This doc refers to managing users on our new user model. For information on our original user model, see original user management guide.
Determine your user model
When you log in to Airwallex, your company is associated with either one user model or the other. To determine the one you’re using:
- Navigate to ‘Settings’ > ‘User Management’.
- If you see a Teams tab at the top of User Management, you’re on our original user model.
- If you do not see a Teams tab at the top of User Management, you’re on the new user model.
User and Role Management
Within Airwallex, you have the ability to access and oversee all of your users through the 'User Management' page, which can be found within 'Settings'. This feature allows you to add new users, edit current users, and give them access to specific accounts. You can assign each user roles, which can be either default or custom. Roles determine their level of access and permissions in Airwallex. To see an overview of all of your users, navigate to 'Settings' > 'User Management' > 'Users'. To review the permissions for each role, navigate to 'Settings' > 'User Management' > 'Roles' and click on the desired role to view the associated permissions.
This guide covers the following aspects of user access management in Airwallex’s new user model:
- Global and account level permissions
- Default roles
- How to invite a new user
- Custom roles
- How to change a custom role’s permissions
- How to delete custom roles
- How to duplicate roles
- Employment entity
Account and Global permissions
The new user model contains both account and global level permissions. Roles typically contain a combination of both account and global permissions.
Account permissions: These permissions apply only to the accounts the user can access. They specify what actions a user can take within an account. Account permissions apply to the following areas:
Feature | Permission | What does it enable? |
Wallet | Balances and transactions | View balances and transactions |
Yield balances and transactions | Add funds, withdraw, and view yield balances | |
Global accounts | Open and close domestic and international bank accounts that can be used for direct debit payouts to third parties | |
Funding via direct debit | Initiate direct debit top up for the wallet | |
Linked bank accounts | Connect and remove linked bank accounts | |
Conversions | Make FX conversions | |
Airwallex Pay | Make purchases using wallet balance where AWX pay is accepted | |
Transfers | Transfers | Include FX conversions in transfers |
Transfer approvals | Manage transfer approval workflow | |
Transfer methods | Manage additional transfer methods that require declaration or limit | |
Settings | Edit transfer settings | |
Cards | Card admin | Create and manage company and employee cards |
Payments | Payments | Edit and view payments |
Disputes | Issue refunds and handle disputes | |
User Management | Users and roles | Invite/remove users to/from the account |
Account | Transaction RFI | Review and respond to transaction related requests for information |
Connections | Account connections | Setup and manage account level connections (e.g. sales order data) |
Developer | API keys and webhooks | Set up Airwallex integrations and manage API keys and that grant access to most Airwallex resources |
Global permissions: These permissions specify what actions a user can take globally and do not apply to specific accounts. They’re designed to streamline the management of access rights for users who oversee multiple accounts. Global permissions help you scale your operations within Airwallex easily. They apply to the following areas:
Feature | Permission | What does it enable? |
Expenses | Expense admin |
View and edit details of all expenses Create and maintain global approval workflows for expenses and reimbursements |
Expense submitter | Submit expenses | |
Expense approver | Approve expenses if assigned as an approver | |
Bills | Bill admin |
View / edit details of all bills Create and maintain global approval workflows for bills |
Bill submitter | Submit bills | |
Bill approver | Approve bills if assigned as an approver | |
Cards | Cardholder | Hold a company or employee card in any account |
User management | Users and roles |
Invite and manage users Create custom roles |
Connections | Global connections | Setup and manage accounting integrations |
Default roles
Airwallex has 7 default roles available for users in our new user model: Owner, Admin, Finance Admin, Finance Manager, Bookkeeper, Employee, and Developer.
Employee: Can submit expenses, reimbursements, and bills. They can also be assigned as approvers for expenses and bills. They can be issued virtual or physical cards, but otherwise won’t have account access. This is the recommended standard role for employees.
Bookkeeper: Can manage spend, and view wallet balances, conversions, and transfers for accounting purposes.
Finance Manager: Can view wallet balances and transactions, create FX conversions and transfers, create global accounts, manage spend, and issue cards to new and existing users.
Finance Admin: Can do everything a finance manager can plus invite users, set up connections, create and edit transfer approval workflows, and link bank accounts.
Admin: Can do everything finance admins can do plus invite developers, other admins, and create new accounts and entities.
Owner: The owner has access to all global permissions and has the authority to carry out all critical actions within accounts where they have access.
Developer: Can set up Airwallex integrations and manage API keys that grant access to most Airwallex resources.
How to invite a new user
To invite a new user, follow the steps below:
- Navigate to 'Settings' > 'User Management'
- Click ‘Invite user’
- Fill out the user details
- Choose their role
- Choose the accounts they should have access to
- Send the invite
Note – there are now two invite flows. In the first the same role will apply to the accounts you want the user to access. In the second flow you can assign different roles in different accounts if you’d like.
Custom roles
A custom role refers to a distinct role that can be created by an owner, admin, or finance admin by choosing specific permissions.
To create a custom role, follow the steps below:
- Navigate to 'Settings' > 'User Management' > 'Roles'
- Click ‘Create Role’
- Input the role name, optional description and click ‘Next’
- Choose the global and account permissions you want the role to have and click ‘Create role’
Change a custom role’s permissions
To edit a custom role, follow the steps below:
- Navigate to 'Settings' > 'User Management' > 'Roles'
- Find the custom role you want to change and then click on the horizontal ellipsis button and click 'Edit role'
- Change the role’s permissions and click 'Save changes'
Note, this will immediately affect all users with the custom role.
Delete custom roles
To delete a custom role, follow the steps below:
- Navigate to 'Settings' > 'User Management' > 'Roles'
- Find the custom role you want to change and then click on the horizontal ellipsis button and click ‘Delete role'
Note, this will immediately affect all users who had that custom role. If it was their only role they will no longer have any permissions.
Duplicate roles
To duplicate a role to serve as the starting point for a new custom role, follow the steps below:
- Navigate to 'Settings' > 'User Management' > 'Roles'
- Find the custom role you want to change and then click on the horizontal ellipsis button and click ‘Duplicate role'
- Complete the custom role creation flow and click ‘Create role’
Employment Entity
Each user has an associated employment entity. This is the entity that employs the user. It is used in Airwallex as the default entity for allocating a user’s reimbursements. It also is used to determine the accounting values the user will see when they’re submitting a reimbursement report. The employment entity can be changed by admins in ‘User Management’.
Mapping original user management model roles to the new roles
Original model role | New role | Details |
Cardholder | Employee (default role) | Users will maintain cards in the same accounts |
Analyst | Analyst (custom role) | Analyst will no longer be a default role. Instead it’ll be a custom role that appears if any of your users were assigned as Analyst. |
Viewer | Viewer (custom role) | Viewer will no longer be a default role. Instead it’ll be a custom role that appears if any of your users were assigned as Viewer. |
Developer | Developer (default role) | No change |
Account Admin | Admin (default role) | No change |
Owner | Owner (default role) | No change |