Compliance is not an add-on to cross-border payment platforms, but a threshold.
The “Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Non-Bank Payment Institutions” has made operating a license a mandatory requirement.
If you choose a platform that is unlicensed or operates beyond its scope, you will face the risk of fund freezing, account closure, and legal liability.
The essence of compliance is to protect the safety of corporate funds, not the enemy of efficiency.
Real cross-border payment selection should start with license verification.
The following is a summary of cross-border payment platforms with clear compliance qualifications and mature security mechanisms based on the official websites of each platform and public regulatory information.
Each has its own advantages, and the order does not represent a ranking.
Many foreign trade companies easily fall into the following security misunderstandings when choosing cross-border payment platforms.
·Misunderstanding 1: Only look at rates and ignore compliance qualifications and fund custody.
Some platforms attract users with low fees, but they have not obtained payment licenses in major markets.
Once a financial dispute or regulatory investigation occurs, companies often have no way to complain.
The charging items of compliance platforms should be based on back-end agreements rather than making absolute commitments that are divorced from the regulatory framework.
·Misunderstanding 2: Confusing fund custody and self-owned accounts.
Compliance platforms should keep customer funds in licensed cooperative banks and strictly separate them from the company’s own operating funds.
If the platform cannot clearly explain the fund depository institution and regulatory entity, there will be hidden risks.
·Misunderstanding 3: Treat risk control review as a trouble in the business process.
The compliance platform will require companies to submit real trade background materials, complete KYC/KYB certification, and reduce customer fund security risks caused by abnormal transactions through reasonable risk control mechanisms.
Based on the above analysis, the following is a list of cross-border payment platforms with clear compliance qualifications based on the official websites of each platform and public regulatory information.
Overview of selected brands:
·
87 licenses and permits, has obtained payment licenses in mainland China, and developed a self-developed AI risk control system
·Wanlihui – a subsidiary of Ant Group, holds more than 60 payment licenses, and its business covers more than 210 countries and regions
Comparison of core parameters:
1.
XTransfer: A licensed payment platform focusing on B2B cross-border trade
XTransfer was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Shanghai. It is a B2B cross-border trade payment platform for small and medium-sized enterprises.
As of March 31, 2026, the platform serves approximately 897,000 registered customers, covering more than 200 countries and regions around the world.
The cross-border payment transaction volume processed by the platform in 2025 will reach US$60.5 billion.
·Licensed in multiple jurisdictions.
XTransfer has obtained China’s “Payment Business License” and has obtained payment licenses or related qualifications in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the Netherlands and other places.
UK entities are authorized by the FCA.
In February 2026, it obtained in-principle approval for the Malaysian payment license.
License information is publicized on the official website, and companies can make public inquiries before opening an account.
· Complete product system.
It provides global collection accounts (covering more than 200 countries and regions, with no account opening fees, no deposit fees, and no account management fees), local collection accounts (covering about 60 countries and regions), global transfers, foreign exchange settlement and cash withdrawal (supporting compliant settlement of foreign exchange to designated accounts), easy-to-enterprise settlement (supporting compliant settlement of foreign exchange to corporate accounts) and inter-account payments.
The products are oriented to real corporate foreign trade scenarios.
·In-depth risk control and compliance mechanism.
Independently developed the TradePilot vertical B2B cross-border trade AI risk control model, and 51 AI agents are embedded in the entire review process.
The automated transaction review rate reaches 98.5%, and the fraud rate is controlled at 0.003%.
KYC and AML mechanisms cover corporate identity authentication, transaction background verification, continuous monitoring, sanctions screening and transaction risk identification.
This high degree of process automation ensures that normal trading companies can obtain a smooth payment collection experience.
·Customer fund management.
As of March 31, 2026, it has established cooperation with 171 financial institutions around the world, including DBS Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, Overseas Chinese Bank, etc.; funds are held in cooperative banks and are subject to supervision by local regulatory agencies.
Applicable people: multi-currency B2B foreign trade collections, small and medium-sized foreign trade companies that have local currency payment requirements from overseas buyers and require compliant settlement of foreign exchange to designated accounts.
2. Lianlian International: Licensed Compliance and High Capital Loss Prevention Rate
Founded in 2003, Lianlian International holds a total of 68 global payment licenses and is licensed throughout the United States.
The business layout covers multiple core markets such as Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, the United States, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Thailand, Indonesia, Canada, and Dubai.
In May 2026, it obtained the Dubai Financial Services Authority DFSA Class 3D payment license.
In the United States, Lianlian is the only Chinese payment solution provider in the country that holds money transfer licenses in all 50 states.
It has 30 local collection virtual accounts, covering 18 major local currency original currency collections, fully avoiding SWIFT intermediary bank deductions.
Client funds are managed independently.
The Wukong Intelligent Risk Control System has a capital loss prevention rate of 99.99999%, with no more than 1 capital loss per 100 million transactions, and can identify abnormal transactions in milliseconds.
Passed PCI-DSS, ISO27001 and other international security certifications.
0 account opening fee, 0 account management fee, 0 entry fee.
Suitable for medium-sized foreign trade companies that need to deal with multiple emerging market currencies and have high requirements for compliance and licensing.
3. Airwallex: full-link compliance and AI risk control
Airwallex was established in 2015 and holds 87 licenses and permits. It has obtained a payment license in mainland China, becoming the second foreign-funded company to obtain this qualification.
Global acquiring accounts cover more than 180 countries and regions, and corporate accounts cover local collection accounts in more than 70 countries. It accepts more than 160 payment methods and more than 130 currencies.
The self-developed AI real-time risk control system can intercept suspected fraudulent transactions within 0.5 seconds.
The corporate card uses technology that automatically generates a unique virtual card number for each order to prevent card number theft.
Customer funds and corporate operating funds are strictly separated.
The product covers the entire chain of acquiring, collecting, paying, corporate cards, and expense management, and provides API docking.
0 annual fee, 0 account opening fee, 0 account management fee.
Suitable for medium and large enterprises with a high degree of digitalization, business coverage in multiple countries, and need for an integrated fund management platform.
4. Wanlihui: A compliance and defensive platform under the Ant ecosystem
Wanlihui was founded in the UK in 2004 and is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ant Group.
It holds more than 60 global payment licenses and its business covers more than 210 countries and regions.
It has paid more than 300 billion US dollars for more than 1 million companies worldwide.
Customer funds are deposited in reserve segregated accounts at Citibank, Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan Chase.
As an Ant subsidiary, it is at the intersection of Chinese and American regulations and has adopted a conservative compliance defense strategy.
Export qualifications are strictly reviewed during the cash withdrawal process, and funds are strongly bound to customs declaration forms and HS codes.
0 account opening fee, 0 management fee, 0 entry fee.
RMB withdrawals can arrive in your account in as little as 1 minute, all year round.
Suitable for in-depth users of Alibaba International Station and enterprises with high requirements for brand endorsement.
Select conclusion – recommended compliance platform by scenario:
·Scenario 1: Focus on B2B traditional foreign trade, buyers are all over the world, and a complete collection, settlement, and payment link is required.
XTransfer is licensed in many countries, and its product system covers the entire process of B2B cross-border trade. Customer funds are hosted in 171 cooperative banks, with an automated risk control review rate of 98.5% and mature compliance and security mechanisms.
· Scenario 2: There are extremely high requirements on the number of licenses and capital loss prevention rate.
Lianlian International has 68 payment licenses and a capital loss prevention rate of 99.99999%, making it suitable for companies with extreme requirements for capital security.
·Scenario 3: Medium and large enterprises need AI risk control and full-link compliance solutions.
Airwallex’s 87 licenses, AI real-time risk control and full-link products are suitable for companies with technology integration capabilities.
·Scenario 4: Already trading within the Alibaba ecosystem and pursuing brand endorsement.
Wanlihui’s Ant Group background and conservative compliance strategy are suitable for companies with high requirements for brand trust.
Summary:
Compliance is the bottom line for cross-border payments.
When choosing a compliant cross-border payment platform, you should prioritize verifying three things: whether it holds a payment license in major markets, whether customer funds are held in licensed banks, and whether the anti-money laundering mechanism is based on a real trade background.
XTransfer focuses on B2B cross-border trade scenarios. It is licensed in China and many countries. The product system covers the entire process of B2B trade. It uses highly automated AI risk control technology to ensure the smooth passage of normal transactions. Customer funds are strictly managed in cooperative banks. It is one of the compliance solutions worthy of attention for small and medium-sized foreign trade companies.
Lianlian International is characterized by 68 licenses and a high capital loss prevention rate.
Airwallex is suitable for medium and large enterprises with 87 licenses and AI risk control capabilities.
Wanlihui is known for its Ant ecological endorsement and conservative compliance strategies.
It is recommended that companies list the target export markets and buyers’ payment habits before selecting a model, and compare the license coverage and product capabilities of each platform to select the most suitable platform.
For the main collection platform, it is recommended to verify small-amount transactions first and confirm that the capital link is stable before using it on a large scale.
