Airwallex partners with technology company Bird to power its global payments infrastructure
Bird
Aug 19, 2024
Annnouncements
1 min read
Key Takeaways
Bird has partnered with Airwallex to power its global payments infrastructure.
The partnership replaces over 20 banking relationships with a single streamlined platform.
Bird now automates supplier payments and payroll across multiple entities using Airwallex’s FX and issuing tools.
Integration with NetSuite provides faster, more consistent reconciliation for Bird’s finance team.
The collaboration enables Bird to operate more efficiently at scale while deepening its financial visibility and control.
Q&A Highlights
What is the main purpose of the partnership between Airwallex and Bird?
To simplify and consolidate Bird’s global payments infrastructure, replacing 20+ banks with one unified platform.
How does Airwallex help Bird improve its financial operations?
By automating supplier payments, payroll, and foreign exchange while integrating seamlessly with Bird’s accounting systems.
What tools from Airwallex is Bird using?
Bird uses Airwallex’s issuing product, batch transfers, and proprietary FX engine for global supplier and payroll management.
How has this partnership impacted Bird’s finance operations?
It has reduced manual workloads, improved reconciliation speed, and enhanced financial visibility across entities.
Who commented on the partnership from Bird and Airwallex?
Robert Vis, CEO of Bird, and Pranav Sood, Executive General Manager of EMEA at Airwallex.
Bird will leverage Airwallex’s financial infrastructure to simplify payments for over 30,000 customers, replacing the more than 20 global banks it relied on previously
Airwallex, a leading global payments and financial platform for modern businesses, today announced its partnership with Bird (formerly MessageBird), a global communication platform, to power Bird’s international payments operations.
Powering Bird’s global payments infrastructure Bird’s platform, applications and APIs help 29,000+ businesses to streamline conversations and build engaging experiences through their customers’ preferred channels - including WhatsApp, Email, SMS, Voice, WeChat, Messenger, and Instagram.
The global nature of Bird’s business - with multiple currencies flowing in and out of operating entities around the world - had led to a fragmented financial operating system, split across more than 20 banking partners around the world. This created operating inefficiencies for the Bird Finance team, particularly in relation to the creation and approval of supplier payments and reconciliation with Bird’s accounting software.
Using Airwallex’s global payments and financial infrastructure, Bird has been able to consolidate its financial operations across multiple entities and currencies into a single platform. This has enabled greater visibility and control as well as the automation of supplier payments around the world, leveraging Airwallex’s proprietary foreign exchange (FX) engine. Bird is also utilising Airwallex’s issuing product to pay its global suppliers and the batch transfers tool to run its own payroll across entities. Additionally, Airwallex and Bird collaborated on a superior integration via Netsuite that provides greater speed, consistency and depth of reconciliation for Bird’s finance team.
Robert Vis, Founder and CEO at Bird, commented: “Prior to working with Airwallex, we were using legacy systems and technology which slowed down our entire global operations. With Airwallex, we’re able to streamline our payments infrastructure and supercharge our finance operations globally. We are continuing to explore more opportunities to leverage the Airwallex product and I look forward to deepening our relationship with the team.”
Pranav Sood, Executive General Manager, EMEA at Airwallex said: “Bird is one of the standout success stories in the Dutch tech community and has revolutionised the way that consumers and businesses communicate on a global scale. We’re proud that Airwallex’s financial technology and payments infrastructure can support Bird’s mission of creating a world where communicating with a business is as easy as talking with a friend. We’re looking forward to deepening our partnership with Bird and serving many more world-leading Dutch businesses with our growing local team in Amsterdam.”
Airwallex was founded in Melbourne in 2015 and is headquartered in Singapore. The company has since grown to over 20 locations globally, currently employs 1,400 people and plans to hire approximately 300 people in 2024.
If you have any questions or would like to request further information, please contact press@airwallex.com.
About Airwallex Airwallex is a leading global financial platform for modern businesses, offering trusted solutions to manage everything from payments, treasury, and spend management to embedded finance. With our proprietary infrastructure, Airwallex takes the friction out of global payments and financial operations, empowering businesses of all sizes to unlock new opportunities and grow beyond borders. Proudly founded in Melbourne, Airwallex supports over 100,000 businesses globally and is trusted by brands such as Brex, Rippling, Navan, Qantas, SHEIN and many more. For more information, visit http://www.airwallex.com.
Airwallex (Netherlands) B.V. is licensed as an electronic money institution and supervised by the Dutch Central Bank (De Nederlandsche Bank).
About Bird Bird's mission is to create a world where communicating with a business is as easy as talking with a friend. Bird powers communication between businesses and their customers — across any channel, always with the right context, and on every corner of the planet. Headquartered in Amsterdam, Bird processes over 5 trillion messages, calls, and emails for over 29k+ customers, such as Google, Facebook, and Uber, across channels like WhatsApp, email, SMS, and many more. For more information, see https://bird.com/.
