Remittance fintech Bless Payments raises $3.75 million Seed round

Perth fintech Bless Payments raised $3.75 million in Seed funding in mid-2025.

The round, completed in July, was backed by billionaire Khalil (Charlie) Shahin and London’s Forte Securities, and was finally revealed as the global payments platform, which is hoping to take on incumbents such as Airwallex, Wise, Revolut and Monzo, looks to raise a Series A for its global ambitions.

Founded in 2022 by Affy Bhatti, technologist Mo Zaatar and Omair Chodhry, Bless is chaired by Peter Khoury, the former BDO South Australia managing partner, and a three-decade veteran in financial services, governance, and scaling businesses.

“My focus is ensuring we have the right capital, compliance, and partnerships to scale across Canada, the UK, and the US while maintaining our low-cost model,” Khoury said.

The payments app now has more than 1,500 active users, and hopes to hit 8000 by the end of 2026. Its remittance product now reaches 60 countries, and the fintech obtained regulatory licenses to open in Canada next month. The upcoming Series A will underpin plans for licences and launches in the UK in 2027 and US in 2028.

This month Bless launched a travel card with no transaction fees for overseas or online spending, promising better exchange rates than traditional banks.

Affy Bhatti, a former Deloitte consulting principal, said their focus is on developing everyday financial tools for migrants, especially for when they want to send money back home to family.

 “Our launch into Canada and our travel card represent the next phase of our mission to eliminate hidden costs and give migrants better financial tools,” he said.

“Our Seed round proves our model works—transparent pricing, fast transfers, and products built specifically for migrants’ needs. The Series A will let us bring that model to more markets and help more families manage money across borders affordably.”