Creem has partnered with Airwallex to diversify its payment infrastructure beyond a single provider.
The Estonia-based merchant of record has restructured the payments layer underpinning its platform, moving from a single-provider model to one that runs across multiple partners, with Airwallex named as the partner integrated into the new setup.
Reducing reliance on a single provider
As a merchant of record, Creem handles compliance, tax, and payouts on behalf of the software companies it serves, alongside the payments infrastructure required to move funds across multiple countries. According to the company, this infrastructure had previously depended on a single payment provider, meaning that any disruption on that provider's side would have affected every merchant operating on Creem's platform.
To address this concentration risk, Creem has restructured its payments infrastructure to operate across several partners rather than a single set of rails. The company has stated that the new structure allows it to add further partners over time and reduces its exposure to a single point of failure, a risk it described as central to the reliability of its platform.
Airwallex has been named as the first partner integrated into this restructured infrastructure. The company operates payment rails that move tens of billions across more than 100 countries, supporting merchants that sell and settle funds internationally. Creem has indicated that its decision to work with Airwallex was based not only on the scale of Airwallex's infrastructure but also on the responsiveness shown during the integration process, including its willingness to accommodate the pace of a smaller company.
Implications for merchants
The move to a multi-provider infrastructure is intended to give merchants using Creem's platform greater resilience against payment disruptions, since reliance is no longer concentrated on a single provider. Creem has indicated that additional partners may be added to its infrastructure as the multi-provider approach develops further, though no timeline has been specified for further integrations.
At the same time, for Airwallex, the partnership adds a merchant-of-record platform to its network of businesses relying on its cross-border payment rails, reflecting continued demand from software companies for infrastructure that supports international sales without requiring them to manage compliance and payment operations directly.
