- Airwallex has appointed former Prime Minister and Finance Minister Sir Bill English as Chair of the company’s New Zealand board.
- The global fintech now supports more than 1,000 New Zealand businesses operating domestically and globally.
- Airwallex facilitates around NZ$2.4 billion a year in payment flows for New Zealand firms.
AUCKLAND, New Zealand–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Global financial technology platform Airwallex has appointed former New Zealand Prime Minister and Finance Minister Sir Bill English as Chair of the company’s New Zealand board, strengthening its local presence as the company continues to scale regulated financial infrastructure for businesses operating domestically and globally.
Sir Bill joins the board as an independent director, bringing deep experience in public finance, economic policy and international trade. His appointment comes as global payments and financial services become increasingly important to New Zealand’s export-led economy, and as more businesses adopt digital platforms to operate internationally. Airwallex is a global financial platform that acts as the financial backbone for the next generation of New Zealand’s high-growth companies, including Halter, Partly and Tracksuit as well as global innovators operating in New Zealand like Afterpay and Bolt.
Since entering the New Zealand market in 2023, Airwallex has rapidly become an integral part of the country’s digital economy:
- Today, nearly 20% of New Zealand’s Digital and Tech sector relies on the financial technology platform.
- In just two years, Airwallex has enabled more than 1,000 Kiwi startups and modern businesses to operate in international markets.
- The company now facilitates approximately NZ$2.4 billion in annual payment flows for New Zealand businesses, delivering 240% year-on-year growth, making it a meaningful part of the country’s modern payments and financial infrastructure.
Airwallex gives New Zealand’s high-growth businesses the ability to truly operate as global companies – opening local bank accounts in 20+ countries in minutes, holding and managing foreign currencies, paying suppliers and employees abroad, and collecting revenue in 70 local markets around the world. For these businesses, Airwallex is not simply a payments tool; it is the global financial infrastructure that makes international operations possible, faster, and at a fraction of the cost of legacy banking.
As the financial industry enters an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, Airwallex is building the intelligence layer on top of global financial infrastructure. By embedding AI into payments, treasury and spend management workflows, the platform is enabling businesses to automate routine financial operations, optimize cash flow decisions and gain real-time insights into their global performance. This shift toward AI-enabled finance is expected to play a critical role in helping New Zealand companies scale more efficiently, reduce administrative burden and compete more effectively in international markets.
Airwallex’s Head of ANZ, James Teodorini said Sir Bill’s appointment reflects the company’s continued investment in New Zealand, and its focus on building trusted financial infrastructure that helps local businesses grow at home and compete globally.
“Sir Bill brings an exceptional understanding of New Zealand’s economy and public institutions, alongside deep experience in leadership, risk and long-term decision-making,” Teodorini said.
“As Airwallex becomes increasingly embedded in the day-to-day financial operations of New Zealand businesses, it’s important that we continue investing in infrastructure that gives New Zealand businesses modern tools to pay, get paid and manage spend. Sir Bill’s experience will help us keep scaling effectively as demand continues to grow, stay close to what New Zealand businesses need, and continue investing in products and partnerships that make it easier to operate across borders.”
Sir Bill said Airwallex’s role as core financial infrastructure for internationally operating New Zealand businesses was a key driver of his decision to join the board. “Airwallex is supporting a growing share of New Zealand’s high-growth, exporting and technology firms at a time when access to efficient global financial services really matters,” Sir Bill said.
“I’m looking forward to supporting a business that is helping New Zealand companies participate more effectively in the global economy, and contributing to the long-term direction of Airwallex in New Zealand as it continues to grow,” Sir Bill said.
Globally, Airwallex serves more than 200,000 companies and operates financial infrastructure across major markets in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Its technology allows businesses to manage payments, cards and spend domestically, as well as move money internationally faster and at lower cost by using domestic payment systems in local markets, rather than traditional correspondent banking networks.
Sir Bill’s appointment reinforces Airwallex’s commitment to New Zealand and its ambition to scale financial infrastructure that supports innovation, competition and modern money management, whether companies are operating domestically, trading internationally, or expanding into new markets.
About Airwallex
Airwallex is a leading global financial platform for modern businesses. We are building the future of global banking for a borderless, real time, intelligent economy.
More than 200,000 companies worldwide, from startups to public enterprises, use Airwallex to manage their global banking and financial operations, or to build and monetise their own financial products using Airwallex infrastructure.
Founded in Melbourne in 2015, Airwallex holds 80+ licenses across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, forming one of the most comprehensive financial infrastructures in the world. This regulated backbone powers Airwallex products at global scale, including payment acceptance, billing, global accounts, corporate cards, and spend management.
The company is co-headquartered in San Francisco and Singapore with over 2,000 employees across 26 offices. Learn more at www.airwallex.com.
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