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WorldFirst international business offering
Features | Insight |
|---|---|
Monthly Fee | $0 |
Exchange rate | From 0.5% |
International transfer fees | Vary by country. |
Multi-currency account | 15+ local accounts |
Batch payments | ✅ |
Expense management and tracking | ✅ |
Pay invoices | ✅ |
Receive payments | ✅ |
Marketplace integration | ✅ (130+ marketplaces) |
API options | ✅ |
Manage payroll | ✅ |
Forward contracts | ✅ |
World Card for business payments (w/cashback) | ✅ |
ATM access | ❌ |
Scoring WorldFirst
Before going into more detail, here’s a quick summary of the benefits and drawbacks of WorldFirst.
Pros
- Multi-currency account with 100+ currencies and 15+ local account options
- Free account setup with no monthly fees
- Fast transfer times with major currencies settling within a day (including payments to China)
- Over 100 integrations with marketplaces and accounting tools
- Instant payments to 150,000+ Chinese suppliers who also use WorldFirst.
Cons
- No access to ATM withdrawals or physical cards (but physical cards are launching soon!)
- Payments in exotic currencies can take up to 11 days to arrive (for example, TWD, FJD, and SCR if sent after cut-off hours)
- FX rates can at times nudge up, starting at 0.50% but in some scenarios reaching closer to 1.5% (more on this under the FX rates section)
- Long approval and KYC process (which is similar to other companies in the industry)
Product offering
WorldFirst has a strong product offering. You get access to a multi-currency account, virtual business cards, a mobile app, direct integrations with e-commerce platforms, accounting software, and API integrations.
Fees and rates
Transfer speed
Transfer limits
Ease of use
Safety and trust
Customer feedback
Product offering
Product offering
Multi-currency account & coverage
WorldFirst is available in 210 countries and territories and supports over 100 currencies. This is slightly less than offered by Airwallex (130 currencies) but better than Sokin (75 currencies).
With WorldFirst, you can get 15+ local accounts, meaning you will get local account details in a given currency. This allows your business to make payments while avoiding traditional fees.
These are the currencies you can hold in your account and use for transfers or payments with no additional FX fees:
AUD
CAD
CHF
CNH
CZK
EUR
GBP
HKD
JPY
MXN
NZD
PLN
SEK
SGD
USD
This alone is a great offering. For example, Airwallex offers 12 local accounts, while Sokin only has 4.
If you’re making transfers or payments to other currencies, you will need to pay additional fees depending on where your business is located:
Country | Default currency |
|---|---|
SG | USD |
AU | AUD |
UK | GBP |
EEA | EUR |
Others | USD |
This means that, for example, if your business is making a payment to NGN, and you are located in the UK, money will be converted based on your default currency, GBP in this case, so it will be treated as a GBP/NGN transfer.
If you are sending a payment to an unsupported currency by WorldFirst or Mastercard, it will get declined.
Business virtual card
In addition to the multi-currency account, WorldFirst offers a virtual card powered by Mastercard: World Card.
World Card connects to the WorldFirst multi-currency accounts, letting you make international transfers and purchases, earning up to 1.2% cashback on eligible purchases.
It’s only available as a virtual card, which can be managed from your account or mobile app. Physical cards are being launched soon.
With World Card, you get no extra FX fees in 15 currencies, as long as you have the currency in your multi-currency account (outlined above).
And, you can spend money in over 150 currencies (with additional FX fees, outlined above).
Teams & expense management
WorldFirst offers granular control over team accounts, making it quick and easy to manage.
With account management, you can easily control all your accounts from one dashboard, consolidate all finances, easily add or remove team members, track every payment, set permission and approval rules, and much more.
FX risk management
One of the highlights of WorldFirst is its currency risk management tools. They offer a similar set of tools as many other companies, but with a few advantages.
Forward contracts
With most other companies, like Regency FX and TorFX, you get forward contracts limited to 12 months. WorldFirst, on the other hand, lets you lock the rates for 24 months.
Spot contracts
With spot contracts, you can make instant currency conversions at the current FX rate.
Firm orders (limit orders)
With these, you can pre-set which exchange rate you want at whatever price you need, and the system will convert it automatically for you.
Integrations
This is where WorldFirst shines.
With WorldFirst, you get access to multiple integrations to control everything from one dashboard.
These include:
Over 130 marketplace integrations, like Etsy, Amazon, Shopify, and others, let you receive payments directly into your WorldFirst account.
Accounting integrations such as Xero and NetSuite give you access to one dashboard for all the tools and central cash flow.
Integration into Chinese supplier platforms like TaoWorld and 1688, where you can browse 10,000+ product categories and pay suppliers in China directly from your balance using CNH and USD accounts.
API integrations for making and receiving payments, and integrating into custom systems.
This is almost on par (if not better) than what Payoneer offers.
Mobile app
The WorldFirst app is available on iOS and Android.
It is simple, but it lets you control your virtual cards, make instant payments, keep an eye on live exchange rates, and convert currencies on the go.
The app doesn’t have many reviews or ratings on either of the stores, and there’s not much information about it.
It might seem basic at first, but it’s in line with what others are offering.
For example, the Airwallex app gives you the same set of features, while the TorFX app has even fewer features, and many (including Sokin) don’t even have an app.
Which makes sense, since you are more likely to be using the desktop version to do the bulk of the work and only use the app for general quick checking.
WorldFirst fees and exchange rates
Fees & rates
WorldFirst is very competitive when it comes to the fees. However, their pricing varies depending on where your business is located.
For simplicity, we’ll be looking at the UK, EU, and AU fees, but you can find the full breakdown below.
WorldFirst charges no fees to get started, and there are no ongoing fees. Most fees come into play when you start converting currencies or making payments.
They offer similar fees and rates to other major platforms like Airwallex. For example, both charge from 0.5% on currency conversions, however, WorldFirst actually ends up cheaper for receiving payments.
One thing to note, WorldFirst pricing can get confusing. There are some inconsistencies in naming between different countries, so it’s worth contacting them directly if you’re unsure.
Here’s a roundup of all the fees split by location:
United Kingdom
Category | Feature / Description | Fee / Rate |
|---|---|---|
Account Setup | Open local currency accounts in 15+ currencies (USD, GBP, EUR, CAD, AUD, JPY, etc.) | Free |
Account opening fee | Free | |
Ongoing account fees | Free | |
Payments & Conversions | Local payments in GBP, EUR, or USD | 0.3 |
International payments | 4 | |
Cross-currency payments above £5,000 | Free | |
Payments to other World Accounts (instant between accounts) | Free | |
Currency conversions (major currencies: USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, CAD, JPY) | From 0.50% FX margin | |
Receiving & Holding Funds | Receive payments from 100+ marketplaces and global businesses | Free |
Hold funds in 20+ currencies | Free | |
High-Volume Businesses | Monthly turnover above £100,000 with tailored pricing available | Custom (contact sales) |
Australia
Europe
Indonesia
Japan
Malaysia
New Zealand
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
FX Rates
We’ve also looked at the FX rates offered by WorldFirst in a bit more detail.
Before we get into the details, it’s worth noting that the actual rates offered to you will be confirmed before you make the payment.
However, the below should give you a rough idea of how much markup WorldFirst is adding.
Currency From | Currency To | WorldFirst Rate | Mid-market rate | FX Markup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
GBP | USD | 1.3253 | 1.33212 | 0.51% |
GBP | AUD | 2.0413 | 2.052725 | 0.56% |
GBP | AED | 4.8417 | 4.88386 | 0.86% |
GBP | EUR | 1.1418 | 1.14792 | 0.53% |
GBP | PHP | 76.2903 | 77.52888 | 1.60% |
USD | GBP | 0.7466 | 0.750675 | 0.54% |
USD | AUD | 1.5326 | 1.540875 | 0.54% |
USD | AED | 3.6355 | 3.673 | 1.02% |
USD | EUR | 0.8573 | 0.86164 | 0.50% |
USD | PHP | 57.2894 | 58.197 | 1.56% |
AED | USD | 0.2695 | 0.272257011 | 1.01% |
AED | AUD | 0.4151 | 0.4198646 | 1.13% |
AED | GBP | 0.2023 | 0.2047561 | 1.20% |
AED | EUR | 0.2322 | 0.2346207 | 1.03% |
AED | CNY | 1.9237 | 1.937403 | 0.71% |
AUD | USD | 0.6455 | 0.64898191 | 0.54% |
AUD | GBP | 0.4846 | 0.487135 | 0.52% |
AUD | AED | 2.3589 | 2.382954 | 1.01% |
AUD | EUR | 0.5562 | 0.559175 | 0.53% |
AUD | PHP | 37.1659 | 37.76402 | 1.58% |
*Data taken in October 2025 using WorldFirst currency converter.
As you can see, WorldFirst is technically adding from 0.50% on top of the real exchange rate. However, a fair few currencies on the list are pushing into over 1% markup.
This means that if you were to make a payment of 100,000 GBP to PHP, it would cost you £1,600 more. This is high compared to Wise Business, for example.
Similarly, if you send 100,000 AUD to EUR, it would cost you 530 AUD.
However, it is fairly normal within the international business realm and is also offset by no transfer fees beyond the conversion.
Keep in mind that conversion happens when you take one currency and convert it to another. This includes:
Converting money in your currency account
Making a payment via a virtual card in another currency
Sending money from one currency to another
All these will include the conversion fees.
If you already have the currency in your multi-currency account and make the payment, there’s no conversion happening, so you won’t be paying any fees.
Transfer speed
Transfer speed
Most WorldFirst transfers will be completed within hours. However, this also depends on your business location and the currencies involved.
When sending money with WorldFirst, most payments in major local currencies (USD, EUR, GBP, SGD, etc) will settle the same day if sent before the cut-off times.
International transfers can take 2-3 business days to complete.
And for exotic currencies, it can take up to 11 days for the money to arrive.
You can check the full list on their website here, under “How long will my payments take?”.
Transfer limits
Transfer limits
There are no strict limits on how much you can send or receive into your account.
However, there may be limits imposed by your deposit method, as well as limits on World Card..
The World Card virtual card limits vary by currency, but here are a few examples:
Country | Currency | Monthly limit | Daily limit | Single transaction limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
AU | AUD | 200,000 | 100,000 | 50,000 |
SG | USD | 200,000 | 100,000 | 50,000 |
GBP | GBP | 750,000 | 200,000 | 100,000 |
These can be lowered within your account if you need to.
Using WorldFirst
Ease of use
Eligibility
WorldFirst accounts are only available to registered businesses, not individuals.
To open a company account, the main applicant must be a company director, and you’ll need to provide standard business verification documents.
Customer service
You can contact WorldFirst via email, over the phone, or using the live chat.
The quickest way to get a response is via the live chat (this takes around a minute) or over the phone. Email responses, on the other hand, usually take a day.
However, depending on your location, the details will change. Here’s a summary of their contact details:
Region / Country | Phone Number(s) | Email / Contact |
|---|---|---|
UK | In the UK: 020 7801 1065 Outside UK: +44 20 7801 1065 | |
Africa | N/A | |
Australia (AU) | In Australia: 1800 326 667 Outside Australia: +61 2 8298 4990 | |
New Zealand (NZ) | 0800 666 114 | |
China | 400 976 6666 | Cross-border e-commerce: mscn@service.worldfirst.comForeign Trade B2B: b2bhk@worldfirst.com.cn |
EU (General) | +31 20 299 4960 | |
Italy | +39 023 055 9408 | |
France | 0185 142 195 | |
Germany | +49 895 4197 172 | |
Netherlands | 020 299 4960 | |
Philippines | N/A | |
Indonesia | N/A | |
Malaysia | +603 2705 2894 | |
Singapore (SG) | +65 6805 4380 | |
South Asia (General) | N/A | |
Hong Kong (HK) | +852 3002 4499 | |
Japan (JP) | 0120-94892903-6373-1010 | |
Korea | 02-3143-9435 070-4580-7588 08-0420-8774 (toll-free) | |
Thailand | 033 135 333 | |
Turkey | N/A | |
Vietnam | 1800 9288 (Free)028 7109 3706 | |
Latin America | WhatsApp: +65 8013 2803 | |
Global (General) | N/A |
Safety and regulation
Safety and trust
WorldFirst is a secure and safe way to manage business finances.
Regulation
WorldFirst holds over 60 regulatory licenses and is part of the Alibaba Group as of 2019.
Here are a few main WorldFirst entities along with their regulatory status:
Region | Entity | Regulator / Licence |
|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | World First UK Ltd. | FCA (Ref. 900508) |
Netherlands (EU) | World First Netherlands B.V. | De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB R161090) |
Australia | World First Pty Ltd. | ASIC (AFS Licence 331945) & AUSTRAC |
Singapore | WorldFirst (Singapore) Merchant Services Pte. Ltd. | Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) |
Singapore | World First Asia Pte. Ltd. | Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) |
Hong Kong | World First Asia Ltd. | HK Customs & Excise Department |
United States | AUS Merchant Services, Inc. | FinCEN |
Security measures in places
Other than being fully regulated, WorldFirst takes a number of steps to ensure your business's financial safety, including:
Two-factor authentication
256-bit encryption
Systems are in place to monitor fraudulent activity
3D Secure & PINs for card payments
Opening an account with WorldFirst
To get started, follow these steps:
Sign up for a World Account
Verify your identity
Provide company information
Upload supporting documents
Get approved and start transacting
Customer Feedback
Customer feedback
WorldFirst is rated 3.8/5 on Trustpilot with 3,000+ reviews. There isn’t much on the app stores, as I’ve already mentioned.
*Average WorldFirst review scores over the past 3 months based on online user reviews.
Looking through recent reviews, it seems like most users are largely happy about the simplicity of the setup process, professional and helpful support agents, and an intuitive, easy-to-use platform for managing global business payments.
Many seem to say that once the account is active, everything becomes quick and simple.
On the downside, there are a fair few complaints around getting verified, especially when it comes to the KYC process.
Mostly, these are related to the delays and how long it takes to get approved (with some waiting for months).
But in reality, the KYC complaints is a pattern we’ve seen with other similar companies.
For example, many complaints with Airwallex, Wise, Moneycorp, and Payoneer are also related to long approvals, additional KYC verification, required documents, and unreasonable delays.
To be fully transparent, Sokin and Currenxie actually offer a very streamlined KYC according to online reviews, but they have their own set of issues.
What caught my eye is that a few users have mentioned the discrepancy between advertised and actual offered rates.
This is a big one when it comes to transparency, however, it was only reported by a few people, so it might be just one bad experience.
Feel free to share your feedback and experience with WorldFirst at the bottom of this page.
Not keen on WorldFirst?
WorldFirst: Is it good for transfers abroad?
WorldFirst offers a lot of great features and is on par if not better than, many other business transfer companies.
They offer global coverage to over 200 countries and territories, have competitive FX rates, and come with 100s of integrations.
