NEW YORK, September 30, 2025 – Pledge 1%, a global movement that inspires, educates, and empowers every company to leverage its unique assets for good, today presented Australian-founded unicorn Airwallex with the 2025 Pledge 1% Impact Award.
Each year, Pledge 1% selects one company on the Cloud 100 List to receive special recognition for its commitment to social impact. We are thrilled to announce that Airwallex, a leading global payments and financial platform building the future of global banking, is the winner of this year’s Award.
Airwallex joined the Pledge 1% movement in 2024 by committing 1% of their employees’ time, 1% of profits and 1% of products to support the innovation community. Airwallex has activated this commitment through its global impact initiative, Airwallex Impact, which provides a suite of resources to the innovation community through Airwallex employee mentor programs, the Airwallex for Startups program, and product discounts for select nonprofit organizations. Through the Airwallex for Startups program, Airwallex has donated AU$64,000 in acceleration grants in Australia and SG$10,000 in Singapore, plus mentorship and resources to over 1,800 startups globally.
Earlier this year, Airwallex rolled out a company-wide global volunteering initiative, through which all 1,800+ Airwallex employees commit three days each year to volunteering – amounting to roughly 1% of employee time devoted to community service. In the first half of 2025, Airwallex’s global employees have already contributed to an 58% uplift in volunteering across a diverse range of social causes from supporting women of domestic violence in Melbourne, to feeding the community in San Francisco and mentoring young women starting on their STEM journey in Singapore.
This builds on previous philanthropic gifts, including an AU$3M donation to the University of Melbourne, which funded 43 scholarships, with 40% to women and 57% to international students. Airwallex also funded an AU$150,000 donation for financial assistance for an additional 65 students to support non-tuition related costs of attending school.
“These students have become a part of the Airwallex community in many ways, as interns and mentees at Airwallex, and their presence at our company also opened up a meaningful opportunity for Airwallex employees to share their experience to guide future founders and innovators,” said Lucy Liu, co-founder and President guiding Airwallex’s social impact efforts.
To date, the Airwallex team has committed more than 400 hours to mentorship since the mentorship program started two years ago. The partnership is expected to continue for at least another two years.
Furthermore, another key pillar of their commitment, Airwallex’s equity pledge, is valued at over US$62M, and will provide the company with a sustainable funding source to ensure impact for years to come.
Airwallex exemplifies what it means to be a leader in the Pledge 1% movement—not only through its own ambitious commitments, but also by serving as a true force multiplier. Beyond giving back within their own company, they have consistently championed Pledge 1% on global stages, inspired other CEOs to join, and integrated the movement into their programs for startups and entrepreneurs. Their efforts extend the reach of the movement itself, helping to spark new commitments and set a powerful standard for how companies can embed purpose at scale.
“Airwallex’s comprehensive, global approach to Airwallex Impact makes them a true role model for how companies can leverage their assets to do good,” said Amy Lesnick, CEO of Pledge 1%. “They are embedding purpose into the core of their culture and, just as importantly, helping to build and expand the Pledge 1% movement by inspiring others to follow their lead. We are proud to recognize Airwallex with this year’s Pledge 1% Impact Award.”
"We are incredibly honored to receive the 2025 Pledge 1% Impact Award. This recognition is a testament to the hard work and passion of our entire global team,” said Jack Zhang, CEO and Co-founder of Airwallex. “We've seen firsthand how our efforts, from our global volunteering initiative to our partnerships with organizations like the University of Melbourne and our Airwallex for Startups program, are creating tangible, positive change. We are excited to continue this journey, leveraging our unique assets and skillsets to support the next generation of innovators and build a better future together."
By accepting this Award, Airwallex joins the company of past Pledge 1% Impact Award Winners, including Twilio, DocuSign, Slack, Procore, Canva, Guild Education, Snyk, Checkr, and ServiceTitan.
We are also proud to recognize all of the Pledge 1% companies celebrated today on the Cloud 100 List: Airwallex, Algolia, AppsFlyer, Automation Anywhere, Checkr, Cohesity, Guild, LaunchDarkley, Personio, Snyk, and Workato.
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About Airwallex
Airwallex is building the future of global banking. As a leading financial and payments platform for modern businesses, we provide trusted solutions to manage everything from global payments, business accounts, corporate cards and spend management to embedded financial services.
Built for scale, our platform removes the friction from global financial operations - empowering over 150,000 businesses worldwide, from startups to global enterprises, to operate and grow beyond borders.
Founded in Melbourne and trusted by leading brands such as BILL, Bolt, Brex, Canva, Deel, Navan and Qantas, Airwallex is redefining how businesses manage their finance and payments globally. Learn more at www.airwallex.com.
