Building the $130B global payments platform, with Airwallex’s Ravi Adusumilli
In this episode, Lex speaks with Ravi Adusumilli - President and GM of the Americas at Airwallex. Ravi and Lex discuss how Airwallex has evolved into a global financial platform by offering businesses an integrated suite of cross-border payments, treasury, and banking services. Founded in 2015, Airwallex now supports 150,000 customers, processes $130 billion in annualized volume (up 73% YoY), and projects a $1 billion revenue run rate by year-end.
The company’s success stems from its end-to-end infrastructure, homegrown payment rails, and multi-product strategy, with 80% of revenue now coming from customers using more than one product. Airwallex differentiates itself by focusing on global-first B2B use cases and building regional autonomy alongside centralized infrastructure. While not prioritizing stablecoins today, the company is exploring AI-driven financial operations and aims to reach $1 trillion in transaction volume by 2030.
NOTABLE DISCUSSION POINTS:
- Airwallex’s Infrastructure: Proprietary Global Payment Network
Airwallex operates a proprietary global payment infrastructure that processes 95% of its $130 billion in annualized transaction volume. The company has developed its own technology and regulatory framework in partnership with over 60 banks worldwide. This approach reduces dependence on legacy systems such as SWIFT and supports greater control over transaction speed, cost, and compliance. - Expansion Through Multi-Product Offering
Airwallex has expanded its services beyond cross-border payments to include card issuance, spend management, treasury functions, and merchant acquiring. According to company data, 80% of revenue is generated from customers using multiple products. Payments now account for 70% of net revenue and are growing at three times the rate year over year. - Decentralized Go-To-Market Structure
Airwallex employs a regional management model, with General Managers responsible for performance and operations in specific geographies. This structure is supported by centralized functions such as product development, compliance, and engineering. With 1,700 employees in 26 offices, the company uses this hybrid model to manage growth and adapt to local regulatory environments across multiple regions, including Latin America and Asia-Pacific.
TOPICS
Airwallex, Stripe, Brex, Rippling, Shopify, Pinterest, Visa, fintech, global payments, e-commerce, cross-border transactions, paytech, embedded payments, CFO stack, stablecoins, AI
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TIMESTAMPS
1’02: Building Through Partnerships: The Platform Strategy Behind a $130B Fintech
7’24: Why It’s Working: Scaling B2B Payments in a Crowded Fintech Market
12’21: From Coffee Beans to Global Rails: How Cross-Border Payments Became the Wedge for Platform Expansion
19’02: Sticky by Design: How Regional Autonomy and Multi-Product Depth Drove Global Expansion
25’31: From Credibility to Scale: When Partnerships Start Driving Growth
29’33: Beyond Point Solutions: Why Global Platforms Are Replacing Fragmented Payment Stacks
34’47: Solving the CFO Stack: A Unified Approach to Global Money Movement
38’14: Resilient by Design: How Airwallex Manages Multi-Bank, Mu
