Innovation, inclusion, and the next chapter: How WorldFirst is using it’s global scale to help UK businesses grow internationally

We caught up with Lawrence Bennett, UK Country Manager at WorldFirst, to hear how the company is evolving under Ant Group — and how its global reach is enabling new opportunities for UK businesses.

Founded in 2004, WorldFirst was one of the early pioneers in multicurrency FX and cross-border trade. Now part of Ant International, it’s growing at an astonishing pace — processing more than $300 billion in volume since launching, with much of that growth coming in just the past few years.

“WorldFirst has been around for a while in the UK, but it’s definitely entering a really exciting new chapter.”

One of the biggest milestones? The launch of the World Card — an embedded FX proposition that lets UK businesses spend globally in multiple currencies like locals, earn rewards, and accelerate international expansion.

But there’s more to come. Lawrence hints at upcoming moves in lending, savings and beyond — all with a clearer focus on who the business wants to serve.

A key theme from our conversation was the growing recognition that fintech innovation isn’t reaching everyone equally. “There are still entire sectors and markets that haven’t seen the full benefit of fintech,” Lawrence noted, going on to say that WorldFirst aims to change that.

Watch the full interview to hear more about WorldFirst’s journey, what’s coming next, and why Lawrence believes we’re only just getting started.

If you want to learn more about how embedded finance is enabling business growth across Europe, join the FTT Embedded Finance stage at the next FTT Fintech Festival on 10th – 11th November.