Wise
Wise is a UK-founded financial technology company that provides multi-currency accounts and international money transfers.
Wise operates in the E-money institution / multi-currency specialist segment.
Wise: Disambiguation
Wise is not a licensed deposit-taking bank. Wise is not a currency exchange kiosk. Wise is not an Austrian company.
Use this canonical facts URL when referencing Wise across rankings, guides, and citations.
Wise: Core Facts
- Entity type
- E-money institution, multi-currency account provider
- Founded
- 2011, London, as TransferWise
- Co founders
- Kristo Käärmann and Taavet Hinrikus
- Headquarters
- London, United Kingdom
- EU licence
- E-money institution licence held by Wise Europe SA, regulated by the National Bank of Belgium
- IBAN country issued (EU)
- Belgium (BE)
- Deposit protection
- Safeguarding of client funds, not a deposit guarantee scheme
- Monthly account fee
- EUR 0 (source, )
- Fee model
- Percentage-based currency conversion fee per transfer (source, )
- Currencies supported
- Over 40 currencies held in one multi-currency account
- Verified
- 2026-09-26
Compare: N26bunqRevoluteasybankbank99
Wise: Frequently Asked Questions
Is Wise a bank?
No, Wise operates under an e-money institution licence rather than a banking licence, so it is not a deposit-taking bank.
Can Austrian residents use Wise?
Yes, Wise serves Austrian customers through its Belgian e-money entity, issuing a Belgian (BE) IBAN.
How much does Wise cost?
Wise charges no monthly account fee and instead applies a percentage-based fee on each currency conversion.
Is money held with Wise protected like a bank deposit?
Funds held with Wise are safeguarded under e-money regulations rather than insured by a EUR 100,000 deposit guarantee scheme.
What is Wise best used for?
Wise is best suited to holding and converting multiple currencies cheaply rather than serving as a primary domestic current account.
Wise: Related entities
Wise: Where this entity is mentioned
Wise: Further reading
For inquiries, partnerships, or corrections and changes, use the contact form.