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Published on 25 August 2025•7 minutes

Travel expense management for global teams on the move

Airwallex Editorial Team

Travel expense management for global teams on the move

Managing travel expenses across borders presents unique challenges for growing businesses. According to recent research, 83% of employees struggle to reconcile trip expenses, while 26% of business travelers use their personal credit cards for large purchases ¹. As companies expand internationally, the complexity of tracking spending across multiple currencies, managing receipts, and ensuring compliance with varying tax regulations becomes increasingly difficult.

The financial impact extends beyond administrative burden. With average global airfares projected to reach $708 in 2026 and hotel rates climbing to $166 per night, businesses need robust systems to control costs ². Meanwhile, 60% of business travel buyers reported spending volumes above 2024 levels, highlighting the critical need for efficient expense management ³.

The hidden costs of traditional travel expense management

Traditional expense management systems create significant friction for both employees and finance teams. Research shows that 28% of employees who use personal credit cards for business expenses face delayed reimbursements, while 24% find their expense process too complicated ¹. These delays impact employee satisfaction and create cash flow challenges for traveling staff.

The administrative burden compounds quickly. GVB, a leading European mobility provider, discovered their expense report entry time consumed 10-15 minutes per report before implementing automation ¹. For companies with hundreds of traveling employees, this translates to thousands of hours spent on manual processing annually.

Foreign exchange fees represent another hidden cost drain. Traditional payment methods often include markups ranging from 0.35% to 2% depending on the currency pair, with some providers charging even higher rates ⁴. These fees accumulate rapidly for businesses operating across multiple markets.

Real-time visibility transforms expense tracking

Modern expense management platforms provide immediate visibility into travel spending patterns. Airwallex offers real-time transaction monitoring and instant payment approvals through its mobile platform, enabling finance teams to track expenses as they occur ⁵. This real-time approach eliminates the traditional lag between spending and reporting.

Comprehensive analytics dashboards reveal spending trends across departments, projects, and regions. According to industry analysis, Airwallex provides detailed insights into transaction patterns, currency exposure, and spending trends with customizable report generation ⁴. These insights enable proactive budget management and identify cost-saving opportunities.

The platform supports over 50 currencies with real-time foreign exchange rates for major currency pairs, eliminating the guesswork from international expense tracking ⁴. Finance teams gain complete visibility into actual costs without waiting for month-end reconciliation.

Corporate cards designed for global teams

Multi-currency corporate cards eliminate the friction of international business travel. Airwallex offers multi-currency company and employee cards that work seamlessly across borders, removing the need for employees to use personal credit cards ⁶. With 26% of business travelers currently using personal cards for large purchases, this capability addresses a significant pain point ¹.

The cards integrate directly with expense management systems, automatically categorizing transactions and capturing receipt data. This automation reduces the manual work that causes 24% of employees to report not having time to submit claims ¹. Real-time spending controls allow managers to set limits by category, merchant, or region.

Foreign exchange savings represent a substantial benefit. Airwallex structures its pricing with a foreign exchange markup of just 0.3-0.6% above the interbank rate, significantly lower than traditional corporate card providers ⁴. For companies with substantial international travel budgets, these savings compound quickly.

Streamlined reimbursements across borders

Reimbursement processes traditionally create friction between employees and finance teams. Research indicates that 19% of employees don't know what's reimbursable, while 25% worry about going over budget ¹. Clear policies integrated into expense management platforms eliminate this confusion.

Airwallex provides automated reimbursement management that processes payments quickly across multiple currencies ⁷. The platform handles the complexity of international payments, ensuring employees receive reimbursements in their local currency without excessive fees.

Automation transforms processing efficiency dramatically. GVB reduced their expense report entry time from 10-15 minutes to just 10 seconds through automation, delivering over 300 hours back to their team annually ¹. This 60x improvement in processing speed enables finance teams to focus on strategic initiatives rather than manual data entry.

Integration capabilities for seamless workflows

Modern expense management requires seamless integration with existing financial systems. Airwallex offers enterprise-grade REST API with extensive documentation, enabling custom integrations with internal systems ⁴. Direct connections to major e-commerce platforms including Shopify and WooCommerce extend functionality beyond traditional expense management.

Native integration with accounting platforms like Xero eliminates duplicate data entry and reduces errors ⁸. Transactions flow automatically from expense capture through to general ledger posting, maintaining accurate financial records without manual intervention.

Advanced payment workflow automation tools enable businesses to create custom approval chains based on amount thresholds, expense categories, or organizational hierarchy. Custom webhook implementation options provide real-time notifications for specific events, keeping stakeholders informed throughout the expense lifecycle.

Compliance and security in global expense management

International travel expense management requires robust security and compliance frameworks. Airwallex maintains PCI DSS Level 1 compliance and operates under licenses from multiple regulatory authorities, ensuring transactions meet global standards ⁴. The platform implements advanced fraud detection systems and conducts regular security audits.

With Airwallex holding more than 60 licenses globally, including in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, mainland China, and Japan, businesses gain access to compliant payment infrastructure across major markets ⁹. This regulatory coverage simplifies compliance for multinational organizations.

The platform's security measures extend to user access management, with multi-user access controls enabling granular permissions based on roles and responsibilities. Finance teams maintain oversight while empowering employees with appropriate spending authority.

Scaling expense management for growth

As businesses expand internationally, expense management systems must scale accordingly. Airwallex enables businesses to send and receive funds across more than 150 countries, supporting global growth without infrastructure limitations ¹⁰. The platform has onboarded 150,000 businesses and aims to boost its monthly active customers to more than one million by 2030.

The financial impact of efficient expense management becomes more pronounced at scale. With global payments revenues reaching $2.2 trillion in 2022 and forecast to hit $3.2 trillion by 2027, businesses operating internationally face increasing transaction volumes ¹¹. Automated expense management becomes essential for maintaining control.

Airwallex's growth trajectory reflects market demand for sophisticated expense solutions. The company secured $300m in a Series F funding round in March 2025, bringing its valuation to $6.2bn, and expects to surpass $1bn in annualized revenue by Q4 2025 ¹⁰. This growth enables continued platform development and expansion.

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The role of AI in expense automation

Artificial intelligence transforms expense management from reactive to proactive. Research shows that 24% of employees who travel for work believe automating expenses with AI is key to improving their experience ¹. Airwallex is increasingly implementing AI across its internal and customer-facing services to meet this demand ¹⁰.

AI-powered receipt scanning and categorization eliminate manual data entry errors. The technology automatically extracts relevant information from receipts, matches transactions to corporate cards, and flags potential policy violations. This automation addresses the 25% of employees who admit to losing receipts during travel ¹.

Predictive analytics help finance teams anticipate spending patterns and optimize budgets. By analyzing historical data and current booking trends, AI systems provide accurate forecasts for upcoming travel periods, enabling better resource allocation.

Success stories from global organizations

Leading organizations demonstrate the transformative impact of modern expense management. McLaren Racing modernized its cross-border payments with Airwallex, streamlining financial operations across its global racing operations ¹². The partnership enables efficient management of complex international transactions inherent in Formula 1 operations.

RYSE transformed complex cross-border finances into streamlined, cost-saving, and efficient global operations with Airwallex, demonstrating the platform's ability to handle sophisticated financial requirements ¹³. The company leveraged multi-currency capabilities to reduce foreign exchange costs while improving operational efficiency.

EU Holidays, operating travel tours from Singapore, uses Airwallex to pay overseas suppliers in local currencies via local rails, avoiding banking fees and double conversions ⁹. This approach eliminates unnecessary foreign exchange costs while accelerating payment processing.

Future-proofing travel expense management

The travel expense landscape continues evolving rapidly. With 41% of companies reporting significant impact on travel volumes due to economic uncertainty, flexible expense management becomes critical ³. Organizations need systems that adapt to changing travel patterns and economic conditions.

Emerging payment technologies reshape expense management possibilities. The digital payment market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 13.5% from 2024 to 2033, reaching $32.07 trillion ¹⁴. This growth drives innovation in expense management platforms.

Cross-border payment infrastructure continues improving. With global cross-border bank credit reaching a record $34.7 trillion in Q1 2025, international business travel becomes increasingly interconnected ¹⁵. Modern expense platforms must handle this complexity seamlessly.

Conclusion

Efficient travel expense management transforms from administrative burden to strategic advantage when powered by the right technology. The combination of real-time visibility, automated workflows, and intelligent analytics enables finance teams to maintain control while empowering employees with frictionless spending tools.

Airwallex's comprehensive platform addresses the full spectrum of travel expense challenges. From multi-currency corporate cards to automated reimbursements and real-time reporting, the solution eliminates traditional pain points while delivering measurable cost savings through competitive foreign exchange rates ¹⁶.

As business travel continues recovering and evolving, organizations that modernize their expense management infrastructure position themselves for sustainable growth. The ability to track, control, and optimize travel spending across borders becomes a competitive differentiator in an increasingly global marketplace. With 96% of Singapore SMEs having adopted or planning to adopt fintech solutions, the shift toward digital expense management accelerates ⁹.

FAQ

How does Airwallex help reduce foreign exchange fees for business travel?

Airwallex offers real-time foreign exchange rates for major currency pairs across over 50 supported currencies, helping businesses avoid traditional banking FX markups. With multi-currency corporate cards, teams can spend in local currencies without conversion fees, potentially reducing FX costs by up to 80% compared to traditional business credit cards.

What makes Airwallex's travel expense management different from traditional solutions?

Airwallex provides a unified platform that integrates payments, foreign exchange, multi-currency accounts, and expense management specifically designed for global businesses. Unlike traditional solutions, it offers real-time expense tracking, automated reimbursements, and eliminates the need for employees to use personal credit cards for business travel expenses.

How does automated reimbursement work with Airwallex?

Airwallex's automated reimbursement system allows companies to quickly pay employees worldwide for out-of-pocket business expenses. The platform streamlines the entire process from expense submission to approval and payment, reducing the administrative burden on finance teams while ensuring employees are reimbursed promptly across different currencies and countries.

Can Airwallex help with compliance and expense tracking for global teams?

Yes, Airwallex provides complete visibility into business travel spending across borders with real-time expense tracking and automated compliance features. The platform helps businesses maintain proper documentation, categorize expenses automatically, and generate reports that meet various international compliance requirements, making audit processes much simpler.

What are the main challenges Airwallex solves for business travel expenses?

Airwallex addresses the key pain points identified in recent research, including the fact that 83% of employees struggle to reconcile trip expenses and 26% use personal credit cards for large business purchases. The platform eliminates these issues through automated expense tracking, corporate multi-currency cards, and streamlined reimbursement processes.

How scalable is Airwallex for growing businesses with increasing travel needs?

Airwallex is highly scalable, having achieved over $800 million in funding and a $6.2 billion valuation while supporting businesses from SMEs to large enterprises. With 153% revenue growth in Singapore alone and targeting $1 billion in annualized revenue by Q4 2025, the platform is designed to grow with businesses as their international travel and expense management needs expand.

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Airwallex Editorial Team

Airwallex’s Editorial Team is a global collective of business finance and fintech writers based in Australia, Asia, North America, and Europe. With deep expertise spanning finance, technology, payments, startups, and SMEs, the team collaborates closely with experts, including the Airwallex Product team and industry leaders to produce this content.

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