Cross-border payments startup Damisa has been granted an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL), giving the company regulatory approval to provide its payment infrastructure to businesses across Australia.
Issued by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the licence allows Damisa to offer regulated cross-border payment services with same-day settlement, strengthening its position as it expands internationally.
Founded in 2024, the UK-based fintech launched its API-first payment, settlement, and treasury platform in 2025 and has since focused on building infrastructure for financial institutions and businesses operating across multiple markets.
The platform supports more than 25 currencies and combines stablecoin orchestration, treasury management, smart wallets, and escrow capabilities to simplify international money movement. Rather than relying on traditional correspondent banking processes, Damisa uses automated infrastructure designed to reduce settlement times and improve payment transparency.
CEO Jordan Lawrence, who previously co-founded Volt, said the new licence gives Australian customers faster settlements while providing the regulatory certainty businesses expect from critical payment infrastructure.
Lawrence also described regulatory approval as one of the industry’s biggest competitive advantages.
“In regulated payments, the licence is the moat. Anyone can build a slick payments UI. Very few can sit on the right side of the regulators in every market they operate in.”
He added that securing financial licences requires significant operational investment, regulatory scrutiny, and capital commitments, creating barriers that are difficult for competitors to replicate.
The Australian approval follows Damisa’s £2.25 million pre-seed funding round, completed in April 2025 with backing from Fuel Ventures and Greyhound Capital. The funding has supported both product development and the company’s broader regulatory expansion strategy.
As demand for faster and more transparent cross-border payments continues to grow, Damisa is positioning itself as an infrastructure provider for financial institutions seeking modern payment rails built around APIs and digital asset technology.
