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Stripe vs Airwallex
Of the 170 countries we track, Stripe onboards businesses in 42 (and 1 more with limits) and Airwallex in 39 (and 5 more with limits). Both serve businesses in 41.
Only Stripe · 2
Only Airwallex · 3
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Onboards businesses in United States
Stripe
AvailableAirwallex
AvailableAccept payments
Stripe
Cards, wallets and 100+ local payment methods. You can sell to customers in almost every country.Airwallex
Online payments with cards and 160+ local methods, settled into multiple currencies.Pay people abroad
Stripe
Connect pays out to sellers and contractors, and Global Payouts sends money to recipients in many countries.Airwallex
Transfers to 150+ countries, often over local bank rails.Multi-currency account
Stripe
Hold and settle balances in multiple currencies. Financial accounts with routing numbers are offered to US businesses.Airwallex
Global Accounts give you local bank details in 20+ currencies, so you get paid like a local business.Business cards
Stripe
Issue physical and virtual cards for your business or your users.Airwallex
Multi-currency corporate cards with spend controls.Stablecoins
Stripe
US businesses can accept stablecoin payments that settle as dollars. Stablecoin financial accounts (via Bridge) are offered in 100+ countries.Airwallex
Not offeredYield on idle cash
Stripe
Stripe Treasury gives US businesses 1% a year in credits on balances above $2,000, applied to Stripe fees. Stripe says it pays no cash interest on balances.Airwallex
Airwallex Yield invests idle balances in AAA-rated J.P. Morgan money market funds. Airwallex says it is not a savings or deposit product, and returns are variable.Yield on idle cash
A return on money you are not using. How safe it is depends on where the return comes from, not on how high the rate is.
Where the return comes from
Stripe
Low risk, not insuredCredits against feesAirwallex
Low risk, not insuredMoney market fundIs the money protected?
Stripe
Your balance is not invested. The return is paid as credits toward the provider’s own fees, not as cash.Airwallex
Not a deposit and not insured. The fund holds short-term government debt and aims to keep its value stable, but that is not guaranteed. Broker protection (SIPC in the US) covers the broker failing, not investment losses.Does the rate change?
Stripe
Set by the provider, and only worth as much as the fees you pay.Last seen: 1% a year, as fee creditsAirwallex
Floats daily with central bank rates, so it falls when rates are cut.Last seen: About 3.6–3.7% on USD in 2026, depending on planPlatform & marketplace
Run payments for other businesses: sign them up, take a cut, pay them out.
Sub-accounts for your users
Stripe
YesConnect creates and verifies accounts through hosted onboarding, embedded components or the API. Accounts v2 lets one account be a merchant, customer and payout recipient at once.Airwallex
YesConnected accounts for businesses and individuals, through hosted onboarding, embedded components or the native API.Split payments and platform fees
Stripe
YesDestination charges, separate charges and transfers, and application fees.Airwallex
YesCollect payments on behalf of connected accounts and take a platform fee.Embeddable UI
Stripe
YesConnect embedded components for onboarding, payments, payouts and account management.Airwallex
YesEmbedded components for onboarding and account features.Pay out to your users
Stripe
YesPayouts to connected accounts, including instant payouts in some markets. Global Payouts sends fiat to 100+ markets and stablecoins to 160.Announced, not yet live: EU marketplaces paying sellers in 100+ countries with stablecoinsAirwallex
YesTransfers to 150+ countries, often over local rails.Embedded finance for your users
Give your users financial products under your brand.
Accounts that hold money
Stripe
PartlyFinancial accounts for platforms (formerly Treasury) give US business users routing numbers and FDIC pass-through eligibility. US only.Announced, not yet live: Financial accounts for platforms’ users in the eurozoneAirwallex
YesEach connected account can get multi-currency wallets and local account numbers.Cards for your users
Stripe
YesIssuing for connected accounts: virtual and physical cards via the API. Cardholders can be individuals or companies.Announced, not yet live: Stablecoin-backed cards in 100 countriesAirwallex
YesIssuing APIs for connected accounts’ cardholders, with secure card-display iframes.Financing for your users
Stripe
YesCapital for platforms offers financing to connected accounts in selected markets.Airwallex
Not confirmedNot confirmed.Consumer apps
Build for individuals, not just businesses, the way Bridge allows.
End users can be individuals
Stripe
PartlyStripe’s own account products are built for businesses. Consumer apps (wallets, stablecoin cards) go through its subsidiary Bridge.Airwallex
PartlyPlatforms can create connected accounts for individuals. Card issuing and third-party payouts need full KYC.Consumer wallets or accounts
Stripe
PartlyThrough Bridge custodial wallets, not Stripe accounts.Airwallex
PartlyWallets on connected accounts can belong to individuals.Consumer cards
Stripe
PartlyStablecoin-linked consumer cards through Bridge and Stripe Issuing, rolling out by country (65+ countries, targeting 100 by end of 2026).Announced, not yet live: Stablecoin-backed cards in 100 countriesAirwallex
Not confirmedPublic materials describe business card programs.Stablecoins
Dollar-backed tokens as a payment and treasury rail.
Accept stablecoins
Stripe
YesStablecoin payments at checkout, settled to the business in fiat.Airwallex
NoNo stablecoin product found in public materials.Hold stablecoin balances
Stripe
YesStablecoin financial accounts in 101 countries: USDC balances with USD (ACH, wire) and EUR (SEPA) rails.Announced, not yet live: Stablecoin financial accounts in 50 more countriesAnnounced, not yet live: Move stablecoin balances to and from local bank accountsAirwallex
NoNo stablecoin product found in public materials.Pay out in stablecoins
Stripe
YesInstant stablecoin payouts to recipients in 160 markets through Global Payouts.Announced, not yet live: EU marketplaces paying sellers in 100+ countries with stablecoinsAirwallex
NoNo stablecoin product found in public materials.Issue your own stablecoin
Stripe
YesThrough Bridge Open Issuance.Airwallex
NoNo stablecoin product found in public materials.Regulatory risk in United States
Stripe
Low riskAirwallex
No stablecoin productsAI agents
Build with AI tools, and let AI agents shop and pay.
Official MCP server
Stripe
YesHosted MCP server at mcp.stripe.com with OAuth, plus an agent toolkit for the major agent frameworks.Airwallex
YesAgentOS includes production, sandbox and docs MCP servers plus a CLI. Every money-out action needs a human to confirm it.Checkout for AI agents
Stripe
YesCo-developed the Agentic Commerce Protocol with OpenAI, which powers Instant Checkout in ChatGPT. Shared payment tokens let an agent pay a seller without seeing card numbers.Airwallex
Not confirmedNo agent checkout protocol support confirmed.Cards for AI agents
Stripe
YesIssuing can create single-use virtual cards for agents buying online.Airwallex
PartlyAgentOS includes a card provisioning workflow, with human confirmation before money moves.Working with them
How easy it is to get started.
Self-serve signup
Stripe
YesSign up online and go live without sales in supported countries.Airwallex
YesSign up online; platform products are sales-assisted.Published pricing
Stripe
YesStandard rates are on the pricing page; volume discounts are negotiated.Airwallex
YesPricing pages by country.Public API and sandbox
Stripe
YesPublic API, test mode and sandboxes.Airwallex
YesPublic API and sandbox.Coming soon
Announced but not launched. These are plans, not products you can sign up for today: timing often slips, and some never ship.
Announced, not yet live
Stripe
Preview or betaStablecoin-backed cards in 100 countriesExpected by the end of 2026
AnnouncedStablecoin financial accounts in 50 more countriesExpected Q4 2026
Preview or betaMove stablecoin balances to and from local bank accountsExpected Q4 2026
3 more and details →Airwallex
AnnouncedAccounts and acquiring for Korean businessesExpected by the end of 2026
AnnouncedLater than expectedFull local service for Brazilian businessesExpected by the end of 2025, not launched yet
Details and sources →In short
Countries onboarded
Stripe
42 of 170Airwallex
39 of 170Designed for
Stripe
Online businesses that want one integration for checkout, subscriptions and marketplaces.Airwallex
Businesses that collect in one currency and spend in another, without opening bank accounts abroad.Limitations
Stripe
Your business must be registered in a country on Stripe’s supported list. Most of Africa and South Asia are not on it.Airwallex
Which products you get depends on the country your business is registered in.| Stripe Payment processor | Airwallex Global account | |
|---|---|---|
| Onboards businesses in United States | Available | Available |
| Accept payments | Cards, wallets and 100+ local payment methods. You can sell to customers in almost every country. | Online payments with cards and 160+ local methods, settled into multiple currencies. |
| Pay people abroad | Connect pays out to sellers and contractors, and Global Payouts sends money to recipients in many countries. | Transfers to 150+ countries, often over local bank rails. |
| Multi-currency account | Hold and settle balances in multiple currencies. Financial accounts with routing numbers are offered to US businesses. | Global Accounts give you local bank details in 20+ currencies, so you get paid like a local business. |
| Business cards | Issue physical and virtual cards for your business or your users. | Multi-currency corporate cards with spend controls. |
| Stablecoins | US businesses can accept stablecoin payments that settle as dollars. Stablecoin financial accounts (via Bridge) are offered in 100+ countries. | Not offered |
| Yield on idle cash | Stripe Treasury gives US businesses 1% a year in credits on balances above $2,000, applied to Stripe fees. Stripe says it pays no cash interest on balances. | Airwallex Yield invests idle balances in AAA-rated J.P. Morgan money market funds. Airwallex says it is not a savings or deposit product, and returns are variable. |
| Yield on idle cashA return on money you are not using. How safe it is depends on where the return comes from, not on how high the rate is. | ||
| Where the return comes from | Low risk, not insuredCredits against fees | Low risk, not insuredMoney market fund |
| Is the money protected? | Your balance is not invested. The return is paid as credits toward the provider’s own fees, not as cash. | Not a deposit and not insured. The fund holds short-term government debt and aims to keep its value stable, but that is not guaranteed. Broker protection (SIPC in the US) covers the broker failing, not investment losses. |
| Does the rate change? | Set by the provider, and only worth as much as the fees you pay.Last seen: 1% a year, as fee credits | Floats daily with central bank rates, so it falls when rates are cut.Last seen: About 3.6–3.7% on USD in 2026, depending on plan |
| Platform & marketplaceRun payments for other businesses: sign them up, take a cut, pay them out. | ||
| Sub-accounts for your users | YesConnect creates and verifies accounts through hosted onboarding, embedded components or the API. Accounts v2 lets one account be a merchant, customer and payout recipient at once. | YesConnected accounts for businesses and individuals, through hosted onboarding, embedded components or the native API. |
| Split payments and platform fees | YesDestination charges, separate charges and transfers, and application fees. | YesCollect payments on behalf of connected accounts and take a platform fee. |
| Embeddable UI | YesConnect embedded components for onboarding, payments, payouts and account management. | YesEmbedded components for onboarding and account features. |
| Pay out to your users | YesPayouts to connected accounts, including instant payouts in some markets. Global Payouts sends fiat to 100+ markets and stablecoins to 160.Announced, not yet live: EU marketplaces paying sellers in 100+ countries with stablecoins | YesTransfers to 150+ countries, often over local rails. |
| Embedded finance for your usersGive your users financial products under your brand. | ||
| Accounts that hold money | PartlyFinancial accounts for platforms (formerly Treasury) give US business users routing numbers and FDIC pass-through eligibility. US only.Announced, not yet live: Financial accounts for platforms’ users in the eurozone | YesEach connected account can get multi-currency wallets and local account numbers. |
| Cards for your users | YesIssuing for connected accounts: virtual and physical cards via the API. Cardholders can be individuals or companies.Announced, not yet live: Stablecoin-backed cards in 100 countries | YesIssuing APIs for connected accounts’ cardholders, with secure card-display iframes. |
| Financing for your users | YesCapital for platforms offers financing to connected accounts in selected markets. | Not confirmedNot confirmed. |
| Consumer appsBuild for individuals, not just businesses, the way Bridge allows. | ||
| End users can be individuals | PartlyStripe’s own account products are built for businesses. Consumer apps (wallets, stablecoin cards) go through its subsidiary Bridge. | PartlyPlatforms can create connected accounts for individuals. Card issuing and third-party payouts need full KYC. |
| Consumer wallets or accounts | PartlyThrough Bridge custodial wallets, not Stripe accounts. | PartlyWallets on connected accounts can belong to individuals. |
| Consumer cards | PartlyStablecoin-linked consumer cards through Bridge and Stripe Issuing, rolling out by country (65+ countries, targeting 100 by end of 2026).Announced, not yet live: Stablecoin-backed cards in 100 countries | Not confirmedPublic materials describe business card programs. |
| StablecoinsDollar-backed tokens as a payment and treasury rail. | ||
| Accept stablecoins | YesStablecoin payments at checkout, settled to the business in fiat. | NoNo stablecoin product found in public materials. |
| Hold stablecoin balances | YesStablecoin financial accounts in 101 countries: USDC balances with USD (ACH, wire) and EUR (SEPA) rails.Announced, not yet live: Stablecoin financial accounts in 50 more countriesAnnounced, not yet live: Move stablecoin balances to and from local bank accounts | NoNo stablecoin product found in public materials. |
| Pay out in stablecoins | YesInstant stablecoin payouts to recipients in 160 markets through Global Payouts.Announced, not yet live: EU marketplaces paying sellers in 100+ countries with stablecoins | NoNo stablecoin product found in public materials. |
| Issue your own stablecoin | YesThrough Bridge Open Issuance. | NoNo stablecoin product found in public materials. |
| Regulatory risk in United States | Low risk | No stablecoin products |
| AI agentsBuild with AI tools, and let AI agents shop and pay. | ||
| Official MCP server | YesHosted MCP server at mcp.stripe.com with OAuth, plus an agent toolkit for the major agent frameworks. | YesAgentOS includes production, sandbox and docs MCP servers plus a CLI. Every money-out action needs a human to confirm it. |
| Checkout for AI agents | YesCo-developed the Agentic Commerce Protocol with OpenAI, which powers Instant Checkout in ChatGPT. Shared payment tokens let an agent pay a seller without seeing card numbers. | Not confirmedNo agent checkout protocol support confirmed. |
| Cards for AI agents | YesIssuing can create single-use virtual cards for agents buying online. | PartlyAgentOS includes a card provisioning workflow, with human confirmation before money moves. |
| Working with themHow easy it is to get started. | ||
| Self-serve signup | YesSign up online and go live without sales in supported countries. | YesSign up online; platform products are sales-assisted. |
| Published pricing | YesStandard rates are on the pricing page; volume discounts are negotiated. | YesPricing pages by country. |
| Public API and sandbox | YesPublic API, test mode and sandboxes. | YesPublic API and sandbox. |
| Coming soonAnnounced but not launched. These are plans, not products you can sign up for today: timing often slips, and some never ship. | ||
| Announced, not yet live | Preview or betaStablecoin-backed cards in 100 countriesExpected by the end of 2026 AnnouncedStablecoin financial accounts in 50 more countriesExpected Q4 2026 Preview or betaMove stablecoin balances to and from local bank accountsExpected Q4 2026 3 more and details → | AnnouncedAccounts and acquiring for Korean businessesExpected by the end of 2026 AnnouncedLater than expectedFull local service for Brazilian businessesExpected by the end of 2025, not launched yet Details and sources → |
| In short | ||
| Countries onboarded | 42 of 170 | 39 of 170 |
| Designed for | Online businesses that want one integration for checkout, subscriptions and marketplaces. | Businesses that collect in one currency and spend in another, without opening bank accounts abroad. |
| Limitations | Your business must be registered in a country on Stripe’s supported list. Most of Africa and South Asia are not on it. | Which products you get depends on the country your business is registered in. |
Common questions
Is Stripe or Airwallex available in more countries?
Airwallex. Of the 170 countries we track, Stripe onboards businesses in 42 (and 1 more with limits) and Airwallex in 39 (and 5 more with limits). Both serve businesses in 41. Only Stripe: India and Thailand. Only Airwallex: Iceland, Israel and China.
What do Stripe and Airwallex offer?
Accept payments: Stripe yes, Airwallex yes. Pay people abroad: Stripe yes, Airwallex yes. Multi-currency account: Stripe yes, Airwallex yes. Business cards: Stripe yes, Airwallex yes. Stablecoins: Stripe yes, Airwallex no. Yield on idle cash: Stripe yes, Airwallex yes.
How do Stripe and Airwallex differ for platforms and embedded finance?
Accounts that hold money: Stripe partly, Airwallex yes. Financing for your users: Stripe yes, Airwallex not confirmed. Consumer cards: Stripe partly, Airwallex not confirmed. Accept stablecoins: Stripe yes, Airwallex no. Hold stablecoin balances: Stripe yes, Airwallex no. Pay out in stablecoins: Stripe yes, Airwallex no. Issue your own stablecoin: Stripe yes, Airwallex no. Checkout for AI agents: Stripe yes, Airwallex not confirmed. Cards for AI agents: Stripe yes, Airwallex partly.
Who is Stripe designed for?
Online businesses that want one integration for checkout, subscriptions and marketplaces. Limitations: Your business must be registered in a country on Stripe’s supported list. Most of Africa and South Asia are not on it.
Who is Airwallex designed for?
Businesses that collect in one currency and spend in another, without opening bank accounts abroad. Limitations: Which products you get depends on the country your business is registered in.
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