WorldFirst

WorldFirst Global payment platform for entrepreneurs.
40+ currencies. 200+ countries. Trusted by 1.6M+ businesses. Learn more: worldfirst.com/uk/about-worldfirst/

WorldFirst began in 2004 with a mission to enable truly borderless commerce with easy, fast and secure international payments. Today, we’ve empowered over a million businesses to grow in global markets. Our multi-currency World Account lets you send, receive, convert and manage payments easily and competitively across the globe – all from one platform.

01/06/2026

Most buyers come to China to negotiate.

They grind on unit prices, MOQ, sample fees. Then they pay through a traditional bank that takes 2 to 5% on every transfer.

Who's the real winner of the deal? Often the bank.

Fix your payment setup before your next negotiation. WorldFirst transfers are a fraction of what banks charge, and they're same-day to the supplier.

Follow WorldFirst for more sourcing-payment intel.

29/05/2026

If you've spent time in China, you use Alipay every day.

What most foreign business owners don't know: WorldFirst is part of the same group (Ant Group). Same ecosystem, different job. Alipay handles consumer payments. WorldFirst handles cross-border business payments.

150,000+ Chinese suppliers are on the WorldFirst network. Direct connection to Alipay infrastructure.

Follow WorldFirst for more on doing business with China.

28/05/2026

150,000 Chinese suppliers accept WorldFirst.

That's not a future projection. That's the current network. When you ask a factory how they want to be paid, there's a real chance they say WorldFirst before you do.

When both sides are on it, the transaction is near-instant and near-free.

Follow WorldFirst for more on the supplier network.

27/05/2026

Paying a new Chinese supplier for the first time?

Don't bank-wire it. Bank wires are final. If the goods don't ship or the supplier disappears, the money is gone.

Here's how I do it instead. In the WorldFirst app, I send the supplier a request to accept payment by credit card. Once they accept, I pay them with my card.

If anything goes wrong, instant chargeback protection through my card issuer.

Follow WorldFirst for more sourcing payment tips.

26/05/2026

'If the money doesn't move right, nothing else moves.'

Tay St Louis, founder of Trendsetter, on the part of sourcing in China that no one talks about. Paying multiple suppliers in multiple currencies while running samples on a deadline.

Hold GBP, CNY, USD in one account. Pay suppliers in CNY directly, mostly same-day. Convert when the rate's good, not when you're forced to.

Trips like this are where brands get made or broken. The money side shouldn't be what holds you up.

Follow WorldFirst.

"80 to 90% of dropshippers fail in their first year."That was the line from our EEA manager Clemens Timmermans on the pa...
26/05/2026

"80 to 90% of dropshippers fail in their first year."

That was the line from our EEA manager Clemens Timmermans on the panel at the CJ Dropshipping event last week.

The reason almost never sits in the product. It sits in the financial plumbing: slow payouts, stacked fees, conversion losses, ad spend with no return flowing back. The operators who get year one right tend to be the ones who plug the cash leaks early.

As CJ Dropshipping's special payment partner, that's exactly what WorldFirst is built to answer with:

✅ Financial health: zero fees on collection, conversion and withdrawal, plus cashback on every World Card spend including ads and SaaS

✅ Streamlined payment flow: one multi-currency account consolidating payouts from every store, then paying Chinese suppliers in CNY, including direct payment to 1688

Thanks to CJdropshipping for the partnership, and to every operator who told us, plainly, where the money was going.

If we didn't get to chat in person, our team is following up this week.

23/05/2026

When both you and your supplier are on WorldFirst, transfers between you are near-instant and free.

This is the network-effect tier most buyers haven't unlocked. 150,000+ Chinese suppliers are already on the platform. Long-term suppliers especially.

If they're on it, ask. The fee structure changes.

Follow WorldFirst for more on the supplier network.

22/05/2026

If you are paying a sourcing agent to handle 1688, you are paying 3-5% for nothing.

Agents exist because 1688 only accepts yuan and most foreign buyers don't have a Chinese bank account.

WorldFirst removed the need. 1688 made us their official global payment partner. You pay in your currency. The supplier gets yuan. Same trade, no third party.

Follow WorldFirst for more direct sourcing intel.

Over 30 financial institutions. Nearly 100 partners. One room in Kuala Lumpur.On 20 May, we held Financial Partners Day,...
22/05/2026

Over 30 financial institutions. Nearly 100 partners. One room in Kuala Lumpur.

On 20 May, we held Financial Partners Day, the event we bring our partners together for twice a year to share how far WorldFirst has come and where we are going next.

This year, our family grew. We were especially glad to welcome more local and regional banks into it, alongside the global institutions who have long been part of WorldFirst. Every one of these partners makes the family stronger. The closer we work with banks across this region, the better we can serve Southeast Asia and beyond, a commitment we are deepening, with more to come.

What brought everyone together is a simple idea. The infrastructure our partners helped us build, on their trust and their support, is infrastructure we now want to place back in their hands. Through WorldFirst for Enterprise, partners can complement what they already offer and support their enterprise customers growing globally. Through WorldFirst Personal, they can give individual customers a smoother way to move money across borders, including straight to a wallet.

From a partner to a customer. A relationship that began with their trust, and now reaches into everything we can build together.

Thank you to Maybank, HSBC, Citi, JPM, Mastercard, Barclays, OCBC, SMBC, SCB, BOCHK, ICBC, Santander, Hecto, VISA, BNPP, DB, Yes Bank, Banking Circle, DBS, MBSB, Mandiri, BRI, BNI and Fosun Wealth, and congratulations to our awardees.

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