Airwallex vs PayU (2026): Which Is Better for Receiving International Payments in India?

Each row applies the platform's published fee, FX markup and GST on the fee to the XE mid-market rate for 4 Nov 2026.

Airwallex is a global business account provider that issues local collection account details (Global Accounts) in 20+ currencies. Its help centre lists India as an eligible business registration country, with Indian businesses onboarded to the Airwallex Singapore entity. An Indian company can collect foreign client payments into a Global Account, convert to INR and send the money to its Indian bank account by local transfer.

• Regulated by: Not confirmed. Airwallex is not on the RBI list of payment system authorisations dated 30 Sep 2026, and its pages make no PA-CB claim
• Used by: Yes. India is listed as an eligible registration country, with Indian businesses onboarded to Airwallex Singapore, subject to industry and risk checks
• Best for: Registered Indian companies that want multi-currency collection accounts and also pay suppliers globally

PayU is an Indian payment gateway that lets merchants accept online payments through cards, UPI, net banking and wallets. For overseas customers, it accepts international credit and debit cards and PayPal at checkout, converts the amount to INR and settles to the merchant's Indian bank account. It is a checkout tool. It does not give users foreign bank account details for receiving bank transfers.

• Regulated by: Not confirmed. PA-CB status could not be verified on rbi.org.in, and PayU's pages make no PA-CB claim
• Used by: Yes. New merchants sign up online, and existing merchants enable international payments through help.payu.in or care@payu.in. PayU's international card terms (clause 1.2(b)) say international card processing is provided at PayU's discretion, subject to additional due diligence by PayU, the acquiring banks and the nodal bank, and that approval can be withdrawn at any time
• Best for: Indian businesses taking international card payments on a website or checkout

• Airwallex: Airwallex states about 90% of transfers to India are processed within a few hours to one business day
• PayU: T+2 business days in INR, as PayU states; same-day and priority settlement offered to some business categories, possibly for a fee

• Choose Airwallex if: you need registered Indian companies that want multi-currency collection accounts and also pay suppliers globally.
• Choose PayU if: you need Indian businesses taking international card payments on a website or checkout.

For example, an exporter billing $5,000 a month: Neither platform publishes full pricing for Indian users.

Other covered platforms ranked by the INR received on a $5,000 invoice.

Fees, FIRA terms and RBI status were checked on each platform's own pages and RBI sources on 30 Sept 2026. INR figures use the XE mid-market rate for 4 Nov 2026. The formula is on the methodology page.

1. Airwallex Help: Eligible Countries and Territories, INDIA IN - AWX Legal Entity SINGAPORE (checked 7 Oct 2026)
2. Airwallex Help: Eligibility to open an account, unable to offer personal accounts to individuals (checked 6 Oct 2026)
3. Airwallex Singapore Fee Schedule, Customer Mark-Up / Margin (... INR ...) 0.60%; "The customer mark-up / margin will be included as the FX Exchange Rate"; Global Account Receiving Funds Fee 0% for other currencies; Local Payout Fee $0; 24-Hour Quote Validity 0.30%; "exclusive of GST (where applicable)" (checked 7 Oct 2026)
4. Airwallex Singapore Pricing, Grow $79/month; Accelerate from $399/month; 3.60% + $0.50 international cards (checked 6 Oct 2026)
5. Airwallex: Send money to India (Singapore), Approximately 90% of transactions are processed within a few hours to one business day (checked 6 Oct 2026)
6. Airwallex Help: What is an FIRC and how do I get one?, "there may be a fee associated with issuing an FIRC. This fee is not set by Airwallex; it is determined by our banking partner" (checked 7 Oct 2026)
7. Airwallex Help: Which currencies can I get a Global Account in (checked 6 Oct 2026)
8. Airwallex Help: Documents required for companies in other countries, Ultimate Beneficial owner ... more than 25% of the issued share capital (checked 6 Oct 2026)
9. Airwallex Help: Limits for transfers and deposits (checked 6 Oct 2026)
10. RBI: Certificates of Authorisation under the PSS Act (30 Sep 2026), Airwallex not listed (checked 6 Oct 2026)
11. PayU Pricing, 3% for Diners, American Express, EMI, International transactions; 18% GST applicable on all transactions; No set-up fee; standard settlement T+2; custom pricing slabs for higher volumes or enterprise needs, based on payment mode, industry type, risk profile, transaction volume, value-added features and processing requirements; no setup, onboarding or annual fees (checked 7 Oct 2026)
12. PayU International Payments, 135+ currencies; Visa, Mastercard, American Express and PayPal; INR conversion at transaction-date rate; T+2 business days; specific rates via account manager or care@payu.in; compliance with global standards (checked 7 Oct 2026)
13. PayU terms for international card processing and multicurrency payments, 1.2(e): the exchange rate used by PayU for all Authorised Currencies will be the inter-bank rate as decided by the respective banks or card associations and as shared by PayU with the Merchant by issuing the merchant payment report on every Business Day; non-Business Day transactions use the rate of the immediately preceding Business Day; 1.2(b): the International Card Processing Payment Mechanism and the Multicurrency Payment Feature shall be provided solely at PayU's discretion, subject to additional due diligence and criteria specified by PayU and/or Acquiring Banks and the Nodal Bank, who may withdraw approval at any time; 1.2(g): PayU may charge Customers a Currency Calculator Fee at a rate specified at the time of payment, upon the Customer consenting (checked 7 Oct 2026)