FUNDING & CAPITAL MARKETS

AT AT HOME, with your feet up and a glass of something refreshing in hand, ready to watch your team make history at the World Cup, would you stop to think: fintech? UK sport has a huge consumer fan base, with Arsenal boasting a global fanbase that includes New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, actress Anne Hathaway and outgoing UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Tapping into that fan base is fintech Airwallex, which has committed its largest marketing investment in UK sport to date, partnering with Arsenal to launch a new advertising film directed by and starring Academy Award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee. The two-minute film, titled Who Are Ya, marks a significant capital deployment for the global payments firm as it accelerates its expansion within the UK market.

– The Airwallex / Spike Lee film that marks a significant investment into the UK market significant

Rather than traditional corporate messaging, the campaign addresses the reality that B2B finance rarely captures public attention, reframing complex financial operations through the lens of football culture. Set in a North London pub on matchday, the film brings together club legends Thierry Henry, Martin Keown and Rachel Yankey, alongside current players Viktor Gyökeres and Kai Havertz. It boasts high-profile supporters that hold a presence on the UK film scene, such as actors Aaron Pierre, Jasmine Jobson and Nick Moran also feature. The narrative centres on the intense debates fans have regarding complex financial dealings, positioned alongside Airwallex’ s capability to resolve crossborder payment issues. The marketing spend follows an initial investment in out-of-home advertisements around the Emirates stadium earlier this year. This film has been designed to appeal to football fans and has been rolled out across Sky channels and social media in three strategic phases, timed to coincide with the end of the current season, the 2026 World Cup in the USA and the start of the 26 / 27 Premier League season.

102 July 2026