FigureAsia 35 Under 35 · Business
Lucy Liu
Age 34 · Cross-border payments and financial infrastructure · China, New Zealand and Australia
Built the operating spine of a cross-border payments company now serving businesses at global scale
- Approximate age at the edition boundary
- 34
- Field
- Business
- Country or region
- China, New Zealand and Australia
- FigureAsia U35 Assessment
- 90.5 / 100
Profile
Career and operating record
Lucy Liu co-founded Airwallex after seeing how much friction a small hospitality business faced when paying overseas suppliers. As president, she has worked across finance, operations and market expansion while the company built accounts, payments, cards and treasury services on one cross-border platform.
The company reported annualised revenue above US$1 billion and more than 200,000 business customers as its valuation reached about US$11 billion. Those are company-level measures. Liu's individual case rests on a decade of operating responsibility: helping take an Australian start-up through licensing, international expansion and the organisational demands of a multi-market financial institution.
FigureAsia selection
Why Lucy Liu is on the list
Liu is selected for building durable financial infrastructure rather than for a funding headline. Airwallex now competes in a field dominated by banks and large payments processors, and its growth has required local licences, treasury controls and service delivery across markedly different regulatory systems.
Cross-border payments remain exposed to compliance and execution risk, and private-company figures require appropriate caution. Even with those limits, Liu's role in turning an Asia-Pacific start-up into a global operating company is one of the clearest business-building records in the cohort.
Verified work
The 2025–26 business record
Revenue scale
Helped lead Airwallex beyond a reported US$1 billion annualised revenue run rate.
Global customer reach
Oversaw operations serving more than 200,000 businesses across a growing network of licensed markets.
Institutional growth
Carried president-level operating responsibility as Airwallex reached an approximately US$11 billion private valuation.
Market context
The work in its market
International payments reward reliability more than novelty. A platform must move money accurately, protect customer funds and satisfy regulators in every market it enters. Airwallex's scale makes Liu's operating record consequential well beyond fintech publicity.
FigureAsia U35 Assessment
Assessment breakdown
90.5out of 100
Operating execution
27.1 / 30
Helped lead Airwallex beyond a reported US$1 billion annualised revenue run rate. The result is completed and operational rather than announced.
Commercial consequence
22.6 / 25
The record produced measurable consequence in cross-border payments and financial infrastructure, with company-wide outcomes kept distinct from personal credit.
Individual agency
18.1 / 20
As Co-founder and President, Lucy Liu held an identifiable decision-making and execution remit.
Industry influence
13.6 / 15
Built the operating spine of a cross-border payments company now serving businesses at global scale. The work established a reference point beyond one financing or publicity cycle.
Asian and global relevance
9.1 / 10
Born in China, raised in New Zealand and based in Australia, Liu helped build an Asian-founded financial platform into global infrastructure. The work also carries consequence beyond one immediate market.