Airwallex Kicks Off Super Rugby Partnership as Official Business Finance Partner of the Blues

Auckland, New Zealand – Airwallex, a leading global financial platform for modern businesses, today announced a new multiyear partnership with the iconic New Zealand Super Rugby Club, the Blues. The agreement brings together two high-performing organisations with a shared focus on precision, innovation and excellence.

As the Official Business Finance Partner of the Blues, Airwallex will modernise the club’s financial and commercial operations, from simplifying travel expenses and day-to-day spend to managing domestic and international payments. Built for modern organisations, Airwallex provides the Blues with the global financial infrastructure trusted by fast-growing businesses both here in New Zealand and around the world, helping reduce complexity on and off the field and enabling greater focus on fans, partners and the wider community

Lowry Gladwell, New Zealand Lead at Airwallex, said: “Rugby sits at the heart of Kiwi culture and plays a unique and vital role in Aotearoa’s identity. Through this partnership, we’re proud to back the Blues and the next generation of players and fans, and to champion the entrepreneurial spirit Kiwis bring to both sport and business.”

Since launching in New Zealand a year ago, Airwallex has seen unprecedented momentum as more Kiwi businesses use the platform to power their finances globally. Partnering with the Blues underscores the global financial platform's commitment to backing New Zealand’s game on the world stage, bringing together world-class rugby and world-class financial infrastructure. “We’re proud to back the Blues and to help high-performing organisations — and more Kiwi businesses — run more efficiently and scale globally,” added Gladwell.

Karl Budge, CEO Blues Rugby, said: “With 2026 marking 30 years since the Blues’ inception and entry into Super Rugby, and 30 years of Blues fans, now is the perfect time to welcome Airwallex into the Blues family as our Official Business Finance Partner. They are a high‑performance, global business that shares our ambition to keep moving forward, for our players, our partners and our community. By bringing Airwallex into our financial operations, we’ll be able to run smarter off the field, reinvest more into performance on it, and create even better experiences for our members and fans across Aotearoa.”

As a major sponsor of the Blues, Airwallex will feature across the Super Rugby Pacific competition, with brand integration spanning matchday assets, digital platforms and fan engagement initiatives throughout the season.

Andrew Balint, Vice President, APAC Marketing at Airwallex, said: “New Zealand is a key growth market for Airwallex, and partnering with the Blues reflects how we’re building our presence through meaningful, high-performance partnerships. By working with one of the country’s most iconic sporting teams, we’re able to show how Airwallex technology delivers real operational efficiencies and cost savings — enabling the Blues to focus on what matters most: performance on and off the field.”

The partnership builds on Airwallex’s growing portfolio of elite sports sponsorships globally, including Formula One’s McLaren Racing and Arsenal Football Club.

ENDS