Flywire through the years: from its origins to 2026

Flywire’s origins go back to 2009, when Spanish entrepreneur Iker Marcaide started peerTransfer to reduce the cost and complexity of paying university fees across borders. The company formally dates its founding to 2011.

How Flywire developed

It adopted the Flywire name in 2015 and expanded beyond education into healthcare, travel and business-to-business payments, combining payment processing with vertical-specific software. Flywire became publicly traded in May 2021.

Flywire in 2026

By 2026, Flywire processed complex domestic and cross-border payments for thousands of organisations, supporting many currencies and countries.

Why the history matters

Its history demonstrates how payments companies can differentiate not only through moving money but by integrating billing, reconciliation and customer workflows tailored to specific industries.