AI Reshapes Cross-Border Finance at Airwallex Sydney Event

AI Is Reshaping Cross-Border Financial Infrastructure: Airwallex Sydney Event Highlights New Opportunities for Global Businesses

Sydney, 19 August 2026 — Representatives of the Multinational Investment Alliance Australia (MIAA) attended the Airwallex Origin Cafe business event in Sydney today, joining founders, investors and business leaders for discussions on the Australian economy, global trade, cross-border payments, artificial intelligence and the future of international business expansion.

Hosted by Airwallex’s Australia and New Zealand leadership team, the event also featured speakers from Australian business and finance platform Fear & Greed.

The discussion opened with an assessment of the current Australian economic environment. 

Speakers noted that economic growth is slowing and that businesses and households continue to face pressure from elevated borrowing costs and weaker consumer demand. At the same time, Australia’s labour market remains comparatively resilient, providing an important source of support for the broader economy.

The speakers suggested that Australia may be approaching the lower part of the current economic cycle. While the next several months could remain challenging, an eventual easing in monetary conditions may create a more supportive environment for businesses.

Housing and consumer spending were also identified as important indicators. Weakness in home-loan applications can have a broader impact across the economy, affecting expenditure on furniture, appliances, building products and a range of related services.

Global Trade Is Entering a New Period of Restructuring

The event also examined the global economic environment and Australia’s major trading relationships, including China, Japan and the United States.

Geopolitical risk, tariffs, energy prices and supply-chain disruption were highlighted as major sources of uncertainty for companies operating internationally.

Speakers noted that global trade patterns are increasingly being reshaped by tariffs and political risk. Companies producing within protected markets may benefit, while exporters facing new tariffs can quickly lose competitiveness.

At the same time, trade restrictions in one market can redirect products into other countries. Australian businesses may therefore face increased competition at home as manufacturers seek alternative markets for goods that have become more difficult to sell elsewhere.

For small and medium-sized enterprises, the practical consequences include rising compliance costs, more complex documentation, supply-chain disruption, higher freight costs, margin pressure and greater uncertainty around investment decisions.

Businesses were encouraged to remain flexible, diversify markets where possible, understand their tariff exposure, protect margins and strengthen the resilience of their supply chains.

Cross-Border Financial Infrastructure Becoming More Important

Cross-border financial infrastructure was one of the central themes of the event.

Airwallex shared its origin story, explaining that the company was founded in Melbourne approximately a decade ago after its founders experienced practical difficulties when making international payments to suppliers.

Traditional banking channels could involve delays, unexpected fees and uncertainty over when funds would arrive. The founders saw an opportunity to build a more efficient system.

Since then, Airwallex has expanded beyond foreign exchange and international payments into a broader global financial platform covering international collections, multi-currency accounts, corporate cards, expense management and supplier payments.

A key theme from the discussion was the increasing importance of consolidation.

Businesses operating through multiple companies and jurisdictions often manage funds across numerous banks and financial platforms. This can reduce visibility and increase administrative complexity.

The future of global financial services is therefore increasingly moving toward integrated platforms that allow businesses to manage more of their international financial operations within a single environment.

AI Is Transforming Finance and Business Productivity

Artificial intelligence was one of the most discussed topics of the morning.

Speakers argued that AI could have a transformative impact on finance similar to the way the internet reshaped retail.

Routine financial tasks such as invoice processing, expense reconciliation, financial reporting and certain analytical functions can increasingly be automated.

However, the importance of AI extends beyond cost reduction.

The traditional finance function has largely focused on explaining what has already happened. 

AI may increasingly enable finance teams to become forward-looking and support real-time strategic decision-making.

For example, a company receiving funds in one currency, holding reserves in another and making payments in a third may eventually use AI tools to analyse cash positions and provide guidance on when and where funds should be moved, held or converted.

Speakers also stressed that AI should not replace management judgment.

Governance, compliance, privacy, accountability and clearly defined decision limits will become increasingly important as AI becomes more deeply integrated into financial systems.

The Emergence of Agentic Commerce

Another major topic was the emergence of Agentic Commerce.

In the future, some transactions may increasingly be conducted not directly by people, but by AI agents acting within parameters established by users or businesses.

A consumer, for example, may provide an AI system with a budget, preferences and purchasing instructions, allowing the system to automatically select and purchase goods.

This creates the possibility of a commercial environment in which software agents increasingly transact with other software agents.

Financial infrastructure will be central to this model.

For agentic commerce to operate safely, payment systems will need to support secure credentials, spending limits, permissions, risk controls and clearly defined decision-making authority.

This highlights the growing convergence between AI, payments and financial infrastructure.

Stablecoins May Play a Practical Role in Emerging Markets

The future role of digital assets was also discussed.

Speakers distinguished between speculative cryptocurrencies and stablecoins that may provide practical payment utility.

Stablecoins linked to the US dollar may have particular relevance in emerging markets where local currencies are more volatile.

In parts of Africa and Latin America, stablecoins could potentially provide an alternative mechanism for storing and transferring value.

While the long-term structure of the sector remains uncertain, stablecoins appear to have a clearer connection to practical cross-border payment use cases than speculative crypto trading.

Building Businesses for Global Expansion from Day One

The event concluded with several observations relevant to Australian founders seeking international growth.

First, businesses should be built digitally from the beginning.

Technology now enables smaller teams to operate at levels of productivity that previously required significantly larger organisations.

Second, Australian founders should think internationally from day one.

Australia is a relatively small market, and businesses with global ambitions should choose systems, platforms and financial infrastructure that will continue to support them when they expand beyond Australia.

Third, companies should increasingly view finance as a strategic, forward-looking function rather than simply an administrative function focused on historical reporting.

Finally, businesses were reminded that technology alone does not create sustainable international success.

Strong customer relationships, reliable partners, local market understanding, regulatory compliance and disciplined execution remain fundamental.

Implications for Cross-Border Investment

For the cross-border investment sector, the broader message from the event was clear.

Artificial intelligence is reducing some of the traditional barriers to global expansion, while financial technology is making international payments and multi-market financial management increasingly integrated.

At the same time, regulatory infrastructure, trusted financial networks and cross-border compliance remain essential.

The convergence of AI, global payments, stablecoins, digital commerce and financial infrastructure is therefore creating a new generation of opportunities for investors, technology companies and internationally focused businesses.

The Multinational Investment Alliance Australia will continue to monitor developments in global financial technology, cross-border payments, digital finance and AI-enabled commercial infrastructure, while promoting stronger connections between Australian businesses, international capital, technology partners and global markets.

Published by 

Multinational Investment Alliance Australia (MIAA)

Kenar Liu, Founder & Secretary General, 

Reporter: Jingwen Liu, Journalist, MIAA Media Centre