Wise
Wise is a UK (outside the EU/EEA) fintech-infrastructure provider (IBAN sponsor, BaaS, Cross-border payments / FX). Verified at source - licence, regulator and registry reference. Active
Who it's for
Wise is built for products that need customer accounts and IBANs issued under the provider's licence. It holds its own e-money licence, so programmes can run under its umbrella with safeguarded client funds. Verified stand-outs: local IBANs in BE, GB; published entry pricing (no monthly fee; FX from 0.33%).
Sovereignty profile
- Data residency (EEA): Partial - partly in the EEA - check the rail
- Company origin: UK (UK / Belgium)
- Local IBANs: BE; GB
- Client funds: safeguarded (segregated at a credit institution) - ring-fenced from creditors, not deposit-guaranteed
What Wise does
Capabilities & rails
- 🛤️ Payment rails (documented): SCT · SCT Inst · FPS
- Account model: Dedicated
- Account currencies: EUR; GBP; USD
- Entry price: no monthly fee; FX from 0.33% (as of verification - confirm at source)
Verified licence profile
Wise (ex-TransferWise; London HQ, LSE-listed; Estonian founders). Wise Europe SA = EMI National Bank of Belgium (EEA) + UK FCA. Multi-currency accounts + local account details/IBANs; Wise Platform = accounts/FX/payments infrastructure for banks & fintechs.
Verified 2026-07-19. How we verify → · Spotted something out of date? Report a correction. · Are you Wise? Work with us →
Official register entries
- Payment institution (PI) - National Bank of Belgium · Ref 0713629988 · Active (EBA PSD2 register, as of 2026-07-18)
- E-money institution (EMI) - Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) · Ref 900507 · Active (FCA Financial Services Register, as of 2026-07-18)
Register-sourced. See the full European Fintech Index. Registers have no legal significance - always confirm current status with the home regulator.
Timeline
- 2021-07 [status] Direct listing on the London Stock Exchange
European alternatives to Wise
Full list: Wise alternatives →
🏦 Local IBANs: GB DE LU
Banking Circle S.A. (Luxembourg) - cross-border banking, accounts, payments and settlement for banks, PSPs and fintechs; issues the EURI euro stablecoin. Credit institution, CSSF (LUB00000408); not the unrelated 'Circle Group S.A.'.
🏦 Local IBANs: CY
ECOMMBX (Cyprus) - business IBAN accounts in the company's own name, cross-border payments, cards, acquiring and multi-currency (ECOMMVERSE platform). Cypriot EMI (Central Bank of Cyprus).
🏦 Local IBANs: LT
Genome (UAB Maneuver, Lithuania; since 2018) - LT IBANs, accounts and cards. EMI LB000453 (Bank of Lithuania).
🏦 Local IBANs: LT
UAB NexPay (reg 304708124) - EMI, Bank of Lithuania; dedicated IBANs + payments for digital businesses; passported across 30 EEA; SEPA (SCT/Inst) + SWIFT (BIC NEUALT21). Also crypto OTC (Nexdesk).
🏦 Local IBANs: LT
Paysera (Lithuania; since 2012) - LT IBANs, SEPA, multi-currency accounts and cards. EMI LB000251 (Bank of Lithuania).
🏦 Local IBANs: LT
Bankera (Lithuania) - business and personal banking (LT IBANs, SEPA/SWIFT, cards) operated via UAB Pervesk (EMI, Bank of Lithuania). Earlier 2017-18 ICO-funded history.
Side-by-side
Verified facts in one table - licence, residency, rails. No verdict.
FAQ
Is Wise European / EEA-based?
Partly. Wise is UK origin (UK / Belgium); part of its rail or data sits outside the EEA - check the licence profile.
What does Wise do?
Wise covers: IBAN sponsor, BaaS, Cross-border payments / FX. Verified at source by Fintechnologica.