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Airwallex and WorldFirst side by side in the Cross-border Payments and Remittance Index and Global Trade Banking Index 2026: scores, evidence, published facts and awards.
In the Cross-border Payments and Remittance Index, both score 4.7 out of 5 (93 out of 100); WorldFirst ranks higher on the tie-break, at 1 of 11. WorldFirst scores higher for SMEs and exporters and marketplaces and platforms; they tie for payment and e-money firms. In the Global Trade Banking Index, WorldFirst scores higher overall: 3.5 out of 5 (71 out of 100) against 3.5 (70), ranking 2 and 3 of 26. Airwallex scores higher for wholesalers and distributors; WorldFirst scores higher for importers and exporters.
Overall and segment scores out of 100, and the score out of 5.
| Score | Airwallex | WorldFirst |
|---|---|---|
| Score out of 5 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| Score out of 100 | 93 | 93 |
| Overall rank | 2 of 11 | 1 of 11 |
| For SMEs and exporters (out of 100) | 92, rank 2 | 93, rank 1 |
| For payment and e-money firms (out of 100) | 94, rank 2 | 94, rank 1 |
| For marketplaces and platforms (out of 100) | 92, rank 2 | 93, rank 1 |
| Type | Global business account and payments platform | Multi-currency business account |
| Score | Airwallex | WorldFirst |
|---|---|---|
| Score out of 5 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Score out of 100 | 70 | 71 |
| Overall rank | 3 of 26 | 2 of 26 |
| For importers (out of 100) | 70, rank 3 | 72, rank 2 |
| For exporters (out of 100) | 74, rank 3 | 76, rank 2 |
| For wholesalers and distributors (out of 100) | 66, rank 2 | 64, rank 3 |
| Type | E-money institution (FCA) and licensed group | E-money institution (FCA) |
Each score with the evidence behind it.
| Criterion | Airwallex | WorldFirst |
|---|---|---|
| Payment reach | 4/5 200+ countries and 60+ currencies published. | 5/5 210+ countries and regions and 100+ currencies published. |
| Published pricing | 4/5 Exact FX margins, plan prices and free domestic transfers published; Swift fee published as a £10 to £20 range. | 4/5 Exact payment fees by currency and route published; standard FX rate published only as "up to 0.50%". |
| Payment speed | 5/5 Share of funds arriving the same day published. | 5/5 Share of payments arriving the same day published. |
| Collection accounts | 5/5 Local bank details in 20+ currencies published. | 5/5 Free receiving accounts in 20+ currencies published. |
| Integration | 5/5 API, batch transfers, accounting connections and a self-serve trial published. | 4/5 API, accounting integration and self-serve sign-up; no test environment or batch payments confirmed on the pages read. |
| Regulatory standing | 5/5 Licences in more than ten regions published with regulator and licence numbers. | 5/5 Licences in five regions published with regulator and licence numbers. |
Each criterion is scored 0 to 5 against the best published offer in the Cross-border Payments and Remittance Index. 0 means not offered or not published. How it is scored
| Criterion | Airwallex | WorldFirst |
|---|---|---|
| Getting paid | 5/5 Local receiving details in more than 20 currencies across the US, UK, EU, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mexico, the UAE and others, with no collection fee. | 5/5 Local account details in 11 currencies including CNH, MXN and JPY, extra accounts in 8 more, and receiving is free. |
| Paying suppliers | 5/5 The widest free local payout network assessed: 120+ countries at no fee, SWIFT £10 to £20. | 5/5 Published per-corridor fees as low as £0.27 (EUR SEPA) and £0.77 (USD to the US), to 210+ countries. |
| FX cost | 3/5 A clear published margin, 0.5% on majors and 1% on the rest, higher than Wise, Statrys and WorldFirst. | 4/5 Up to 0.50% on major currencies, with a 0.30% rate for six months; the ceiling is published, the floor is not. |
| Financing | 1/5 Multi-currency company cards and a yield product; no supplier finance or letters of credit. | 1/5 Forward contracts and a cashback debit card; no lending or trade finance. |
| Access and onboarding | 3/5 Eligible countries are published; companies registered in Colombia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Türkiye and the UAE cannot onboard. | 2/5 The UK site is for UK businesses and publishes no list of accepted countries of registration, so access for the countries in this index is unconfirmed. |
| Protection and standing | 4/5 E-money safeguarding in the UK and EU, FDIC pass-through eligibility in the US, 60+ banking partners named by group. | 4/5 FCA e-money institution, part of Ant International with 70+ licences by its own count; safeguarding stated in its terms. |
Each criterion is scored 0 to 5 against the best published offer in the Global Trade Banking Index. 0 means not offered or not published. How it is scored
What each provider publishes on its own pages, read on 21 and 26 October 2026.
| Fact | Airwallex | WorldFirst |
|---|---|---|
| Payment reach | Business account page: payouts "in 60+ currencies and 200+ countries". Pricing page: "Local transfers to 120+ countries" and "SWIFT transfers to 200+ countries". | "Pay suppliers in 100+ currencies, across 210+ countries and regions." |
| Pricing | Explore plan: "£0 or £19 /month" (£0 with £10k deposited or held each month); Grow: "£49 /month". FX: "0.5% above interbank rates for major currencies, 1% for all others". Domestic transfers in EUR, GBP and CHF: "Free". Swift: "£10-20/ transfer (SHA and OUR)". | Account: "Free" to open, no subscription. Payments: USD to United States £0.77, to Mainland China £11.55, other destinations £7.69; EUR via SEPA £0.27; GBP to UK £0.31; all other currencies £4.62 to £23.00. FX: standard rate "Up to 0.50%"; new customer rate 0.30% for six months. |
| Payment speed | "93% of funds arriving within the same day" (business account page). | "95% arrive on the same day"; priority transfers to China "arrive within 4 business hours"; payments to other World Accounts free and instant. |
| Collection accounts | "Accounts with local bank details in 20+ currencies"; Global Accounts page: "receive funds from 70+ countries". | "Receiving accounts in 20+ currencies, including USD, GBP, EUR, PLN, TRY, JPY and CNH", free; payouts collected from "130+ platforms". |
| Integration | "Automated FX transactions and transfers via API", international batch transfers, Xero and QuickBooks sync, "Core API access" on Explore, free one-month trial. | Accounting software integration; enterprise "API toolkit" with API references; online sign-up for a free account. |
| Regulatory standing | Licence page lists, among others: FCA EMI licence number 900876 (UK); Bank of Lithuania EMI licence no. 88; DNB relation number R179622 (Netherlands); MAS Major Payment Institution PS20200541; ASIC AFSL 487221; HK MSO 16-09-01929 and HKMA SVF0009; US money transmitter licences. | World First UK Ltd: FCA EMI, Firm Reference 900508. World First Netherlands B.V.: DNB EMI, relation number R161090. World First Pty Ltd: ASIC AFS Licence 331945. World First Asia Ltd: HK MSO Licence 14-02-01352. MAS Major Payment Institution licences in Singapore. |
| Date read | 26 October 2026 | 26 October 2026 |
Not published or not stated by Airwallex: nothing in this profile is marked as not published or not stated.
Not published or not stated by WorldFirst: nothing in this profile is marked as not published or not stated.
Facts read on 26 October 2026 from: airwallex.com/uk/pricing, airwallex.com/uk/business-account, airwallex.com/uk/global-accounts, help.airwallex.com/hc/en-gb/articles/…; and worldfirst.com/uk, worldfirst.com/uk/pricing, worldfirst.com/uk/compliance/….
| Fact | Airwallex | WorldFirst |
|---|---|---|
| Account fee | Explore £0 or £19 a month; Grow £49; Accelerate on request | None: no set-up, subscription or maintenance fee |
| FX margin | 0.5% above interbank on major currencies, 1% on others | Up to 0.50% on majors; 0.30% for the first six months; custom above £100,000 a month |
| Receiving | Local details in 20+ currencies; collection free | Local details in GBP, USD, EUR, CNH, HKD, JPY, MXN and others; receiving free |
| Paying suppliers | Local transfers to 120+ countries free; SWIFT £10 to £20 | USD to the US £0.77; USD to mainland China £11.55; EUR by SEPA £0.27; 100+ currencies to 210+ countries |
| Stablecoins | USDC on Ethereum by API early access only | Not published; crypto is a restricted activity |
| Finance | Company cards; no trade finance | Forward contracts and a debit card; no credit |
| Onboarding | 1 to 3 business days after documents | Online; time to approval not published |
| Protection | Safeguarded e-money in the UK; FDIC pass-through in the US via Evolve Bank & Trust | Safeguarded e-money; no FSCS |
| Date read | 21 October 2026 | 21 October 2026 |
Not published or not stated by Airwallex: nothing in this profile is marked as not published or not stated.
Not published or not stated by WorldFirst: stablecoins and onboarding.
Facts read on 21 October 2026 from: airwallex.com/uk/pricing, help.airwallex.com/hc/en-gb/articles/…, help.airwallex.com/hc/en-gb/articles/…, help.airwallex.com/hc/en-gb/articles/…; and worldfirst.com/uk/pricing, worldfirst.com/uk/legal, worldfirst.com/uk/receive-payments, worldfirst.com/uk/legal/terms-and-conditions.
Awards follow from the published scores and cannot be bought.
From each provider's strongest criteria and published terms.
Businesses and platforms wanting exact FX margins, wide reach and many licences.
Exporters and online sellers paying suppliers in Asia, especially China.
Free local supplier payments to 120+ countries.
Importers paying Asian suppliers, no account fees.
Tell us what you need and where you operate.