Wise

Wise, originally founded as TransferWise in 2011 by Kristo Käärmann and Taavet Hinrikus, is a London-based financial technology company that specializes in low-cost international money transfers. The company was created to address the high fees and poor exchange rates typically charged by traditional banks for cross-border transactions. TransferWise disrupted the market by offering peer-to-peer transfers that use the real mid-market exchange rate with only a small, transparent fee. Over the years, it expanded its services to include multi-currency accounts, a debit card (Wise Card), and business solutions under 'Wise Business'. In 2021, the company rebranded to Wise to reflect its broader financial ecosystem beyond just transfers. Wise serves over 16 million customers worldwide, processing more than £100 billion in cross-border transactions annually. The company is regulated by financial authorities in multiple jurisdictions, including the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK. Its platform supports over 50 currencies and offers both personal and business accounts. Wise has grown rapidly, employing thousands of people globally, and went public on the London Stock Exchange in 2021 under the ticker WISE. The domain transferwise.com still redirects to wise.com, maintaining brand recognition. The company's mission is to make moving money between countries as easy, fast, and affordable as possible. Wise's technology and transparent pricing model have set a new standard in the remittance and international banking industry, often cited as a leading example of fintech innovation.