(Jan 22): Australia's financial crime watchdog said on Thursday it had ordered an audit of payment platform Airwallex Pty for suspected anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing compliance failures. The Australia-founded fintech has also not defined who its customers are and what reporting may be required, it added. "Our concerns also extend to how well Airwallex identifies and reports on suspicious matters and the effective oversight of these important obligations," said Austrac chief executive officer Brendan Thomas. The payment platform, which is co-headquartered in San Francisco and Singapore and is backed by investors including Tencent, DST Global, and Hillhouse said it will be co-operating fully with Austrac's external auditor review. An external and independent auditor in 2025 had validated Airwallex's programme in Australia, following an Austrac audit of its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing programme in 2024, the company added.

Source: The Edge Markets January 22, 2026 08:49 UTC