Operationalizing global growth: A practical playbook for accountants and CFOs

If you’re not already helping an organization navigate the challenges of doing business globally, you probably will be soon: the international marketplace is undergoing a massive structural expansion. The cross-border eCommerce market alone is expected to reach $7.9 trillion by 2030, powered by a 26% CAGR. 

It’s not just Fortune 500 companies seizing the moment: 97% of US exporting businesses are small businesses.

Global expansion itself is also changing shape. It’s no longer just about opening a foreign subsidiary or launching a new entity overseas. For modern small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and mid-market companies, “going global” often looks like a mix of use cases:

• International sales: Selling abroad through cross-border eCommerce, marketplaces, or direct sales.

• International suppliers: Working with global manufacturers, wholesalers, and logistics partners to source inventory or components.

• International contractors and talent: Hiring contractors, agencies, and remote team members for specialized skills across time zones.

The talent and economic infrastructure to support this shift are already here, and the global gig economy is on track to hit $2.5 trillion by 2035. Small businesses are saving up to 60% on personnel and operating with a 1:1 ratio of international contractors to domestic employees. It’s no wonder 70% of SMEs plan to expand internationally in the next two years.

The problem? Most businesses are not operationally ready to compete in this context. But the good news is that they can get there faster than expected. 

Clearing for takeoff

In the past, launching financial operations in a new market could take months – setting up entities, opening accounts, and stitching together systems manually. But today, businesses need to move quickly and respond in real time.

Global expansion still brings complexity – from localization and logistics to marketplaces and partners – but for finance leaders, the mandate is clear: stand up operations fast, with full visibility into how money moves.

To operate effectively, you need a multi-currency system that gives you control over five key levers:

1. Accept a wide range of payment methods. 

The pace at which payments are changing consumer behavior is rapid, with innovations like buy now, pay later (BNPL) and mobile payments as table stakes.

Brazil’s Pix payment launched in 2020 and already accounts for 42% of the country’s eCommerce. Across Europe and the UK, BNPL has become a mainstream payment method – helping merchants increase conversion and average order value while adding complexity to payments, reconciliation, and cash flow.

All over the world, money is moving in new ways – shaping consumer behavior. Our own research found that 95% of shoppers in the UK say using preferred payment methods is the most important part of the checkout experience. 

2. Rein in your data

For CFOs and accountants, expanding globally means an explosion of data complexity. 93% of finance teams say data management is a top challenge, and many rely on four or more tools to compile reliable financial information. 

Even then, those tools rarely provide a clear, single view of what’s happening in overseas markets or how it relates to what’s happening in the US, limiting the maximum value of AI-powered reporting and forecasting.

For many companies, gathering this international financial information is a once-a-month, manual process, meaning they lack real-time visibility. A recent Consero global CFO survey found that the number one challenge for CFOs of scaling companies is producing financial reports on time, driven by fragmented systems and limited access to reliable data.

3. Anticipate new supplier chains

It’s not just technological innovation and consumer preferences that are necessitating a new approach. Global trade is highly volatile today.

Yale University’s The Budget Lab found that the effective tariff rate implied by US policy increased from 2.4% in January 2025 to about 28% in April 2025. US importers have shifted both their product mixes and supplier origins, policies have changed, and the net effective rate continues to fluctuate – making the trade environment highly unpredictable.

The volatility has ripple effects on global money movement; international trade corridors are undergoing shifts, rerouting up to 30% of global trade by 2035, according to McKinsey – requiring businesses to adapt quickly.

4. Keep up with compliance  

Tax obligations, data privacy standards, and consumer protection laws become more complex as a business opens its doors to foreign markets. There are important compliance considerations around how you collect, store, and move customer and transaction data, and requirements vary by market.

The key for accountants and CFOs is not to become full-time regulatory experts in every country, but to leverage partners who help shoulder that burden – working with providers that:

• Maintain PCI DSS certification.

• Are SOC 1 and SOC 2 compliant

• Adhere to local regulatory requirements in each market you operate in.

With the right partners, global compliance shifts from a constant source of risk to a built-in safeguard.

Yet for many CPAs and CFOs, this is not the reality. They’re dealing with delays, cobbled-together systems, regulatory vulnerabilities, invisible costs, and inefficient workflows. Integrating and automating these processes is essential.

5. Prevent fees from adding up

Every time money is converted from one currency to another, it results in FX fees. But for many businesses selling internationally, FX costs are unclear. 

The root issue is that many accountants and CFOs aren’t receiving clear reporting that breaks down:

• The actual FX rate used at the time of each transaction.

• The differential between that rate and the mid-market interbank rate.

• Any additional fees and markups that are applied along the way.

But it gets worse.

In some situations, businesses end up paying FX costs twice. 

Imagine you’re a US-based company doing business in the UK. You receive a payment from a customer in GBP, which is converted to USD – then reconverted to GBP to pay a supplier, incurring fees both ways.

If there’s a 3% markup, you’re paying that fee each direction. Plus, if you’re on SWIFT rails, you’re also paying $30-75 per transfer. 

To operate quickly, safely, transparently, and profitably in this new world, businesses need a new financial operating model. At Airwallex, we call it Day Zero.

Day zero: A new model for global operations

The Day Zero model means building your financial operations to be global from the start – or evolving them to operate that way now.

At its core is a native multi-currency system embedded directly into your accounting stack, giving you:

• Real-time visibility into inflows and outflows across currencies.

• Lower FX costs through fewer conversions and clearer pricing.

• Accurate, audit-ready reporting without manual work.

• A single source of truth for automation, forecasting, and AI.

This replaces fragmented systems and manual workflows, enabling continuous close and giving finance teams tighter control over cash, timing, and performance across markets.

What a Day Zero system gives you:

• Localized checkout experiences (language, currency, payment methods).

• Built-in global compliance and audit trails.

• End-to-end visibility across payments, payouts, and expenses.

• Automated fraud detection and risk management.

• Role-based controls and spend governance.

• AI-driven workflows for categorization, anomaly detection, and forecasting.

Everything flows through one system – in original currency, fully reconciled, with documentation attached. No CSV workarounds. No chasing receipts.

How Airwallex helps

Airwallex brings this model to life as a global financial operating system – combining payments, FX, accounts, and spend management in a single platform.

With Airwallex, businesses can:

• Accept payments globally, including cards and local methods

• Hold and manage funds in multiple currencies

• Minimize unnecessary FX conversion with competitive rates

• Pay suppliers and contractors via local payment rails

• Automate accounts payable and receivable workflows

• Maintain compliance with built-in safeguards and audit trails

• Integrate directly with accounting systems for a seamless workflow

With 80+ financial licenses worldwide, Airwallex enables businesses to open local accounts, operate across currencies, and scale internationally without the overhead of traditional banking infrastructure.

The result: global financial operations that feel as seamless as domestic ones.

Curious to learn more? Get an inside look at our platform or find out about becoming an Airwallex partner.

1. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1296796/global-cross-border-ecommerce-market-value/

2. https://advocacy.sba.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Issue-Brief-No.-19-Small-Business-Exports.pdf

3. https://www.businessresearchinsights.com/market-reports/gig-economy-market-102503

4. https://www.briarsgroup.com/smes-global-expansion-financial-readiness

5. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/instant-payment-system-pix-poised-capture-half-brazils-e-commerce-market-by-2028-2026-02-10/

6. https://www.airwallex.com/resources/expand-to-uk

7. https://insightsoftware.com/resources/finance-teams-under-pressure-how-leading-teams-are-navigating-uncertainty/

8. https://conseroglobal.com/2024-cfo-survey/

9. https://budgetlab.yale.edu/research/state-us-tariffs-november-17-2025

10. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/geopolitics/our-insights/a-new-trade-paradigm-how-shifts-in-trade-corridors-could-affect-business

11. https://www.airwallex.com/us/blog/day-zero-finance-mindset