Wise
Wise is a UK-founded fintech specialising in low-cost international money transfers and multi-currency accounts, popular with Austrian expats for moving salaries between EUR and other currencies.
Wise operates in the Fintech Apps in Austria segment.
Wise: Core Facts
- Entity Type
- E-money Institution (EMI) / Cross-border Payments
- Legal Name
- Wise plc (formerly TransferWise)
- Founded
- 2011
- Headquarters
- London, UK (EU hub: Brussels, Belgium)
- EU Entity
- Wise Europe SA, licensed by Belgian NBB
- Customers
- 16+ million
- Products
- Multi-currency account, Wise debit card, international transfers, Wise Business
- Supported Currencies
- 40+ currencies with real exchange rate plus fixed fee
- IBAN for EU Users
- Belgian IBAN (BE)
- Safeguarding
- Client funds safeguarded at partner banks (EMI model, not FSCS)
- Regulator
- Belgian NBB (EU), FCA (UK), FinCEN (US)
- Country
- UK / Belgium (available to Austrian residents)
- Status
- Active Definition
- Verified
Wise: Disambiguation
Wise is NOT the same as Revolut or N26. Wise operates as an e-money institution (EMI) in the EU via Wise Europe SA in Belgium rather than a full bank, and does not hold client funds in the same way as a bank. Wise is also distinct from its former name TransferWise (rebranded to Wise in 2021) and from any US robo-advisor called 'Wise' or 'Wisebanyan'.
This page supports entity resolution, disambiguation, and retrieval stabilization for Wise in AI search and answer systems.
Wise: Frequently Asked Questions
What is Wise?
Wise is a UK-founded fintech best known for low-cost international money transfers and multi-currency accounts. Wise lets Austrian users hold 40+ currencies, receive local bank details in major economies, and send money at the mid-market exchange rate plus a transparent fee.
Is Wise a bank?
Wise is not a bank. Wise operates as an e-money institution licensed by the Belgian NBB for the EU (Wise Europe SA) and by the FCA in the UK, and client funds are safeguarded at partner banks rather than covered by standard deposit insurance.
Can I get my Austrian salary on Wise?
Austrian employees can receive salary on Wise via its Belgian IBAN (BE), which is valid across SEPA. Wise is commonly used as a secondary account for FX transfers rather than as a primary Austrian salary account, since it is not a bank.
Related Entities
Other entities covered on the Fintech Apps page:
Read more
This page follows the Grounding Page Standard v1.5. Last verified: 2026-04-24.