tech
February 23, 2026
He turned down $1.2 billion from Stripe. Now his company is worth $8 billion
In 2018, Stripe offered to buy fintech company Airwallex for $1.2 billion. They said no. Seven years later, the company is worth $8 billion and serves over 200,000 customers globally.
TL;DR
- Airwallex rejected a $1.2 billion acquisition offer from Stripe in 2018.
- The company is now valued at $8 billion and serves over 200,000 global customers.
- Co-founder and CEO Jack Zhang built the company after experiencing frustrations with international payment systems.
- Zhang's background includes immigrating from China to Australia at 15 and working multiple jobs to pay for tuition.
- Airwallex has faced and recovered from turbulence, including fraud losses and revenue hits from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Continue reading the original article