Airwallex & Arsenal: Expanding Global Reach Through Football

Airwallex and Arsenal have launched Who Are Ya, a new advertising film celebrating financial ambition and global growth.

It is Airwallex’s largest marketing investment in UK sport to date.

Directed by and starring Academy Award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee, the two-minute production is the fintech firm's most significant marketing investment in UK sport.

By placing complex financial infrastructure into the heart of a matchday pub in north London, the campaign translates technical payment solutions into the language of the everyday supporter.

Jack Zhang, CEO and Co-Founder of Airwallex, says: “The fintech ecosystem tends to think in verticals: you're either a payments processor, an FX provider or a card issuer. 

“We've never believed that. From day one, we collapsed those categories into one seamless global platform. That’s made us harder to categorise and easier to underestimate.

“We're not a bank. We're not a traditional fintech. We're something built from scratch for a world that moves faster and operates globally – more than 85 licenses, 250,000 businesses trusting us with their financial operations and, apparently, a pretty good short film.”

Crossing the white line into finance

As Arsenal’s official software partner, Airwallex provides the digital payment tools and global financial infrastructure necessary to support the club’s international commercial operations. 

The film features a heavy-hitting lineup including club legends Thierry Henry, Martin Keown and Rachel Yankey, alongside current first-team players Viktor Gyökeres and Kai Havertz.

The narrative shifts the focus from the pitch to the business side of the sport, where supporters – joined by actors Aaron Pierre, Jasmine Jobson and Nick Moran – debate the unlikely strength of feeling surrounding complex financial dealings. 

The campaign positions Airwallex as the entity capable of resolving these contentious global payment issues.

Matt Jennings, Global Creative Director at Airwallex, explains: "Arsenal supporters are among the most passionate and financially engaged supporters in football.

"Setting this in a pub, working with some of Arsenal’s biggest supporters and harnessing Spike Lee’s creativity and flair, this film is a genuine conversation with football supporters about money and lets us tell that story in a way that feels authentic to this community. 

“Like Arsenal, finance is always evolving and, leveraging the stories of the club and the supporters, we can show how businesses can build the future with a new way to do things."

Matt’s perspective highlights the Build the Future proposition, a global commitment to removing the cross-border barriers that typically hinder business evolution.

Scoring deals with sporting partnerships

The collaboration follows a series of out-of-home advertisements placed around the Emirates stadium earlier this year.

It reinforces a shared ethos between the club and the fintech provider – a focus on relentless progression and the 'what next?' mindset required for global scale.

Juliet Slot, Arsenal Chief Commercial Officer, says: “Our partnerships are at their best when, together with partners like Airwallex, we lift our supporters and bring them closer to us.

"Who Are Ya? is a celebration of the incredible passion of our community,and how we can use our shared platforms to connect us wherever we are in the world.

"We love Spike’s passion and understanding for our club which shines through our film.”

For Airwallex, the film is a bridge between the technical necessity of financial software and the emotional engagement of Arsenal’s global fanbase.

Fintech is not just a spectator sport 

Spike Lee, a long-term Arsenal supporter, utilised his signature visual style to ensure the message didn't feel detached from the fans. 

The campaign will roll out across Sky channels and social media in three distinct phases: aligned with the season's end, the 2026 World Cup in the USA and the start of the 26/27 Premier League season.

Spike adds: “I’ve been riding with Arsenal for years – it started with Thierry. But what really stayed with me is what the club stands for – its history, its culture, the way it reflects the world beyond the pitch.

"With Who Are Ya?, I wanted to capture that real supporter energy – the passion, the debates, the humour.

“Fans today don’t just follow the game, they understand everything around it too.

"Bringing Airwallex into that conversation felt natural, because the film plays on how fans now talk about the business side of football just as much as what happens on the pitch.

"This film is about that voice, that culture and that community.”

This initiative adds to a growing portfolio of sports partnerships for Airwallex, which currently includes Formula One’s McLaren Racing and MLB’s San Francisco Giants.