To meet complex global subscription revenue challenges, the firm chose direct acquisition as a way to boost competitiveness quickly.
Demand for hybrid and usage based billing — tied to actual product usage as opposed to static, seat-based pricing — is rising as AI firms and other consumption-led businesses monetize by tokens, calls, and compute.
To bolster its presence in this growing market, a global cross-border payments and business financial services platform serving over 150,000 businesses worldwide announced the acquisition of a subscription management and billing platform specializing in automating recurring revenue processes and optimizing payment flows for businesses.
The acquisition, announced on 3 September 2025, targets a critical challenge in the digital payment industry: offering truly global, multi-currency billing solutions suitable for the rapidly growing subscription economy.
Historically, many billing systems have been limited by single-currency designs and rigid pricing models, making it difficult for businesses to scale internationally. Additionally, the rise of hybrid and usage-based billing models — especially in AI and consumption-driven sectors where charges vary by tokens, calls, or compute — has introduced new complexities in revenue management.
To overcome these challenges, Airwallex has integrated the acquired platform’s capabilities, which include:
- Multi-currency billing enabling seamless transactions across borders
- Payment orchestration to optimize routing and support diverse payment methods
- Flexible subscription management accommodating tiered, flat-fee, and usage-based pricing
- AI-driven retention tools and real-time revenue analytics to enhance customer lifetime value
- Automation to reduce billing errors and improve operational efficiency
According to Jack Zhang, co-founder and CEO, Airwallex, existing billing systems were “never designed for a global, multi-currency world,” emphasizing that the firm’s goal is to build a platform that allows businesses to scale subscriptions internationally without barriers.
Said Lance Co Ting Keh, CEO, OpenPay, the firm acquired by Airwallex, his original vision was to create “a smarter, more intuitive platform” to simplify recurring revenue management and support subscription businesses in scaling globally.
This case study highlights the digital payment industry’s ongoing transformation, as providers combine financial infrastructure with modern billing and analytics to support complex revenue models and global commerce. Partnerships aim to reduce costs, increase revenue, and enable businesses to navigate the expanding subscription economy efficiently.
