Bowtie uses virtual Airwallex Corporate Cards to streamline its operations

Introducing Bowtie

Bowtie is a digital-first insurance provider committed to making healthcare more accessible and affordable. With a global network of service providers and a fast-growing team, Bowtie needed a better way to manage international payments and employee expenses without the high costs and inefficiencies of traditional banking.

The challenge

Costly international payments and inefficient expense reimbursements

Bowtie regularly pays service providers worldwide, so it relied on local corporate cards to make overseas payments. However, this approach came with heavy foreign exchange (FX) and transaction fees, adding unnecessary costs to every payment. Managing employee reimbursements was another challenge – like most businesses in Hong Kong, Bowtie followed a manual reimbursement process, requiring employees to pay out of pocket and wait for repayments, leading to inefficiencies and delays.

The solution

Airwallex Corporate Cards for cost-effective, streamlined payments

Bowtie switched to Airwallex Corporate Cards to eliminate unnecessary fees, allowing the company to settle foreign currency transactions directly. With no international transaction or TT fees and highly competitive FX rates, Bowtie now saves 3–5% on foreign currency payments, reducing operational costs while paying global service providers more efficiently.

For employee expenses, Bowtie replaced manual reimbursements with Airwallex employee cards, instantly issuing free virtual Visa cards to staff. This allowed teams to make business purchases without personal out-of-pocket costs, eliminating the need for tedious reimbursement processes. On top of that, real-time expense tracking through Airwallex’s online portal gives finance teams full visibility and control over company spending.

Gabriel Kung

Chief Commercial Officer of Bowtie

"Airwallex’s WebApp allows us to control and set different spending limits for all employees, and manage everyone’s spending on the same platform, which has been incredibly convenient."

Lower costs, time savings, and greater control

Since adopting Airwallex, Bowtie has:

• Saved 3–5% on FX conversion fees for international payments.

• Eliminated costly international transaction fees, keeping more money within the business.

• Streamlined employee spending with the ability to issue instant virtual cards.

• Reduced time spent on expense reimbursements, improving operational efficiency.

• Gained real-time visibility into company spending, ensuring budgets stay on track.

Using Airwallex’s financial solutions, Bowtie has transformed its management of global payments and employee expenses, freeing up more time and resources to focus on delivering quality services.

Edwin Wong

Deputy Chief Finanical Officer of Bowtie

"Their FX rates are also relatively competitive. Through Airwallex, we can save around 3-5% for these foreign currency payments."