Stripe Capital to launch in Australia as Stripe announces 1 million users across Australia and New Zealand

Stripe, the programmable financial services company, have revealed it will launch Stripe Capital in Australia. The new offering will provide eligible small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) access to fast, flexible business financing through the Stripe platform, helping them invest in growth, manage cashflow, and stay resilient amid economic uncertainty.

The announcement was made at Stripe Tour Sydney, where the company also revealed over one million users—from global businesses and solopreneurs—in Australia and New Zealand are running on Stripe, with tens of thousands joining each month, underscoring the region’s demand for reliable, scalable financial infrastructure.

Unlocking capital to unleash growth

New research by the company found 92% of Australian business leaders surveyed are bracing for a difficult year ahead. Rising costs are the primary concern for over half (51%) of decision-makers, followed by economic uncertainty (38%) and customer retention (28%).

“SMBs are the backbone of the Australian economy, but the cost of doing business has risen sharply and around half report difficulty securing funding,” said Karl Durrance (pictured at Stripe Tour Sydney), Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand at Stripe.

“Stripe Capital is designed to tackle their challenges head-on. We’re giving businesses fast access to financing with a clear, flat fee and flexible repayment terms that adjust to their sales. It’s capital designed for the realities of running a business today.”

Stripe Capital uses Stripe data, such as a company’s payments processing activity with Stripe, to provide pre-approved offers for financing. Once a business sees its offer approved, funds are disbursed into their accounts in just one to two business days. Repayments are simple and done as businesses earn, with no compounding interest, late fees, or early repayment penalties.

Stripe Capital is expected to be available to Australian businesses in the coming months. Platforms that use Stripe, such as me&u, will also be able to use Stripe Capital to extend financing offers to their customers.

Australian businesses bullish on tech adoption 

Despite challenging macro economic conditions, Australian businesses remain optimistic about technology adoption. New research commissioned by Stripe reveals 85% of decision-makers surveyed are confident in their business’s ability to implement new technology tools.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) leads the innovation agenda, with the research finding 70% of decision makers surveyed have already integrated AI into their operations—powering customer service (39%), fraud detection (32%), sales and marketing (31%), and product development (30%). When it comes to emerging technologies like agentic AI, large businesses are leading the way with 30% surveyed saying they are already implementing it.

Stripe has long optimised checkouts for humans, and is now doing so for a new buyer: AI agents. Australian Stripe users are at the forefront of agentic AI adoption, ranking second globally—behind the United States—for use of Stripe’s agent toolkit. Globally, Stripe is already seeing transformation across industries worldwide using this technology, from AI-powered travel booking to developer tools.

According to the research, over half (53%) of decision makers surveyed are using or planning to use stablecoins—a global, programmable solution that can unlock multiple markets through a single integration. With Australian cross-border payments on Stripe growing 30% year-on-year and 14% more businesses selling internationally in 2024, stablecoins are well-positioned to accelerate this global expansion.

“Agentic AI and stablecoins aren’t just Silicon Valley topics anymore—they’re reshaping the fundamentals of internet commerce,” said Durrance. “Stripe is making this future accessible for Australian businesses, helping them transform how they serve customers and operate in an increasingly AI-driven and global economy.”

Expanding programmable financial services

To support business growth, Stripe has updated its suite of payments, revenue, and embedded finance tools and businesses can take advantage of over 50 upgrades, including:

• Stripe Reader S710, the newest smart reader featuring cellular connectivity so businesses can process payments uninterrupted–even if the wifi goes down.
• Stripe Orchestration, which allows users to easily manage multiple payment processors with full control and visibility, from right within Stripe.
• Stripe Startups, a new program for early-stage, venture-backed businesses that gives founders access to financial benefits, a focused community, and resources to support their growth.