S’pore fintech firm Aspire sees more clients looking to expand abroad, lands Europe, Aussie and US licences
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Aspire, which primarily serves start-ups as well as small and mid-market businesses, has more than 600 employees across nine countries and clients in over 30 markets.
PHOTO: ASPIRE
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- Aspire, a Singapore fintech firm, secured licences to operate in Australia, Europe, and the US, expanding its services for digitally savvy, international businesses.
- Aspire's expansion enables Singapore companies to use its financial services as they grow overseas, avoiding the need to establish new banking relationships in each market.
- Aspire gained an Australian Financial Services Licence, an Electronic Money Institution licence in Europe (Netherlands base), and Money Services Business registration in the US, with planned rollout in 2026.
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SINGAPORE – Aspire, a Singapore-headquartered fintech company, has secured licences to operate in Australia, Europe and the United States as customers here increasingly seek overseas expansion.
The latest additions bring the total to eight regulatory licences and registrations obtained over the past year.
Aspire primarily serves start-ups as well as small and mid-market businesses that are more digitally savvy and international, giving rise to complex payment, treasury and compliance needs.
Mr Andrea Baronchelli, co-founder and chief executive of Aspire, said that a growing number of Singapore companies operate globally.
“Our entry into markets like Australia, Europe and the United States means these companies can use Aspire as part of their own expansion toolkit.
“Instead of having to re-establish business operations and business banking relationships in each new market – a process that can be complex and time-consuming, particularly for foreign companies – clients can hit the ground running... and transact like a local business from day one,” he noted.
Mr Baronchelli added that this results in faster payments, greater transparency and a unified financial stack that supports global operations without forcing businesses to rely on multiple providers as they scale up.
“We’ve been very intentional with this approach. Financial services are inherently local and must align with regulatory and compliance requirements in each market. At the same time, modern businesses operate globally and expect systems that work consistently across borders,” he said.
With a full Australian financial services licence, Aspire will bring its full financial stack, including multi-currency accounts, payments and cards, to thousands of Australian companies.
Aspire has also obtained the Electronic Money Institution licence in Europe and signed a formal investment commitment with the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. The Netherlands will be its European base.
Additionally, in the US, the firm is registered as a money services business and with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a registered investment adviser. These approvals expand Aspire’s ability to offer its broader financial suite to American companies and represent an important step towards its planned US roll-out in 2026.
Aspire’s entry into markets like Australia, Europe and the US means its customers can use the fintech firm as part of their own expansion toolkit.
PHOTO: ASPIRE
To drive the firm’s entry into the new markets, it also announced four key additions – former Wise and Revolut executives – to its leadership team.
Aspire has more than 600 employees across nine countries and clients in over 30 markets. It is backed by venture capital firms, such as Sequoia, Lightspeed and Y-Combinator, Tencent and PayPal.
The company expanded to Hong Kong in December 2024 and growth has since tripled. Momentum in Singapore continues, with its capital markets services licence secured in April, allowing the firm to include regulated investment solutions in its offerings.
Other Singapore-based fintech firms that also recently expanded or plan to expand to other markets include Airwallex and Thunes.
Earlier in December, Airwallex raised US$330 million (S$426 million) to support its growth strategy in the US and key markets worldwide, as well as drive product development. This comes as it secured licences and launched products across countries, including France, the Netherlands and Japan.
Cross-border payments platform Thunes expanded its solutions to several markets, including Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Egypt, between 2024 and 2025.
