Airwallex has acquired South Korea’s Paynuri Co. Ltd., securing local regulatory permissions, including Payment Gateway and Prepaid Electronic Payment Instrument licenses, along with a Foreign Exchange Business registration, as the global financial platform moves to deepen its presence in Northeast Asia.

The deal gives Airwallex a licensed foundation to launch products in Korea aimed at helping domestic companies expand internationally while enabling global businesses to operate more smoothly inside Korea. The company said global business accounts and payment acquiring will be the first products introduced locally, with additional releases planned through 2026.

Airwallex positioned the acquisition as a strategic extension of its Asia-Pacific network, adding Korea to an existing regional footprint that includes Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The company also highlighted sector momentum in Korea, pointing to growing demand from e-commerce, creative industries, and entertainment-driven exports.

The move follows Airwallex’s recent Series G financing round, which the company said valued it at $8 billion, and it plans to invest in local execution by expanding its Korea team to about 20 employees by the end of 2026.

Airwallex reported strong recent performance metrics, including 85% year-on-year revenue growth and 71% year-on-year transaction volume growth in APAC in 2025. Globally, it said it reached $1.2 billion in annualised revenue and $266 billion in annualised transaction volume as of December 2025.

KEY QUOTES:

“This acquisition marks a pivotal milestone for Airwallex as we expand the global reach of our financial platform. Korea’s fast-growing ecommerce, creative and entertainment sectors present immense opportunities for Korean businesses on the global stage. Our goal is to support these businesses with a more efficient solution to expand beyond borders.”

Arnold Chan, General Manager, APAC, Airwallex

“We are excited by this significant investment by Airwallex into the Korean market. We believe Airwallex’s entry will strengthen the financial operating environment for both Korean and global companies in the market. Invest Seoul will continue to collaborate closely with Airwallex to accelerate the digital transformation journey for Korean businesses, and to support more global companies in entering Seoul and operating their businesses successfully.”

Lee Jihyung, President & CEO, Invest Seoul