Stripe hits 1 million users in ANZ and launches fast funding for Aussie small businesses

With costs climbing and nearly half of Aussie small business owners struggling to secure finance, global payments giant Stripe is muscling into the lending game.

The company has just announced the planned launch of Stripe Capital in Australia, described as a quick-turnaround funding option that plugs straight into its payments platform. The payment solution platform also revealed it’s hit one million users across Australia and New Zealand.

The twin announcements were made at Stripe Tour Sydney, highlighting the company’s growing presence in the local market. Stripe reports tens of thousands of new users are jumping on board the platform each month, ranging from solo operators to global brands.

Stripe Capital promises fast funding

Stripe Capital promises to take some of the pain out of business finance for small business owners. Instead of endless forms and weeks of waiting, Stripe uses a business’s existing payment data to pre-approve offers. Once accepted, the money can hit business bank accounts in just one to two business days.

Repayments are automatically deducted as sales come in, with no compounding interest, no late fees, and no early repayment penalties. For busy business owners juggling staff, stock, customers and cashflow, the appeal is obvious: it’s finance designed to move at the speed of small business.

Karl Durrance, Stripe’s managing director for Australia and New Zealand, said the product was built to respond to real-world pressures.

“SMBs are the backbone of the Australian economy, but the cost of doing business has risen sharply and around half report difficulty securing funding,” Durrance said. “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.”

Durrance said platforms that run on Stripe, such as hospitality ordering app me&u, will also be able to offer Stripe Capital to their own customers.

Tough conditions

So why has Stipe decided to take the leap into small business finance in ANZ? The timing makes sense. Stripe’s latest research shows 92 per cent of Australian business leaders expect a tough year ahead. Rising costs top the worry list (51 per cent), followed by economic uncertainty (38 per cent) and keeping customers loyal (28 per cent).

In that climate, a fast injection of cash could help businesses smooth out lumpy cash flow, pay suppliers, or grab growth opportunities without the usual financing drama.

Tech-hungry businesses not slowing down

Despite the economic jitters, Aussie businesses aren’t shying away from tech. Stripe’s survey found 85 per cent of leaders are confident in adopting new tools, and 70 per cent are already using AI to boost efficiency across customer service (39 per cent) to fraud detection (32 per cent), sales and marketing (31 per cent), and even product development (30 per cent).

Larger firms are also dipping into agentic AI, with three in ten already implementing it. Stripe says Australian users rank second only to the US in adopting its AI agent toolkit.

Cryptocurrency is also moving into the mainstream, with Stablecoins (any cryptocurrency designed to have a stable value) bccoming more common. In fact, more than half of respondents (53 per cent) either use or plan to use them for cross-border payments. Stripe reports cross-border transactions on its platform are already up 30 per cent year-on-year, as more Australian businesses look offshore for growth.

“Agentic AI and stablecoins aren’t just Silicon Valley topics anymore,” said Durrance. “They’re reshaping the fundamentals of internet commerce. 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.”

Stripe’s ANZ growth

Stripe’s one million–user milestone highlights how deeply embedded the company has become in the ANZ business landscape since launching here a decade ago. The local market is clearly fertile ground for its ‘programmable finance’ approach, where payments, lending and other money matters live inside the same digital ecosystem.

To keep up momentum, Stripe also unveiled more than 50 product upgrades at the conference, including:

Stripe Reader S710: a new cellular-enabled card reader that keeps transactions flowing even if the wifi carks it.

Stripe Orchestration: a tool for managing multiple payment processors from one dashboard.

Stripe Startups: a program offering perks, community and resources for early-stage, venture-backed founders.

Stripe Capital will be available to Australian and New Zealand businesses in the coming months.

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