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WorldFirst vs Airwallex: Features, fees and account comparison

Last update: September 4, 2025

Contents

We compare WorldFirst and Airwallex to get a sense of their features, fees, strengths and how they stack up against each other.

Key takeaways

With a World Account, you can receive and hold funds in over 15+ local currencies, and make payments in more than 90 global currencies
Airwallex also provides a multi-currency account, along with global payment solutions like payment gateways and links to help you accept money
Both WorldFirst and Airwallex offer multi-currency debit cards, enabling global teams to streamline global expense management

WorldFirst and Airwallex offer global multi-currency accounts, allowing businesses to make secure transactions in major currencies. But which one can simplify cross-border transactions while protecting your business’s profit margins?

In this comparison article, we take a look at WorldFirst vs Airwallex, their features, fees, exchange rates, and more so you can choose the best business account.

What is WorldFirst?

A part of Ant International, WorldFirst is an international payment provider that helps businesses expand into more countries and reach more customers by providing local currency accounts.

With WorldFirst, global businesses can set up local currency accounts in 15+ currencies, collect payments, pay overseas suppliers, hold and convert currencies at competitive exchange rates, and manage spending with multi-currency debit cards.

WorldFirst offers other services and tools beyond international money transfers, to make global business easier. You can reduce currency conversion risks through a locked-in rate and sync your payments to Xero or NetSuite for automated accounting.

What is Airwallex?

Airwallex provides an integrated platform for foreign exchange and cross-border payments. As a global payment provider, it lets businesses open multi-currency accounts and accept payments through shareable payment links and other payment methods like credit cards.¹

It also integrates with e-commerce platforms through APIs. However, using these APIs requires developer support.

Airwallex users can get Visa-powered business debit cards as well.

→ Take a look at our in-depth Airwallex review to learn more about the payment provider and its features.

WorldFirst vs Airwallex: Fees and exchange rates

	WorldFirst	Airwallex account fees²
Opening a multi-currency account	Free	Zero – NZD 499
Receiving funds in the local currency accounts	Free	Free
Sending payments to users in the same network	Free and instant to other World Accounts	Instant, regular fees applies
Sending payments to other accounts	Local payments in AUD or NZD: Free Cross-border payments and local payments in currencies other than AUD or NZD: From 0.4%, capped at AUD 15	Free for domestic payments For international payments, 0.5% above interbank rates for major currencies, 1% for all others For SWIFT payments, charges are NZD 10 – NZD 30
Holding funds in multiple currencies	Free	Airwallex doesn’t specify any fee
Currency conversion	For major currencies: Up to 0.6% For minor currencies: From 0.67% For payments to 1688 suppliers: Up to 0.8% Forward contracts: Up to 0.2% per month	0.5% for major currencies and 1% for other currencies
Multi-currency card	✅ Up to 20 virtual cards available at no additional cost	✅ The number of cards depends on the monthly plan.
Forward contracts	✅	❌
Integration with accounting tools	✅	✅
Payments to 1688.com suppliers	Up to 0.8%	❌ Not supported

*Fees as checked in August 2025

Calculate how much you can save with WorldFirst

Amount

Converted to

1.00 USD = 0.5845 NZD

Exchange rate as of 09:27 UTC

WorldFirst vs Airwallex: Feature comparison

Multi-currency account

WorldFirst and Airwallex offer multi-currency accounts, allowing businesses to send, receive and hold funds in multiple currencies. Each local currency account comes with unique account details in your company name.

	WorldFirst	Airwallex
Monthly account fee	Free	Zero to NZD 499 ²
Local currency account details	15+ currencies (including GBP, USD, EUR, AUD, JPY, NZD, SGD, HKD, CNH and CAD) WorldFirst also provides offshore accounts for AED, CHF, SEK and PLN.	20+ ²

WorldFirst

Airwallex

Monthly account fee

Free

Zero to NZD 499 ²

Local currency account details

15+ currencies (including GBP, USD, EUR, AUD, JPY, NZD, SGD, HKD, CNH and CAD)

WorldFirst also provides offshore accounts for AED, CHF, SEK and PLN.

20+ ²

Details checked in August 2025

Marketplace and payment gateway integration

With a World Account, online sellers can collect payments from 130+ global marketplaces and payment gateways, including Amazon, Etsy, AliExpress and Stripe.

To receive payments, add your local currency account details to your marketplace seller account or payment gateway account.

If a marketplace requires proof of account ownership when you want to change the bank account details linked to your seller account, it’s easy to download an account verification letter straight from your dashboard.

Airwallex also lets users collect marketplace payments through local currency accounts. Alternatively, businesses can use checkout pages, payment links and payment plugins to accept payments.³

Account-to-account transfers

Payments between World Accounts in the same currency are free and instant, with no transaction fees. For transfers involving currency exchange, a maximum 0.6% currency conversion fee is applicable.

Transferring from one Airwallex account to another is possible .

Integration with accounting tools

You can connect your World Account to Xero or NetSuite to automatically reconcile transactions in 15+ currencies, including EUR, USD and AUD, reducing admin and manual data entry.

Airwallex supports integration with Xero, NetSuite and Quickbooks.

Multi-currency cards

WorldFirst also offers the World Card, a multi-currency debit card powered by Mastercard that supports payments in 150+ currencies. When making payments in 15 major currencies, you’ll pay zero foreign exchange fees, provided you have sufficient balances in your account. As a World Account user, you can apply for up to 20 World Cards for your business at no additional cost.

The Airwallex Borderless Card, powered by Visa, enables online and in-person purchases globally.⁴ It supports multiple currencies and links to the Airwallex multi-currency account. Businesses can issue company and employee cards for streamlined spending.

Depending on the selected monthly pricing plan, users get a fixed number of free cards. Additional cards cost NZD 15 per user per month.²

→ Curious how their cards compare? Check out our blog on World Card vs Airwallex Borderless Card to see which one suits your needs.

Which is better for global businesses?

While WorldFirst and Airwallex offer similar solutions for businesses in New Zealand, there are also some key differences between the two, including the fees they charge and the supported currencies. The best foreign currency account will depend on your business needs and budget.

Sources

https://www.airwallex.com/nz
https://www.airwallex.com/nz/pricing
https://www.airwallex.com/platform-api-and-embedded-finance/payments
https://www.airwallex.com/nz/spend-management/cards

Disclaimer: The information contained is general only and largely our views. Before acting on the information you should consider whether it is appropriate for you, in light of your objectives, financial situation or needs. Although information has been obtained from and is based upon multiple sources the author believes to be reliable, we do not guarantee its accuracy and it may be incomplete or condensed. All opinions, estimates, mentioned products/services and referenced material constitute the author’s own judgement as of the date of the briefing and are subject to change without notice. WorldFirst shall not be responsible for any losses or damages arising from your reliance of such information.

Rick Hill has worked in payments and financial services for the past nine years. He began his career at a large institutional bank and has since worked across startups and scaleups. Over the past four years, his experience with e-commerce retailers has led him to believe that WorldFirst will be crucial in helping brands expand globally by demystifying the complexities of entering new markets.

Rick Hill

Author

Head of Sales ANZ at WorldFirst

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WorldFirst vs Airwallex: Features, fees and account comparison

What is WorldFirst?

What is Airwallex?

WorldFirst vs Airwallex: Fees and exchange rates

Calculate how much you can save with WorldFirst

WorldFirst vs Airwallex: Feature comparison

Multi-currency account

Marketplace and payment gateway integration

Account-to-account transfers

Integration with accounting tools

Multi-currency cards

Which is better for global businesses?

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The simpler way to pay and get paid

Save money, time, and have peace of mind when expanding your global business.