Jan 5 - Australian payment firm Airwallex said on Monday it will invest around 200 million euros ($233.64 million) over the next five years in its Netherlands operations, marking a major European expansion as it shifts from its Asia-Pacific base.

The Melbourne-founded fintech plans to increase its Amsterdam headcount by 60% to around 70 full-time employees by the end of 2026.

Airwallex operates a global payments platform that enables businesses to send and receive international payments, hold multi-currency accounts and process online transactions.

Founded in 2015, Airwallex secured a $13 million Series A round led by Chinese internet giant Tencent in 2017. The company recently raised $330 million in a Series G round, bringing its valuation to over $6 billion, and surpassed $1 billion in annual recurring revenue.

The investment comes as Airwallex says it will prioritise growth in Europe and the Americas after a decade focused on Australia and Asia-Pacific markets. The company received a licence in the Netherlands in May 2021, giving it access to the European Economic Area.

Airwallex served more than 150,000 customers as of October 2025, including Shein, Bolt, TikTok and Canva. The company now competes with established European payment processors including Netherlands-based Adyen and Mollie, as well as Dutch digital bank Bunq.

($1 = 0.8560 euros)

(Reporting by Leo Marchandon in Gdansk Editing by Louise Heavens)