Airwallex business alternatives in Africa

Airwallex supports international transfers to several African countries. Dive deep into eight Airwallex alternatives offering business accounts and multi-currency payments

Key takeaways

• Airwallex does not currently offer full business account onboarding in Nigeria, Morocco, Ghana or Kenya, although it supports payouts to these markets
• Payoneer, Wise, Grey, Eversend and nSave offer business or foreign currency account features in selected African markets
• The World Account by WorldFirst is a multi-currency account supporting 15+ currencies in 200+ countries

Airwallex is a global payments provider offering business accounts, cards and international transfers in supported markets.¹ It supports payouts to Nigeria, Morocco, Ghana and Kenya, but businesses in these countries cannot open a full Airwallex account yet.^2,3,4,5

This guide covers eight Airwallex business alternatives across multi-currency accounts, international transfers and more. It also explores a multi-currency account, the World Account, by WorldFirst.

Best Airwallex alternatives for African businesses: Head-to-head comparison

1. WorldFirst

WorldFirst is an international payments provider offering the World Account, a multi-currency account for businesses. It provides local account details in 15+ currencies, including USD, GBP, EUR, CNH, AUD and NZD, for receiving, sending, holding and converting funds.

Businesses can use these local account details to receive payments from customers, marketplaces and payment platforms in supported currencies. Once funds are received, they can be held in the relevant currency, converted into another supported currency or sent to suppliers and other business accounts. The account is linked to the World Card, a Mastercard-powered virtual payment card supporting 150+ currencies. Payments in 15 supported currencies carry zero fees when sufficient balance is held.

Additional features of the World Account

• Connects with 130+ marketplaces and payment gateways including, Amazon, Shopify, Etsy, Stripe and more
• Supports payments in 100+ currencies across 200+ countries and regions
• Xero and NetSuite integrations available for account reconciliation
• Up to 20 virtual World Cards can be issued at zero cost
• Instant transfers between World Account holders costing zero
• Users can also use World Pay, the authorised international payment provider for 1688.com to pay Chinese suppliers

*Fees checked in September 2026. Terms and Conditions Apply

→ Understand how Etsy payments work

2. Payoneer

Payoneer provides business accounts with local receiving details in 10+ currencies.^6,7 Businesses can hold funds in multiple currencies and make international payments in 70 currencies.^6,7

It also supports payments across 190+ countries and territories through 2,000+ marketplaces, networks and platforms.^6,7 Eligible businesses can access a Mastercard business card linked to one currency balance, either USD, GBP, EUR or CAD.⁸

*Fees checked in September 2026. Other fees vary by region and account type

→ Here’s a head-on comparison between Payoneer vs PayPal

3. Wise

Wise provides personal accounts in Nigeria, Morocco, Ghana and Kenya, while Wise Business is currently available in Kenya as a send-only account.^10,11 Wise Business is a send-only account and supports international payments, batch payments to 1,000 contacts and accounting integrations. It also provides users with team controls and volume discounts over GBP 20,000 (or equivalent) monthly transfers.11 Virtual cards are not currently offered in Africa.

*Fees checked in September 2026

4. Grey

Grey offers personal accounts in Nigeria, Morocco, Kenya and Ghana, while business accounts are currently available in Nigeria.^{14,15,16,17,18} Personal users can receive, send and exchange international payments, with features and supported currencies varying by country.¹⁵ Moroccan users need to note that incoming EUR and GBP funds are automatically converted to Moroccan Dirhams.¹⁸

In Nigeria, businesses get USD account details and access to bulk payouts, team spending controls and business payment features.¹⁸ Grey also offers prepaid virtual Visa and Mastercard cards for personal and business users.19 Creating a virtual card costs US$4 for Mastercard and US$5 for Visa.²⁰

*Fees checked in September 2026

→ Learn how currency conversion works between USD to MAD

5. Eversend

Eversend offers personal and business accounts in Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana, with virtual account details in USD, GBP and EUR.^22,23,24  Personal users can receive, send and hold funds, as well as exchange currencies.²² Business accounts support 16 currencies across 18 markets and add features such as payment workflow integrations, local collections and international payouts.²³

Eversend also offers USD virtual cards for online spending.²⁵ International card transactions can cost 3.5% + US$0.50, while virtual cards cost US$0.99 per month or US$2.99 as a one-time fee.²⁵

*Fees checked in September 2026

6. Chipper Cash

Chipper Cash is a cross-border payments provider that supports payments across 21+ countries.²⁸ Its personal accounts support sending payments, while business accounts in Nigeria and Ghana offer additional features such as receiving payments, higher transaction limits, and priority support.^28,29

Businesses can receive USD payments through a virtual USD account that supports ACH transfers and also use USD virtual cards for online spending.^29,30  Virtual cards have issuance and maintenance fees starting from US$1.³¹

*Fees checked in September 2026

→ Here’s a head-on comparison between Chipper Cash vs Eversend 

7. Remitly

Remitly is an international money transfer service rather than a personal or business account provider.³³ It does not offer multi-currency balances or virtual cards.

Businesses can use Remitly to send money to clients, contractors, suppliers and partners in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and Morocco.^34,35,36,37 Depending on the destination, recipients can receive funds through bank deposits, cash pickup or mobile money.³³

*Fees checked in September 2026. Transfer pricing varies by transaction and destination

8. nSave

nSave offers business accounts in Nigeria, Morocco and Kenya, with local account details available in USD, GBP and EUR for receiving, holding, converting and sending payments.³⁹ USD accounts support ACH and wire payments, whereas EUR transfers use IBAN.⁴⁰ GBP transfers use sort code and account numbers.³⁹ But, Nigerian customers cannot currently receive incoming GBP funds.⁴¹ nSave also provides a virtual Mastercard for online payments and subscriptions.⁴²

*Fees checked in September 2026

→ Here’s a head-on comparison between nSave vs Grey

FAQs

1. Is Airwallex available in Africa?

Airwallex supports payouts to Nigeria, Morocco, Ghana and Kenya, but it does not list these markets for full business account onboarding currently.^1,2,3,4,5

2. Which Airwallex alternatives offer a multi-currency card?

WorldFirst offers virtual World Cards, while Payoneer, Grey, Eversend and Chipper Cash offer card options subject to market and eligibility.^8,19,25,31 Wise does not currently offer virtual cards in the markets covered here, while Remitly does not offer virtual cards at all.

3. What is Airwallex’s pricing?

Airwallex charges a 0.5% markup above the interbank rate for converting major currencies.⁴³

Sources

1. https://www.airwallex.com/global
2. https://www.airwallex.com/docs/payouts/payout-network/bank-accounts/kenya
3. https://www.airwallex.com/docs/payouts/payout-network/bank-accounts/ghana
4. https://www.airwallex.com/en-us/business-account/transfers/send-money-to-nigeria
5. https://www.airwallex.com/docs/payouts/payout-network/bank-accounts/morocco
6. https://www.payoneer.com/business/
7. https://www.payoneer.com/multi-currency-account/
8. https://payoneer.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/18226/~/account-with-card—faq%20
9. https://www.payoneer.com/about/pricing/
10. https://wise.com
11. https://wise.com/ke/business/
12. https://wise.com/ke/pricing/business
13. https://wise.com/ng/pricing/
14. https://grey.co/business
15. https://grey.co/
16. https://grey.co/en-ke
17. https://grey.co/en-gh
18. https://grey.co/en-ma
19. https://grey.co/cards
20. https://support.grey.co/en/articles/9819043-full-virtual-card-transaction-limit
21. https://support.grey.co/en/articles/10265140-faq-new-pricing-update
22. https://eversend.co
23. https://eversend.co/business
24. https://help.eversend.co/en/articles/4349091-what-can-i-do-on-eversend
25. https://help.eversend.co/en/articles/8185032-eversend-virtual-card-fees
26. https://help.eversend.co/en/articles/12059261-how-to-create-a-eur-usd-gbp-virtual-account
27. https://help.eversend.co/en/articles/16033176-what-are-the-virtual-account-fees-for-eur-usd-and-gbp-deposits
28. https://www.chippercash.com
29. https://business.chippercash.com
30. https://support.chippercash.com/en/articles/8415928-africa-usd-virtual-account-faqs
31. https://support.chippercash.com/en/articles/5194944-how-to-claim-your-chipper-card
32. https://support.chippercash.com/en/articles/5698220-business-account-documents-faqs
33. https://www.remitly.com
34. https://www.remitly.com/us/en/help/article/how-to-send-a-transfer-to-nigeria
35. https://www.remitly.com/us/en/help/article/receiving-money-kenya
36. https://www.remitly.com/us/en/help/article/receiving-money-morocco
37. https://www.remitly.com/us/en/help/article/how-to-send-a-transfer-to-ghana
38. https://www.remitly.com/us/en/landing/business
39. https://www.nsave.com/business
40. https://www.nsave.com/pricing
41. https://intercom.help/nsave_help_center/en/articles/13572268-gbp-accounts-on-nsave-what-you-can-and-can-t-do
42. https://www.nsave.com/cards
43. https://www.airwallex.com/en-us/business-account/transfers/send-money-to-nigeria

This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or professional advice. This article should not be regarded as constituting an offer or a solicitation to buy or sell any regulated or financial products or services. WorldFirst makes no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or applicability of the content, and readers are encouraged to consult with legal professionals or other professionals for advice tailored to their specific situation. WorldFirst does not guarantee the accuracy and completeness of this article and expressly disclaims any and all liability to any person in respect of the consequences of anything done or omitted to be done wholly or partly in reliance on this article.