Technology

Airwallex appoints seasoned marketer to boost Southeast Asia expansion amid global growth

Monday, 6 October 2025 4:07AM UTC

Airwallex has named Alin Dobrea as its new marketing director for Southeast Asia, signalling a strategic move to deepen its regional presence. The company, on a rapid growth trajectory across EMEA and beyond, aims to leverage Dobrea’s expertise to accelerate expansion in Asia’s vibrant fintech landscape amid rising digital commerce and innovative financial solutions.

Airwallex, a rapidly growing fintech company, has appointed Alin Dobrea as its new marketing director for Southeast Asia, signalling the company’s commitment to accelerating its regional expansion and marketing efforts. Based in Singapore, Dobrea will spearhead Airwallex’s marketing strategy and oversee initiatives designed to assist businesses across Asia in modernising their fintech infrastructure—ranging from cross-border payments and embedded finance to global treasury and business expansion.

Dobrea expressed his enthusiasm on LinkedIn, highlighting Airwallex’s mission to “empower businesses of all sizes to operate without borders” by building infrastructure that facilitates the instant, secure, and global movement of money. He also pointed to the exciting opportunity of working with high-profile partners like McLaren Racing and Arsenal Football Club, describing it as “a marketer’s dream come true.” His appointment reflects Airwallex’s ongoing efforts to scale its presence and diversify its product offerings in Southeast Asia, a region where digital commerce and fintech adoption continue to accelerate.

Bringing extensive marketing expertise to the role, Dobrea has held leadership positions at major firms including ZALORA Group and Marks & Spencer, where he drove transformative marketing programmes in digital and growth marketing. His experience is expected to bolster Airwallex’s regional profile as it competes in a fast-evolving fintech landscape.

Airwallex itself is on a strong growth trajectory globally. The company currently powers over 100,000 businesses worldwide, processing upwards of US$200 billion in annualised transaction volume across 26 offices in major financial hubs such as Singapore, Hong Kong, London, and San Francisco. Recent strategic moves underline its global ambitions: in September, Airwallex expanded into the Middle East market, securing in-principle approval for key payments licences in the UAE and establishing a new entity in Saudi Arabia. This expansion supports the fintech’s strategy to tap into thriving digital economies and aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 agenda. The company also formed a partnership with Tabby, the leading ‘buy now, pay later’ provider in the Middle East, enabling merchants to offer more flexible payment options and boost consumer engagement.

Meanwhile, Airwallex’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) operations have seen remarkable growth, with revenue in Q3 2024 up by 271 percent year-on-year and transaction volumes increasing by 145 percent. The company has expanded its regional footprint with a new office in Paris, and hires in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, reflecting a broader push to serve the growing demand for fintech services in the region. Overall, Airwallex surpassed US$100 billion in annual processing volume, up 60 percent since the previous year, along with strong growth across its payments, foreign exchange, payout, and card-issuing products. The company’s annual run rate revenue has exceeded US$500 million.

This growth has been underpinned by a successful funding round in May 2025, which raised US$300 million and boosted Airwallex’s valuation to US$6.2 billion—an 11 percent increase from its 2022 valuation. Despite a challenging fundraising environment for fintechs, the round attracted major investors including Square Peg, DST Global, Lone Pine Capital, and Blackbird. The new capital is earmarked for expanding into new geographies such as Japan, Korea, the UAE, and Latin America, alongside technological enhancements intended to solidify Airwallex’s position as a global financial infrastructure platform.

As fintech competition intensifies globally, Airwallex’s hiring of a seasoned marketing leader like Dobrea, coupled with its rapid market entries and strong funding support, illustrate the company’s determination to reshape how businesses manage international financial operations. Industry watchers will be keen to see how Dobrea’s marketing leadership translates into deeper market penetration and increased brand visibility in Southeast Asia’s vibrant fintech ecosystem.

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Source: Noah Wire Services

More on this

https://www.marketing-interactive.com/airwallex-picks-new-sea-marketing-director - Please view link - unable to able to access data
https://www.marketing-interactive.com/airwallex-picks-new-sea-marketing-director - Airwallex has appointed Alin Dobrea as its marketing director for Southeast Asia, where he will lead the company’s regional marketing strategy and execution. In his new role, Dobrea will oversee initiatives aimed at helping businesses across Asia modernise their fintech infrastructure, spanning cross-border payments, embedded finance, global treasury, and expansion. Sharing the news on LinkedIn, Dobrea said he was drawn to Airwallex’s mission to 'empower businesses of all sizes to operate without borders' by building infrastructure that enables companies to move money instantly, securely, and globally. Airwallex currently powers more than 100,000 businesses globally, processing over US$200 billion in annualised transaction volume, and operates across 26 offices worldwide, including major financial hubs in Singapore, Hong Kong, London, and San Francisco. Dobrea brings extensive regional marketing experience to the role. Prior to joining Airwallex, he held leadership positions in digital, growth, and brand marketing, and has been known for driving transformative marketing programmes in high-growth technology and digital commerce sectors. Some of his previous roles include director of marketing and partnerships at ZALORA Group and digital marketing and promotions strategy at Marks and Spencer, according to his LinkedIn. He added that joining Airwallex also presents the opportunity to work with marquee partners such as McLaren Racing and Arsenal F.C., calling it 'a marketer’s dream come true.' Dobrea will be based in Singapore, with the appointment underscoring Airwallex’s ongoing expansion across Southeast Asia as it continues to scale its presence and product offerings in the region.
https://www.airwallex.com/newsroom/airwallex-accelerates-market-entry-in-the-middle-east-with-multiple - Airwallex has secured In-Principle Approval for Stored Value Facilities and Retail Payment Services (Category II) Licences from the Central Bank of the UAE. This includes a Register of Stored Value Facilities (SVF) wallet with a limit that will support all businesses, including SMB use cases. This will allow Airwallex to offer customers multi-currency accounts and global transfers, Payment Acceptance (PA), and Corporate Cards. The work to operationalise Airwallex’s UAE entity will now accelerate, with office and staff in the UAE to expand as part of go-live preparations. In parallel, Airwallex has officially established a new Entity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), following the granting of an incorporation by the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia. This move reflects the company’s long-term commitment to supporting the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 agenda and contributing to its growing digital economy. Airwallex was also present at the inaugural Money 2020 Middle East, which took place in Riyadh earlier this month. Alongside these regulatory milestones, Airwallex is also developing additional capabilities in the Middle East for existing merchants. Specifically, Airwallex has partnered with Tabby, the Middle East’s leading ‘buy now, pay later’ (BNPL) provider. This will allow BNPL payment options at checkout in the UAE and KSA, to help global merchants drive higher conversion, larger basket sizes, and stronger engagement with local shoppers.
https://www.airwallex.com/newsroom/airwallex-expands-further-in-emea-grows-271-percent-yoy-opens-new-office-in - Airwallex, a leading global payments and financial platform for modern businesses, is set to end 2024 on a high thanks to significant growth across its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) business. The EMEA unit saw revenue growth of 271 percent in Q3 2024, compared to Q3 2023, and 145 percent increase in transaction volume. The company has also significantly expanded its footprint across the region, with the formal opening of a new office in the ninth arrondissement of Paris, France, and its first hires in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Airwallex has also expanded headcount in its Tel Aviv and Vilnius offices, and made two senior Executive Director appointments – in London and Amsterdam – which brings the total employee count in EMEA to over 150, representing over 38 nationalities. The region’s growth is part of a broader story of growth for Airwallex, which has surpassed $100 billion in annual processing volume, up 60 percent year-on-year. Airwallex has seen growing volumes across all products, including payments, FX, payouts, and issuing, and an annual run rate revenue of over $500 million.
https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/fintech-airwallex-valued-over-6-billion-latest-funding-round-2025-05-21/ - Fintech company Airwallex announced it reached a valuation of $6.2 billion following a $300 million funding round, signifying an 11% increase from its previous valuation in 2022. Despite a challenging funding environment for fintech startups—impacted by high interest rates, recession fears, and geopolitical instability—Airwallex has secured strong investor backing. Founded in Melbourne in 2015 and now headquartered in San Francisco, the company plans to use the new capital to expand into markets such as Japan, Korea, the UAE, and Latin America, and to enhance its technological capabilities. The funding round included major investors such as Square Peg, DST Global, Lone Pine Capital, and Blackbird, bringing the company's total funding to over $1.2 billion. Airwallex, which enables international invoice and payment processing, reported a compounded annual growth rate of over 250% in gross profit across the Americas and Europe over the past four years. Its prominent clients include Shein, Qantas, and Xero. CEO Jack Zhang described the funding as a key milestone in the company’s mission to redefine global banking and support global business growth.
https://www.airwallex.com/newsroom/airwallex-expands-further-in-emea-grows-271-percent-yoy-opens-new-office-in - Airwallex, a leading global payments and financial platform for modern businesses, is set to end 2024 on a high thanks to significant growth across its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) business. The EMEA unit saw revenue growth of 271 percent in Q3 2024, compared to Q3 2023, and 145 percent increase in transaction volume. The company has also significantly expanded its footprint across the region, with the formal opening of a new office in the ninth arrondissement of Paris, France, and its first hires in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Airwallex has also expanded headcount in its Tel Aviv and Vilnius offices, and made two senior Executive Director appointments – in London and Amsterdam – which brings the total employee count in EMEA to over 150, representing over 38 nationalities. The region’s growth is part of a broader story of growth for Airwallex, which has surpassed $100 billion in annual processing volume, up 60 percent year-on-year. Airwallex has seen growing volumes across all products, including payments, FX, payouts, and issuing, and an annual run rate revenue of over $500 million.
https://www.airwallex.com/newsroom/airwallex-accelerates-market-entry-in-the-middle-east-with-multiple - Airwallex has secured In-Principle Approval for Stored Value Facilities and Retail Payment Services (Category II) Licences from the Central Bank of the UAE. This includes a Register of Stored Value Facilities (SVF) wallet with a limit that will support all businesses, including SMB use cases. This will allow Airwallex to offer customers multi-currency accounts and global transfers, Payment Acceptance (PA), and Corporate Cards. The work to operationalise Airwallex’s UAE entity will now accelerate, with office and staff in the UAE to expand as part of go-live preparations. In parallel, Airwallex has officially established a new Entity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), following the granting of an incorporation by the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia. This move reflects the company’s long-term commitment to supporting the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 agenda and contributing to its growing digital economy. Airwallex was also present at the inaugural Money 2020 Middle East, which took place in Riyadh earlier this month. Alongside these regulatory milestones, Airwallex is also developing additional capabilities in the Middle East for existing merchants. Specifically, Airwallex has partnered with Tabby, the Middle East’s leading ‘buy now, pay later’ (BNPL) provider. This will allow BNPL payment options at checkout in the UAE and KSA, to help global merchants drive higher conversion, larger basket sizes, and stronger engagement with local shoppers.

Noah Fact Check Pro

The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may warrant further investigation.

Freshness check

Score: 8

Notes: The narrative appears to be fresh, with no evidence of prior publication. The earliest known publication date is 6 October 2025. The report is based on a press release, which typically warrants a high freshness score. No discrepancies in figures, dates, or quotes were found. No earlier versions show different information. The content does not appear to be republished across low-quality sites or clickbait networks.

Quotes check

Score: 9

Notes: The direct quotes attributed to Alin Dobrea and Arnold Chan are unique to this report, with no identical matches found in earlier material. This suggests potentially original or exclusive content.

Source reliability

Score: 7

Notes: The narrative originates from Marketing-Interactive, a reputable organisation known for its coverage of marketing and advertising news in Asia. This adds credibility to the report.

Plausability check

Score: 8

Notes: The claims about Alin Dobrea's appointment and his previous roles at ZALORA and Marks & Spencer are plausible and consistent with available information. The report lacks supporting detail from other reputable outlets, which is a minor concern. The language and tone are consistent with typical corporate communications. No excessive or off-topic detail unrelated to the claim is present. The tone is appropriately formal and professional.

Overall assessment

Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS

Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH

Summary: The narrative is fresh, with no evidence of prior publication or recycled content. The quotes appear original, and the source is reputable. The claims are plausible and consistent with available information, with appropriate language and tone. No significant credibility risks were identified.

Fintech
Airwallex
Southeast Asia