Case Study: TransferWise achieves over 90% first-login adoption of Authy two-factor authentication with Twilio

Over 90% of Transferwise Customers Adopt Twilio's Authy 2FA Security at First Login

TransferWise (founded 2011) disrupted international money transfers by offering low-cost cross-border payments and, later, Borderless accounts that let customers hold and convert multiple currencies. That shift—plus rising credential-stuffing attacks and regulatory requirements like PSD2’s dynamic linking—made simple SMS or TOTP approaches inadequate. TransferWise needed a low-friction, transaction-specific two-factor solution that preserved trust and worked for a broad, sometimes less tech-savvy customer base.

TransferWise implemented Twilio Authy push authentication via the Authy SDK, integrating strong push-based 2FA into its mobile and web apps in under three months. More than 90% of customers adopt push at first login (about 93%), and push is now mandated for Borderless accounts. The change has driven near-zero account takeover risk, cut engineering and operational effort responding to attacks, reduced SMS-related support contacts for travelers, and improved user confidence and transparency—while TransferWise continues to refine recovery flows and extend 2FA to transaction authorization.

Transferwise

Edward Dowling

Product Manager