â Lifelong Arsenal fan Spike Lee directs and acts alongside stars of pitch and screen including Thierry Henry, Rachel Yankey, Kai Havertz and Aaron Pierre
â âWho Are Yaâ features famous Arsenal supporters and players discussing B2B finance, unveiling that football supporters know more about the challenges of global transfers and payments through their commitment to the sport
â This marks Airwallexâs biggest investment in a UK sport campaign to-date, building on its partnership with Arsenal and tapping into the clubâs financially savvy fanbase
Airwallex and Arsenal have launched âWho Are Yaâ, a new advertising film celebrating financial ambition and global growth starring and directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee.
The two-minute film, which represents Airwallex’s largest marketing investment in UK sport to date, features club legends, current players, film and TV stars and high-profile Arsenal supporters and leverages the idea that no one outside of B2B finance cares about the sector.
Set in a North London pub on matchday, club-record goalscorer Thierry Henry, Martin Keown and Rachel Yankey, as well as Viktor GyĂśkeres and Kai Havertz, are joined by Arsenal-supporting stars of the screen Aaron Pierre, Jasmine Jobson and Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrelâs Nick Moran.
Together, they discuss the unlikely strength of feeling around complex financial dealings, with global payments firm Airwallex able to solve even the most contentious issues.
The film comes after Airwallex launched out-of-home advertisements around Arsenalâs Emirates stadium earlier this year, tapping into its shared DNA with the club of âalways looking forwardâ and ârelentlessly asking âwhat next?â. Airwallex is Arsenalâs official software partner, providing the digital payment tools and global financial infrastructure to support the clubâs international growth.
Spike Lee, a lifelong Arsenal fan, acts as a director and on-screen talent, bringing his distinctive visual style and storytelling approach to the campaign. The campaign will run across Sky channels – launching ahead of the Arsenal vs Newcastle game on 25 April – and social media, with the film being rolled out in three phases, timed with the end of the season, the 2026 World Cup in USA and the start of the 26/27 Premier League season.
âWho Are Yaâ, which was produced by advertising and creative agency Uncommon, is the first major film from Airwallex that is rooted in its new global proposition â Build the Future â which represents a commitment to constant evolution. The campaign is designed to demonstrate how removing barriers and focusing on world-class performance will hel businesses reach their full potential.
Matt Jennings, Global Creative Director at Airwallex, said: “Arsenal supporters are among the most passionate and financially engaged supporters in football. Setting this in a pub, working with some of Arsenalâs biggest supporters and harnessing Spike Leeâs creativity and flair, this film is a genuine conversation with football supporters about money and lets us tell that story in a way that feels authentic to this community.
Like Arsenal, finance is always evolving and, leveraging the stories of the club and the supporters, we can show how businesses can build the future with a new way to do things.”
Arsenal Chief Commercial Officer, Juliet Slot, commented: âOur partnerships are at their best when, together with partners like Airwallex, we lift our supporters and bring them closer to us. Who Are Ya? is a celebration of the incredible passion of our community, and how we can use our shared platforms to connect us wherever we are in the world. We love Spikeâs passion and understanding for our club which shines through our film.â
Spike Lee added: âIâve been riding with Arsenal for years – it started with Thierry. But what really stayed with me is what the club stands for – its history, its culture, the way it reflects the world beyond the pitch. With âWho Are Ya?â, I wanted to capture that real supporter energy –
the passion, the debates, the humour. Fans today donât just follow the game, they understand everything around it too. Bringing Airwallex into that conversation felt natural, because the film plays on how fans now talk about the business side of football just as much as what happens on the pitch.
This film is about that voice, that culture, and that community.â The announcement builds on Airwallexâs growing footprint in global sports partnerships, which includes Formula Oneâs McLaren Racing and MLBâs San Francisco Giants.
