Hong Kong SAR China · Money service business
Airwallex (Hong Kong) Limited
Airwallex (Hong Kong) Limited is a private company limited by shares, incorporated in Hong Kong in February 2016. It belongs to the Airwallex group. The Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department licenses it as a money service operator (licence 16-09-01929) for money remittance and currency exchange. It provides businesses with multi-currency Global Accounts, FX conversion, international payouts, online payment processing and Visa corporate cards that it issues itself. It states that it is not a bank and that its wallet is not a stored value facility.
Licences and registrations
Held by Airwallex (Hong Kong) Limited (LEI 254900J40IOSMRZ21V75). 2 entries on 2 of the 22 tracked registers, retrieved 25 September 2026.
| Register | Licence | Number | Jurisdiction | Status | Registered | Ends | Activities | Register entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Register of Money Service Operators (AMLO Cap. 615)Customs and Excise Department (C&ED)Linked by LEI. Matched by Elucidate to GLEIF on name, country and address. | Money Service OperatorMoney Transmitter / Remittance | 16-09-01929 | Hong Kong SAR China | Active | — | Renews 2026-10-07 |
|
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| Money Services Business RegistryFINTRACLinked by LEI. Matched by Elucidate to GLEIF on name, country and address. | MSB (foreign indicator not selected)Money Transmitter / Remittance | M18692315 | Canada | Ceased | 2018-06-13 | Ended 2019-09-25 |
|
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Licences and registrations listed here were granted in Canada. This BIC is registered in Hong Kong SAR China.
Trading names on the register: AIRWALLEX (FINTRAC-MSB)
- Licences belong to the legal entity, not to a BIC.
- Each licence applies in the country of the regulator that granted it.
- Registers are tracked in 37 countries. Licences granted elsewhere are not recorded here.
- The register entries and their trading names were not matched against sanctions lists. The sanctions facts on this page cover the BIC and its LEI only.
Swift network
Swift’s ISO 9362 BIC directory
- BIC
- AIHKHKH1XXX head office
- Connection to Swift
- Passive participant (no connection)This BIC is registered for identification only. The institution has no direct connection to the Swift network. Messages and payments reach it through a correspondent bank. The “1” in the eighth character of AIHKHKH1 marks a passive participant.
- Swift GPI
- Not on the member list
- Payment schemes and systems
- No entry in the EPC registers, the ECB T2 and TIPS lists or the SIX Bank Master cites this BIC
- Branch codes
- None: head-office BIC only
- BIC first registered
- 2019-04-06
- Last updated
- 2019-04-06
Overview
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
Ownership
Group subsidiary
Firm type
FX and business payments
Trades as Airwallex
- Standing
- The record shows the Customs and Excise Department licence as active and valid until 7 October 2026. An earlier FINTRAC money services business registration in Canada ceased on 25 September 2019.
- Ownership
- The firm is part of the Airwallex group, which is venture-backed. The sources reviewed do not name its direct shareholder.
- Head office
- 34th Floor, Oxford House, Taikoo Place, 979 King's Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR China
- Company register
- Hong Kong Business Registration 65806699
- Incorporated
- 23 Feb 2016
- Founders
- Jack Zhang · Lucy Liu · Max Li · Xijing (Jacob) Dai
Online
- Websites & references
- airwallex.com ↗
airwallex.com/zh-hk ↗ Traditional Chinese Hong Kong site
help.airwallex.com ↗ help centre
status.airwallex.com ↗ service status page
airwallex.com/docs ↗ developer documentation
Wikipedia ↗ group article - Official social accounts
- LinkedIn ↗ · X ↗ · Facebook ↗ · Instagram ↗ · YouTube ↗
- Apps
- App Store ↗ · Google Play ↗
Sources · 18 pages consulted
- help.airwallex.com/hc/en-gb/articles/900001757106-How-is-Airwallex-licensed-and-regulated
- airwallex.com/en-hk/business-account
- airwallex.com/en-hk/terms/treasury-management-terms
- airwallex.com/hk/terms/cards-and-spend-management-terms
- airwallex.com/hk/terms/payments-terms
- help.airwallex.com/hc/en-gb/articles/4404265644185-How-does-Airwallex-keep-my-money-safe-
- airwallex.com/en-hk/who-we-are
- lei.bloomberg.com/leis/view/254900J40IOSMRZ21V75
- airwallex.com/global/newsroom/airwallex-secures-320-million-in-series-h-funding-valuation-hits-11-billi
- austrac.gov.au/new-and-media/news/austrac-orders-audit-airwallex-suspected-amlctf-compliance-failures
- chinaselectcommittee.house.gov/media/press-releases/moolenaar-airwallex-presents-significant-national-security-risk
- airwallex.com/global/blog/setting-the-record-straight-our-commitment-to-global-trust
- airwallex.com/en-us/platform-api-and-embedded-finance/issuing
- airwallex.com/global/newsroom/airwallex-rolls-out-online-card-payments-solution-in-hong-kong
- financemagnates.com/fintech/australia-orders-compliance-audit-of-8-billion-airwallex-platform/
- forbes.com.au/covers/magazine/airwallex-lucy-liu-on-building-a-10-billion-powerhouse/
- washingtonreporter.news/scoop-congressional-china-hawks-want-treasury-department-to-investigate-airwallexs-ccp-ti
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airwallex
Authorisation
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
- Operates under
- Its own licences
The Customs and Excise Department licenses the firm as a money service operator for remittance and currency exchange. The group's HKMA stored value facility licence is held by a sister company, UniCard Solution Ltd, and not by the firm.
| Authority | Licence or registration | Number | Held | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customs and Excise Department Hong Kong SAR China | Money Service Operator licence (money remittance and currency exchange) | 16-09-01929 | In its own name | Active | help.airwallex.com ↗ |
| Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) Canada | Money Services Business registration | M18692315 | In its own name | Withdrawn or expired | — |
Licences and registrations the research found, at home and abroad, as the firm and its regulators publish them. The Licences and registrations card shows the entries on the registers the directory tracks.
Partners and safeguarding
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
- Safeguarding
- Deposits at a partner bankThe firm holds customer funds in pooled bank accounts in its own name, and its terms state they are not held on trust or covered by deposit protection.
- Payment schemes and card networks
- Visa Direct airwallex.com ↗
Mastercard Access not stated airwallex.com ↗
Banks and regulated firms the firm says hold its customers’ money, issue its cards, sponsor its accounts or settle its payments, as it discloses them in its terms and notices.
Products and markets
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
It collects, converts and pays out funds for businesses through virtual Global Accounts. According to the firm, customers can receive funds in more than 20 currencies and send transfers to more than 150 countries.
It serves businesses established in Hong Kong under its Hong Kong money service operator licence.
- Payment volume
- USD 287bnannualised transaction volume (run rate reported for March 2026)
- Sells to
- Small businesses · Enterprises · Platforms and marketplaces
- Serves customers in
- Hong Kong SAR China
- Latest funding round
- Series H · USD 320m Jun 2026Led by Addition
- Total raised
- USD 1.8bn to Sep 2026 · airwallex.com ↗
Leadership
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
- Chief executive
- Jack Zhang Co-founder and CEO, Airwallex group
- Founder
- Lucy Liu Co-founder and President, Airwallex group
Recent events 1 enforcement or investigation item
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
-
Other
The chair of the US House Select Committee on China asked the US Treasury to assess the Airwallex group's China ties. The letter did not allege unlawful conduct.
chinaselectcommittee.house.gov ↗ -
Funding
The Airwallex group raised USD 320 million in a Series H round led by Addition, at a stated valuation of USD 11 billion.
airwallex.com ↗ -
Investigation
AUSTRAC ordered an external audit of AML/CTF compliance at the Airwallex Designated Business Group, which comprises the group's Australian entities.
austrac.gov.au ↗ -
Merger / acquisition
The Airwallex group acquired Paynuri, a South Korean firm holding payment gateway, prepaid payment instrument and foreign exchange registrations.
financemagnates.com ↗ -
Funding
The Airwallex group raised a Series G round that lifted its stated valuation to USD 8 billion.
airwallex.com ↗
Compliance-relevant events of the last three years, newest first: fines and enforcement, investigations, security incidents, licence changes, funding rounds, acquisitions and leadership changes. Each links to its source.
Identifiers
Head-office record
- BIC
- AIHKHKH1XXX
- How the BIC breaks down
- AIHKBank
- HKCountry · Hong Kong SAR China
- H1Location · passive
- XXXBranch · head office
- Branch description
- Not recorded in the directory
- LEI
- 254900J40IOSMRZ21V75
- LEI record
- View on GLEIF ↗
- Licence no. · CED-MSO
- 16-09-01929
- Licence no. · FINTRAC-MSB
- M18692315
- How the LEI was matched
- BIC: Mapped to this BIC in the Swift and GLEIF BIC-to-LEI relationship file.Register entries: Matched by Elucidate to GLEIF on name, country and address.
- Register-entry IDs
- 88b5eddff9a4 · fcb8df4f54d2
Profile
- Type
- Money service businessRemittance, currency exchange, cheque cashing and money orders. Usually registered with an anti-money-laundering supervisor rather than licensed prudentially. Taken from the licences on the tracked registers.
- Regulation
- AML registration onlyRegistered with an anti-money-laundering supervisor (FinCEN, FINTRAC, HMRC, AUSTRAC, Hong Kong Customs…) without a prudential licence.
- Register licences
- 2 entries on 2 registers
- Activities
- Money remittance
- Currency exchange
- Licensed in
- Hong Kong SAR China
- Website (register)
- www.airwallex.com ↗
- Country · region
- Hong Kong SAR China · East Asia & Pacific
- Trading venues (MIC)
- No MIC registered under this LEI list of 2026-09-17
- OFAC sanctions
- No listing cites this BIC
- EU sanctions
- No listing matched this BIC or its LEI
- Country sanctions
- Targeted listings only OFAC
Types come from Swift’s BIC classification, the licences on the 22 tracked registers, and the ECB and FSB bank lists. Most banks outside the euro area appear as financial institutions, because their supervisors’ registers are not tracked yet.
Ownership and group
GLEIF relationship records
GLEIF’s relationship records name no parent for this LEI, and no group page is published for it.
Addresses
- Registered address
- TAI YAU BUILDING SUITE 1106-8 FLOOR 11 181 JOHNSTON ROAD WAN CHAI HONG KONG
- Operational address
- TAI YAU BUILDING SUITE 1106-8 FLOOR 11 181 JOHNSTON ROAD WAN CHAI WAN CHAI HONG KONG
ISO 20022 identification
As an agent in a Swift cross-border payment message (CBPR+)
A CBPR+ message identifies this institution by its BIC, and may add its LEI or a clearing code. CBPR+ does not allow a name and postal address next to a BIC.
- Identified by
- BIC, with its LEI
- Roles in CBPR+
- Debtor agent, creditor agent or an intermediary agent
CBPR+
For cross-border payments on Swift: the BIC, with the LEI and clearing code where known
<FinInstnId>
<BICFI>AIHKHKH1XXX</BICFI>
<LEI>254900J40IOSMRZ21V75</LEI>
</FinInstnId>Full record
Every ISO 20022 element the directory holds. Base ISO 20022 allows them together. CBPR+ does not allow a name and address next to a BIC
<FinInstnId>
<BICFI>AIHKHKH1XXX</BICFI>
<LEI>254900J40IOSMRZ21V75</LEI>
<Nm>AIRWALLEX (HONG KONG) LIMITED</Nm>
<PstlAdr>
<TwnNm>WAN CHAI</TwnNm>
<Ctry>HK</Ctry>
<AdrLine>TAI YAU BUILDING SUITE 1106-8 FLOOR 11 181 JOHNSTON ROAD WAN CHAI</AdrLine>
</PstlAdr>
</FinInstnId>This BIC is not connected to Swift. Messages reach the institution through a correspondent bank, so it cannot be the instructing or instructed agent.
The BIC, name and address are as published in Swift’s BIC directory. The LEI comes from the Swift and GLEIF BIC-to-LEI file. Check them against your own records before use.
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Sources & method
Every value comes from a public source, such as Swift’s ISO 9362 BIC directory, GLEIF or the OFAC and EU sanctions lists. Most sources are matched on a BIC or an LEI, not on a name.
Swift GPI membership is matched on names and is indicative. A missing sanctions match does not mean that no listing applies. Always screen against the official lists.
Register entries are not screened against sanctions lists. The sanctions facts on this page cover the BIC and its LEI only.
An institution is one entry in the directory: a BIC8 in Swift’s directory, or a firm on a tracked register that holds no BIC. Licences held by an institution with a BIC are shown on its page.
Read the methodology →Credits for this page
- Register of Money Service Operators (AMLO Cap. 615)—Customs and Excise Department (C&ED), Hong Kong · register ↗ as at 25 September 2026
- Money Services Business Registry—Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) · register ↗ as at 25 September 2026
- Overview, authorisation, partners, products, leadership and events—researched per institution by an AI model with web search, from the firm's own website, terms and filings, regulators' registers and notices, company registers and news. Licences, partners, figures, people and events link to their source, and each card shows the research date. AI research can be wrong or out of date, so check key facts at the source.
- Images—logos and photos from Wikimedia Commons (credited with their author and licence) or from the institution's own website, where Wikimedia has none. Elucidate keeps a copy of each; the links lead to the source and the original image. Logo: airwallex.com (official website) · original.
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