A prop firm or broker outgrowing a single-currency account usually ends up comparing the same two products: Revolut Business and Airwallex. Both hold multiple currencies, both issue cards, and both publish an API for firms that want treasury and payouts to run through code rather than a dashboard. The question that actually matters for a scaling trading firm is narrower than "which app is nicer": it is which one's tooling fits a firm running challenge revenue or client deposits through several currencies at once, and which one's own published policy says something specific about the business you run.
This is a comparison of what each product publicly offers as a business account, not investment or legal advice, and not a statement that either one will approve any specific firm. SGHK builds eTrader and the Broker CRM and Prop Firm CRM. It does not process payments and does not open bank accounts for anyone.
What Revolut Business is built for
Revolut Business is a business current account and card app from Revolut. It offers multi-currency balances, local receiving details in a number of currencies, and a business card program with individual spending controls set per employee or per team. Revolut Business also publishes bulk payment tools and an API aimed at companies that want to push payouts programmatically instead of approving each one by hand.
Revolut publishes its own prohibited and restricted business categories separately from any other provider's list. We have not found a specific statement about forex, CFD or funded-trader businesses on Revolut's own site, so this article does not state one. A scaling firm considering Revolut Business should read Revolut's current policy directly before applying, since these lists change and are the only page that actually answers the question.
What Airwallex is built for
Airwallex is a global business account, card and payments platform aimed at companies operating across several countries and currencies at once. It offers multi-currency balances, local collection accounts in a number of markets, cards with programmable controls, and a payments API built for treasury automation: moving money between currencies, triggering payouts, and reconciling transactions without manual entry.
Airwallex publishes an Unsupported Industries help article that lists categories of business needing extra checks or falling outside its own risk appetite or its banking partners' policies. "Offering of regulated financial services" appears on that list. This is a broad category covering a wide range of regulated activity, not a forex-specific statement the way some other providers' policies read, so a firm should treat it as a reason to ask rather than a definite answer either way. The Unsupported Industries page is the one to read directly, and speaking to Airwallex about the firm's specific licence and activity before applying is worth the extra step.
Revolut Business vs Airwallex: the account features that matter at scale
Once a firm is moving real volume across currencies, the differences between these two products show up less in the marketing page and more in the treasury and API details.
| Feature | Revolut Business | Airwallex |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Business current account and card app from Revolut | Global business account, cards and payments platform |
| Multi-currency balances | Holds and converts multiple currencies, local receiving details in several | Holds and converts multiple currencies, local collection accounts in a number of markets |
| Cards | Business debit cards with per-employee spending controls | Cards with programmable spending controls |
| API / treasury tooling | Bulk payment tools and an API for programmatic payouts | Payments API built for treasury automation across currencies and accounts |
| Stated regulated-financial-services policy | Not verified; check Revolut's current policy directly | Unsupported Industries page lists offering of regulated financial services broadly, needing extra checks |
Why this matters more for a scaling firm
A small firm opening its first operating account can often get by with either product's default dashboard. A firm running challenge-fee revenue through several currencies, paying a growing roster of traders, or reconciling accounts across multiple entities needs the API and treasury side of either product to actually hold up under volume, well beyond the sign-up flow. That is where reading each provider's own documentation on payout limits, settlement timing and account structure matters more than a feature comparison table can capture on its own.
It is also the stage where a firm's risk profile gets more scrutiny, not less. Airwallex names regulated financial services broadly among industries it checks more closely, and a firm should expect that conversation to come up as volume grows, whichever provider it uses. Revolut's own equivalent policy has not been verified here, which is exactly why checking directly matters more at this size of account than it did at account opening.
How to choose between them
If a firm's main need is multi-currency balances and cards for a moderate volume of spend, both products are built for that job, subject to each one's own underwriting decision. If a firm's activity clearly sits inside a regulated category, Airwallex's own published Unsupported Industries page is the one to read line by line before assuming it fits, and Revolut's current restricted-business page deserves the same treatment even though this article has not verified what it currently says.
Neither account processes client deposits or trader payouts on a trading platform. That runs through a separate card, crypto or PSP connection in most setups. SGHK does not process payments or open accounts, but the Broker CRM and Prop Firm CRM connect to any KYC provider and any card, crypto or PSP processor by API, and SGHK introduces firms to processors in its partner network where that side needs help. For a wider set of options beyond these two, see our Revolut Business alternatives guide and our business banking options for brokers.
"At scale, the operating account question stops being about the app and starts being about the API. Read the treasury documentation before the pricing page."
— The SGHK Team
Key Takeaways
- Revolut Business and Airwallex both offer multi-currency balances, cards and an API built for treasury and payout automation.
- Airwallex's Unsupported Industries page lists offering of regulated financial services broadly among categories needing extra checks, not as a forex-specific rule.
- We have not found a comparable statement from Revolut; check its current policy directly rather than assume either way.
- Neither product replaces a dedicated card, crypto or PSP connection for client deposits and trader payouts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Airwallex accept forex brokers or prop firms?
Airwallex's Unsupported Industries page lists offering of regulated financial services among categories needing extra checks or falling outside its risk appetite, which is broad rather than forex-specific. Speak to Airwallex directly about your firm's licence and activity before applying.
Does Revolut Business accept trading firms?
We have not found a specific published statement from Revolut about forex, CFD or prop trading businesses. Revolut publishes its own restricted and prohibited business categories on its own site; check the current version directly before applying.
Which is better for a scaling prop firm, Revolut Business or Airwallex?
Both offer multi-currency balances, cards and payout APIs suited to growing volume. The better fit depends on which currencies and markets the firm actually operates in and how each provider's underwriting responds to the firm's specific licence and activity, which only checking directly with each provider will answer.
Can either account process trader payouts or client deposits directly?
No. Both are business current accounts for operating money: payroll, supplier payments and treasury. Client deposits and trader payouts on a trading platform normally run through a dedicated card, crypto or PSP processor connected to the firm's CRM instead.
About SGHK
SGHK is a FinTech company that designs and builds its own software for the trading industry: the eTrader trading platform, Launch your Broker and Launch your Prop Firm. Every product is written, hosted and supported in-house and licensed to trading firms, with the CRMs branded to them, all hosted by us in the cloud, managed by each firm and built to scale across clustered servers as our clients grow. Everything is encrypted, and each firm is the only one with access to its data and its clients' data.