market has its own technical, regulatory, and commercial complexities. To scale effectively, we built a structured yet adaptable framework that ensures technical excellence, strong collaboration between product and commercial teams, and operational efficiency at a global level. By prioritizing knowledge sharing, balancing innovation with scalability, and developing deep regional expertise, our team is driving real-world impact for our 150,000+ customers worldwide.”
Zhaofeng W., Senior Software Engineer, China:
“This was both the simplest and hardest challenge. Two engineers from the productivity team and I started a side project to build AirCheck, a Large Language Model (LLM) powered code reviewer that automatically detects typos, bugs, and unclear descriptions in merge requests.
When we launched the alpha version, its accuracy was disappointingly low. We tested various techniques to improve it, but the gains were minimal. Rather than rushing a full release, we chose patience—opting to wait until the accuracy met our standards.
Five months later—just hours after a state-of-the-art LLM with strong reasoning capabilities was released—we switched to it and saw an immediate, significant boost in accuracy. This breakthrough allowed us to roll out AirCheck to all engineers, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The real challenge wasn’t just improving accuracy—it was knowing when to wait and when to act. Timing made all the difference.”
Rob:
“I’ve found the toughest challenges to be a mix of technical hurdles and complex business needs. As demand grows, so does project scope and stakeholder involvement.
One ongoing challenge I’ve helped tackle is scaling Airwallex’s foreign exchange (FX) capabilities. We’ve expanded our FX infrastructure across multiple regions, introduced features like scheduled conversions and direct debit funding sources, and are actively working to support all currencies—all while ensuring regulatory compliance.
As a result, Airwallex now provides a reliable 24/7 FX service that offers greater flexibility. Customers can seamlessly pull funds from linked bank accounts, schedule conversions, and make international payments at market-leading rates.”
How does Airwallex foster innovation?
Pavel:
“Engineers here go beyond coding—they become financial domain experts and play a key role in shaping our product roadmap. From designing financial ledgers and optimizing refund logic to minimize credit risk while ensuring a top-notch customer experience to reducing friction on onboarding and beyond, they drive impactful solutions that shape the future of our business.”
Zhaofeng:
“Airwallex is highly agile in adopting new technologies. Leadership actively encourages exploration and experimentation to improve how we work.
In 2023, I proposed Devhub AI Chat, a tool giving engineers access to a state-of-the-art LLM for assistance. With strong leadership support, we launched it quickly. We also launched pilots for an IDE-integrated LLM assistant the same year, leveraging an external solution, which is now being rolled out company-wide. A colleague told me that it has significantly reduced the time spent writing unit tests.
Innovation here goes beyond tooling—it’s rooted in collaboration. In late 2023, a member of the Financial Operations (FinOps) team proposed using LLMs to classify payout failures and generate recommendations. We quickly built a proof of concept, which outperformed their existing approach. It soon became part of the FinOps team’s daily workflow and evolved into an official project. At Airwallex, great ideas don’t just stay ideas—they turn into real solutions.”
How has Airwallex’s technology transformed the industry?
Bani S., Senior Product Manager, Singapore:
“We’re empowering Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), historically underserved, by lowering barriers to global expansion. Airwallex makes international growth cost-effective and seamless by simplifying entry into new markets and reducing administrative hurdles. Our customers can open bank account details in over 60 countries without needing to visit a physical branch or set up new entities, and access enterprise-level FX rates, giving them a competitive edge in global markets.”
Aziza:
“We’re leveraging AI to enhance efficiency and scalability across key areas. To streamline onboarding, we’re improving Know Your Customer (KYC) Straight-Through Processing (STP) rates by automating processing and due diligence checks. This reduces manual intervention, enabling faster, more seamless experiences for our growing client base.
In customer support, we’re piloting in-app support flows for EMEA clients, paving the way for AI-powered customer interactions. Additionally, AI is driving smarter real-time payment risk assessments, improving acquiring authorization rates through automated A/B testing.”
What makes Airwallex products stand out?
Rob:
“Every feature is built with design, usability, and product-market fit in mind. We don’t just launch features—we refine them to ensure they truly meet customer needs.”
Bani:
“We simplify a complex global financial infrastructure into a user-friendly platform. What once required multiple banks and Payment Service Providers (PSPs) is now accessible from one central business account, delivering unparalleled efficiency.”
How does it feel to shape the future of global banking?
Aziza:
“Traditional banking relies on legacy systems, but Airwallex is redefining the experience with advanced API- and SaaS-based solutions. We’re enabling businesses to enter new markets faster and shaping the future of global commerce.”
Bani:
“Global banking remains complex, filled with regulatory challenges. The excitement is in being part of the solution—developing creative strategies and exploring uncharted territory to drive meaningful change.”
Why is now a great time to join Airwallex?
Zhaofeng:
“Airwallex processes a massive volume of transactions across a diverse global client base, creating a fast-paced, dynamic environment for innovation.
With rapid advancements in LLMs and Airwallex’s commitment to adopting cutting-edge technology, there has never been a better time to join. If you’re excited about solving complex problems and working with the latest AI-driven tools, now is the perfect moment to be part of our team.”
Bani:
“Global banking is ever-evolving, with many challenges still to solve. But the excitement lies in being part of the solution—developing creative strategies, driving innovation, and making a real impact for businesses worldwide.”
Join Us & Build What’s Next
Airwallex is where problem-solvers, innovators, and builders thrive. If you’re looking for a high-impact, fast-paced environment to build cutting-edge fintech solutions, we’d love to hear from you.
Come push the boundaries of fintech with us! Check out our careers site today!
