WorldFirst, an all-in-one digital cross-border payment and treasury account service for global businesses, announced a 300% surge in emerging markets transaction volume during the first half of 2025. The growth figures were disclosed during WorldFirst's recent Financial Partners Day in London, which was attended by more than 60 representatives from over 30 financial institutions.
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WorldFirst and its financial partners came together to discuss how to advance collaboration to better serve SMEs at the WorldFirst Financial Partners Day in London.
A key goal of the Eurosystem’s retail payments strategy is to make it easier for businesses in Europe to send and receive payments to and from other countries. Against this backdrop, the event discussed how to leverage bank-fintech collaboration—through interoperability, SME-focused solutions, and digital innovation—to build a more resilient and inclusive financial ecosystem.
Simplifying Global Payments for Growing Businesses
Coco XU, founder of London-based pet supply brand Cococat, saw her eco-friendly cat litter soar into Amazon's top 100 within a year. "As a new brand with global ambition, our biggest challenge was managing multi-currency cash flow and securing efficient fund transfers to the UK," she said.
The turning point came when Cococat discovered WorldFirst. By leveraging WorldFirst’s account service, Cococat reduced transaction costs by 20% compared to traditional methods while cutting settlement time from 5-7 days to near real-time.
The story exemplifies the broader industry transformation. Over 1.2 million merchants worldwide, including Cococat, are using WorldFirst's bank-supported solutions featuring global coverage, secure transactions and operational efficiency. Key offerings include:
- World Account- A one-stop account for global payments, collections, FX conversion, and treasury management. Merchants can apply online in minutes to pay in 100+ currencies and collect in 20+ currencies to 200+ countries and regions.
- World Card- The virtual card solution empowers SMEs to streamline secure domestic and cross-border payments with greater financial control. The solution also plans to introduce credit access in the future and has scheduled a full-scale rollout in Europe this year.
- Value-added services- Competitive wholesale FX rates and forward contracts help SMEs reduce costs and hedge against currency risk, with a clear pathway to future advanced cash management solutions.
"The power of fintech-bank collaboration lies in building a more robust and inclusive financial ecosystem," noted Clara SHI, CEO of WorldFirst. "This synergy enables us to deliver solutions with global coverage, efficiency, and security to SMEs engaged in cross-border commerce. In turn, it provides our financial partners with a strategic gateway to the vibrant—and often hard-to-reach—SME economy."
WorldFirst’s banking network includes eight global systemically important banks, such as J.P. Morgan, Standard Chartered, Barclays, HSBC, Citibank and others. In Europe, BNP Paribas stands as one of its key strategic partners.
Pierre Fersztand, Global Head of Cash Management, Trade Solutions & Factoring at BNP Paribas, commented on the partnership: "Today’s clients expect seamless digital experiences supported by the stability of a global bank. Our collaboration with WorldFirst ensures we remain at the forefront of providing innovative trade finance and cash management services that drive growth and financial inclusion."
What’s next? Extending the technology and innovation to the industry
Banks and fintechs are making significant technological strides to bridge the gap between the needs of the global economy and the capabilities of today's cross-border payment systems. As part of this effort, WorldFirst is launching a series of AI-driven initiatives to enhance security, compliance, and user experience:
AI-driven risk management- WorldFirst enhances its fraud detection capabilities by integrating advanced AI and machine learning algorithms. This enables real-time transaction screening, maintains a sub-0.01% fraud rate, and streamlines compliance processes.
AI-Guided Cross-Border Support- WorldFirst’s intelligent assistant Anthea, provides 24/7 multilingual support—helping sellers overcome cross-cultural barriers, language gaps, and local payment preferences.
"At WorldFirst, we see AI as the core driver for the next generation of cross-border trade," highlighted Clara. "Our focus is shifting from merely leveraging AI for risk defense to actively deploying it to empower businesses. By simplifying technical complexity, we are democratizing access to the global economy and turning cross-border payments into a streamlined experience for every business."
Mahesh Kini, Global Head of Cash Management, Standard Chartered, said: "We are pleased to see the increased positive impact that our partnership with WorldFirst is making on its clients and the broader ecosystem. This is in line with our efforts to offer seamless and secure last mile digital payment and FX solutions that enable these companies to scale their operations."
Complementing its digital capabilities, WorldFirst is also expanding its physical presence with new offices in Kuala Lumpur, Mexico, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia—strengthening its local support network across key markets.
This approach resonates deeply with clients. As the founder of Cococat Coco Xu noted: "Another key deciding factor was WorldFirst’s physical presence. Knowing they have an office here in London is incredibly reassuring. Whenever we have a question, we can talk to a real person who understands our local context. It truly feels like a partnership."
About WorldFirst
WorldFirst offers cross-border payments and treasury services through its global business account, empowering growth for SMEs in e-commerce, trade, and the broad platform economy. WorldFirst simplifies key financial operations, including international payments, collections, currency conversions, and treasury management, all in a one-stop account. Leveraging the technological strengths, WorldFirst delivers industry-leading transaction security and reliability. WorldFirst has supported over 1.2 million customers, enabling payments in 100+ currencies across more than 210 countries and regions. Learn more about WorldFirst at https://www.worldfirst.com.
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