Aqua Global and StoneX Partner to Deliver 140+ Currencies via Single API

Aqua Global has integrated StoneX’s global payments and foreign exchange infrastructure into its Aquila platform, providing financial institutions with direct API access to over 140 currencies. This partnership is significant for fintech professionals as it reduces the operational friction of cross-border transactions by combining high-level messaging automation with institutional-grade liquidity across 180 markets.

What was announced

Aqua Global, the software provider behind the Aquila financial messaging and transaction automation platform, has launched a strategic partnership with StoneX Group Inc. (NASDAQ: SNEX) to enhance its cross-border payment and foreign exchange (FX) capabilities. The collaboration integrates StoneX’s global infrastructure directly into Aqua Global’s Aquila platform. Through this plug-and-play solution, users can connect to StoneX’s FX liquidity and payment network via a direct API integration.

The primary objective of the partnership is to allow financial institutions to bypass traditional operational complexities when expanding their international reach. Through this integration, users of the Aquila platform can now access FX liquidity and payment networks covering more than 140 currencies. The system is designed to streamline payment workflows and improve execution efficiency for banks and other financial entities operating in global markets.

By leveraging StoneX’s extensive network, which provides reach in over 180 markets, Aqua Global and StoneX are helping clients manage the entire lifecycle of a cross-border transaction within an automated environment. The move addresses a growing demand within the sector for scalable and efficient payment solutions that reduce the manual overhead associated with international transactions. This partnership reflects a commitment to providing end-to-end FX and payments solutions for global financial institutions.

"This partnership reflects our commitment to meeting banks where they are - not just in terms of market access, but in how easily they can plug into our infrastructure."

Thiago Vieira, Global Head of StoneX Payments

The companies involved

Aqua Global is the London-based software provider responsible for the Aquila platform, a solution focused on financial messaging and transaction automation. The company specializes in providing intelligent automation technology that helps financial institutions manage global transactions and streamline complex payment workflows. By focusing on the automation of financial messaging, Aqua Global enables its clients to reduce operational complexity as they expand their international reach.

StoneX Group Inc. (NASDAQ: SNEX) is a global financial services firm providing institutional-grade market infrastructure. Through its payments and foreign exchange division, StoneX offers access to a vast network of global markets and FX liquidity. The company is known for its ability to provide reach into a wide variety of markets, including emerging regions, through its specialized infrastructure. StoneX focuses on meeting the needs of banks and other financial institutions by offering easy integration into its global payments network, which covers more than 180 markets. The firm’s presence on the NASDAQ exchange underscores its position as a significant player in the global financial infrastructure space.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has previously covered StoneX’s expansion into regional markets and digital assets. This includes reporting on how StoneX to Acquire Banco Travelex to Scale Brazil Payments and FX Infrastructure and the firm's work in the crypto space via EDX Markets and StoneX Digital Partner to Scale Institutional Digital Asset Trading. Additionally, the broader market context for automation was explored in T+1 Settlement Countdown: 23% of Banks Still Lack Compliance Plans One Year Out, a trend that underscores the importance of the messaging and automation tools provided by Aqua Global.

What this means

This partnership highlights a shift in the cross-border payments landscape, where the value proposition is moving away from simple connectivity toward deep, API-driven integration. By embedding StoneX’s liquidity directly into a messaging platform, the industry is seeing a consolidation of the "plumbing" of international finance. This puts pressure on traditional correspondent banks that rely on legacy manual processes and slower settlement times. The move raises questions for the sector about whether standalone FX providers can survive without being deeply integrated into the automation software that banks use for their daily operations. Efficiency is no longer a luxury but a baseline requirement for institutional market access.