Request Finance vs Airwallex

The #1 Alternative to Airwallex for Unified Spend Management

Airwallex gives you multi-currency accounts and FX. But it's not a spend management platform. If you need stablecoin payments, integrated AP, and corporate cards coming soon, all in one, Request Finance is the complete solution.

PWC - Trusted by PWCDeloitte - Trusted by DeloitteXange - Trusted by XangeStake Capital - Trusted by Stake CapitalLedger - Trusted by Ledger

Why switch from Airwallex?

Airwallex does FX well. But spend management? Not so much.

Airwallex was built as a cross-border payment and FX platform. Their corporate cards and AP features were added later, and it shows. Card controls are basic, approval workflows are limited, onboarding takes weeks, and there's zero support for digital assets or stablecoins.

  • Corporate cards have basic controls: no granular per-card rules or merchant restrictions
  • Approval workflows are rigid and lack multi-level customization
  • Onboarding is notoriously slow: expect weeks of compliance back-and-forth
  • No stablecoin support: can't hold, send, or receive USDC/USDT
  • No way to convert stablecoins to money in a bank account for companies with digital asset treasuries
  • Accounts payable features feel bolted on, not purpose-built
  • No stablecoin reconciliation: crypto payments stay outside your accounting workflow
  • API-first approach means the UI can feel complex for non-technical finance teams

Feature comparison

Request Finance vs Airwallex: Feature Comparison

Airwallex is a solid FX and banking infrastructure platform. Request Finance is a purpose-built spend management solution. Here's how they compare on the features that matter.

Corporate Cards

Virtual cards
Request Finance:Coming soon
Airwallex:
Physical cards
Request Finance:Coming soon
Airwallex:
Real-time spend controls & instant notifications
Request Finance:Coming soon
Airwallex:Basic
Per-card spending limits, rules & merchant restrictions
Request Finance:Coming soon
Airwallex:Partial
Cards work globally (190+ countries)
Request Finance:Coming soon
Airwallex:
Fund cards with stablecoins (USDC, USDT)
Request Finance:Coming soon
Airwallex:
Instant card issuance for new team members
Request Finance:Coming soon
Airwallex:

Accounts Payable

Invoice capture & management
Request Finance:
Airwallex:Basic
Multi-level approval workflows (customizable)
Request Finance:
Airwallex:Partial
Batch payments to 100s of vendors at once
Request Finance:
Airwallex:
Pay via SEPA, SWIFT, ACH, SPEI, Faster Payments
Request Finance:
Airwallex:
Pay vendors in stablecoins (USDC, USDT)
Request Finance:
Airwallex:
Offramp: pay in crypto, vendor receives money in their bank
Request Finance:
Airwallex:
Full audit trail with approval history
Request Finance:
Airwallex:Partial

Global Operations

Business accounts per entity
Request Finance:
Airwallex:
Multi-currency accounts (EUR, GBP, etc.)
Request Finance:
Airwallex:
Vendor payments in 190+ countries
Request Finance:
Airwallex:
Competitive FX rates
Request Finance:
Airwallex:
Stablecoin treasury management
Request Finance:
Airwallex:
Yield on idle balances
Request Finance:Coming soon
Airwallex:
Onboarding in under 5 minutes
Request Finance:
Airwallex:

Integrations & Accounting

QuickBooks / Xero sync
Request Finance:
Airwallex:
NetSuite & ERP integrations
Request Finance:
Airwallex:
Accrual accounting built-in
Request Finance:
Airwallex:
Bank account connections
Request Finance:
Airwallex:
Crypto wallet connections (MetaMask, Safe, Ledger)
Request Finance:
Airwallex:
Simple UI for non-technical finance teams
Request Finance:
Airwallex:Partial

Why Request Finance?

Why companies choose Request Finance over Airwallex

Purpose-built for spend management

Airwallex is a banking infrastructure platform that added cards and AP as features. Request Finance was built from day one as a spend management platform: AP, approvals, accounting, and treasury management work together natively. Corporate cards are coming soon.

Move between crypto and bank accounts without switching platforms

If your company holds or transacts in digital assets, Airwallex can't help. Request Finance natively supports stablecoin treasuries, USDC/USDT payments, and ways to convert stablecoins to money in a bank account, alongside all traditional payment rails.

Operational in minutes, not weeks

Airwallex onboarding is notoriously slow, with weeks of compliance documentation and back-and-forth. Request Finance gets your account open and operational in under 5 minutes. Complete KYB at your own pace.

Corporate card controls, coming soon

Airwallex cards offer basic spend controls. Request Finance is launching per-card spending limits, merchant category restrictions, multi-level approval chains, and instant real-time notifications, the granular control that prevents rogue spend.

Use cases

When to choose Request Finance over Airwallex

1

You need spend management, not just FX

Airwallex is great if you only need multi-currency accounts and foreign exchange. Request Finance covers AP, approval workflows, and stablecoin payments today, with corporate cards coming soon.

2

Your business works with stablecoins

You hold USDC, USDT, or other digital assets in your treasury. You need to pay vendors and convert stablecoins to money in a bank account, all from one interface. Airwallex doesn't touch crypto. Request corporate cards are coming soon.

3

You can't wait weeks for onboarding

Your team needs to be operational now, not after weeks of compliance paperwork. Request Finance opens accounts in minutes and lets you complete enhanced verification on your own schedule.

4

Your finance team isn't technical

Airwallex's API-first approach is great for developers, but its UI can overwhelm non-technical finance teams. Request Finance is designed for CFOs, controllers, and AP managers who want clarity, not complexity.

Get started

3 steps to transform your company's spend management

1

Open your account

Complete your Know Your Business verification before you go live. It usually takes a few days and means your counterparties are verified too.

2

Top up your account

Deposit any currency: fiat or stablecoin. Flexible funding options for your business needs.

3

You are set up!

Your finance team is ready to go. Control, approve, and monitor business spend in real time.

Customers

Trusted by finance teams in 190+ countries.

It has improved the security of our stablecoin payment processes.

David Norris

Head of Finance, Near Protocol

It is a game-changer for any Web3 business looking to streamline their financial operations and take advantage of the benefits of stablecoins.

Magdalena Fichtl

Head of Finance & Operations, Gelato

Request Finance onboarded our Delaware C-corp in just 11 days over the New Year holiday. This was hands-down the most efficient crypto fundraising experience possible given all the KYB, AML and compliance requirements.

Vitality

Founder, Yurtofun

Other solutions we saw did not have all the functionalities we needed, like batch payments.

Sebastien Borget

COO & Co-founder, The Sandbox

Request revolutionized our financial operations by simplifying cross-currency transactions, ensuring transparent and auditable records through a paper trail creation.

Juan Pablo Andersson

Finance Operations, The Sandbox

Request Finance makes it easy for our accountants to manage our payments, and simplifies payroll for our global team.

Rudy Kadoch

CEO, Nested Finance

Request gave me structure. It gave me a workflow to manage supplier payments connected to the contacts of those suppliers along with their wallet addresses. It gave me confidence knowing that I would be sending funds to a supplier's wallet address they have entered directly into their invoice.

Ryan Kris

COO, Verida

The app has essentially eradicated risks associated with human error, such as payments sent to incorrect wallet addresses. Furthermore, it has enhanced our capability to monitor our crypto payroll history, providing improved transparency and oversight.

Jaime Barriga

CEO VP Finance, OpenZeppelin

Request Invoicing and Expenses features have streamlined our processes, providing time-efficient management of payables both in crypto and FIAT. With their intuitive interface and robust functionalities, we've seen a remarkable improvement in tracking, managing, and optimizing our financial workflows.

Vitalij Aleksandrov

Head of Finance, Merit Circle

The team at Sonic Labs used to spend many hours a month just on managing and accounting for crypto payments. With Request, we now spend only far fewer hours processing almost US$100k in payments monthly, and we anticipate that this number will go up.

Michael Kong

CEO, Sonic