Financial and Business News

Payments Firm Wise Heads to New York With £181 Billion Year Behind It

Monday, 13/04/2026 | 07:11 GMT by Damian Chmiel
  • The cross-border payments firm said it processed £49.4 billion in customer payments in the quarter.
  • Wise plans to switch to US GAAP reporting once its primary listing shifts to New York.
Wise (shutterstock)

Wise said today (Monday) its cross-border payment volumes climbed 26% in the final quarter of fiscal 2026 to £49.4 billion, as the London-listed fintech prepares to shift its primary listing to Nasdaq on May 11 and reshape how it reports its numbers to investors.

Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)

Active customers reached 11.3 million in the three months to March, up 22%, while underlying income rose 24% to £435.3 million. For the full year, Wise processed £181.7 billion in cross-border transfers, a 25% increase, and served 18.9 million active customers.

The cross-border take rate slipped another basis point to 51, down from 53 a year earlier, which the company described as a balanced approach to pricing and reinvestment. Wise has run this playbook consistently, including when it reported 20% volume growth in Q2 of fiscal 2025 alongside an eight-basis-point drop in take rate.

Kristo Käärmann, Co-founder and CEO of Wise
Kristo Käärmann, Co-founder and CEO of Wise

"We are making good progress on building the network for the world's money," Chief Executive Kristo Käärmann said in the trading update. In January, Wise became one of the first payment institutions granted membership to Payments Canada, and last month it launched a UK current account with a physical branch concept on Oxford Street.

Dual Listing Set for May 11 on Nasdaq

Wise confirmed it remains on track to complete its listing transfer this quarter, with an expected debut date of May 11 on Nasdaq. The London Stock Exchange will retain a secondary listing. A registration statement has been filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, though the company noted it has not yet been declared effective.

Shareholders approved the move last July, after Käärmann first outlined the Wall Street plan in June 2025, arguing the switch would give Wise better access to its largest market.

KPI (Q4 FY26)

Value

YoY

Cross-border volume

£49.4bn

+26%

Active customers

11.3m

+22%

Underlying income

£435.3m

+24%

Customer holdings

£29.4bn

+37%

Take rate

51 bps

-2 bps

Instant transfers

75%

+10 pp

As part of the transition, Wise said its full-year fiscal 2026 results will be presented in US dollars under US GAAP, abandoning the "underlying" profit framework in favor of reported income before tax. The company translated its medium-term guidance into the new framework, keeping a 15%-20% constant-currency net revenue CAGR target and setting an income-before-tax margin target of 15%-20%. It said reported margins would likely run at 20%-25% in the near term until it can pay more interest to customers.

Cross-Border Rivals Step Up

Wise operates in a market where rivals are moving on similar ground. Revolut, whose valuation recently overtook Barclays, expanded its international transfers with 14 new payment corridors across nine African countries, plugging into Airtel Money, Orange Money and MTN.

Nubank's global account runs on Wise Platform, the firm's infrastructure arm that also powers Morgan Stanley, Standard Chartered and Google Pay, taking its partner tally above 85.

Wise leans on a fee-compression model funded by scale and interest income on safeguarded balances. Customer holdings grew 37% to £29.4 billion, card and other revenue rose 29%, and Wise Business volumes jumped 35%.

Instant transfers, defined as arriving in under 20 seconds, climbed to 75% of flows from 65%, a capability the company has long pushed in its broker partnerships with Interactive Brokers, Tiger Brokers Singapore and Gotrade.

Wise estimated that a 25 basis point change in central bank rates would move net interest income by around $40 million a year, based on customer balances of $26.4 billion at the end of the first half of fiscal 2026.

Wise said today (Monday) its cross-border payment volumes climbed 26% in the final quarter of fiscal 2026 to £49.4 billion, as the London-listed fintech prepares to shift its primary listing to Nasdaq on May 11 and reshape how it reports its numbers to investors.

Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)

Active customers reached 11.3 million in the three months to March, up 22%, while underlying income rose 24% to £435.3 million. For the full year, Wise processed £181.7 billion in cross-border transfers, a 25% increase, and served 18.9 million active customers.

The cross-border take rate slipped another basis point to 51, down from 53 a year earlier, which the company described as a balanced approach to pricing and reinvestment. Wise has run this playbook consistently, including when it reported 20% volume growth in Q2 of fiscal 2025 alongside an eight-basis-point drop in take rate.

Kristo Käärmann, Co-founder and CEO of Wise
Kristo Käärmann, Co-founder and CEO of Wise

"We are making good progress on building the network for the world's money," Chief Executive Kristo Käärmann said in the trading update. In January, Wise became one of the first payment institutions granted membership to Payments Canada, and last month it launched a UK current account with a physical branch concept on Oxford Street.

Dual Listing Set for May 11 on Nasdaq

Wise confirmed it remains on track to complete its listing transfer this quarter, with an expected debut date of May 11 on Nasdaq. The London Stock Exchange will retain a secondary listing. A registration statement has been filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, though the company noted it has not yet been declared effective.

Shareholders approved the move last July, after Käärmann first outlined the Wall Street plan in June 2025, arguing the switch would give Wise better access to its largest market.

KPI (Q4 FY26)

Value

YoY

Cross-border volume

£49.4bn

+26%

Active customers

11.3m

+22%

Underlying income

£435.3m

+24%

Customer holdings

£29.4bn

+37%

Take rate

51 bps

-2 bps

Instant transfers

75%

+10 pp

As part of the transition, Wise said its full-year fiscal 2026 results will be presented in US dollars under US GAAP, abandoning the "underlying" profit framework in favor of reported income before tax. The company translated its medium-term guidance into the new framework, keeping a 15%-20% constant-currency net revenue CAGR target and setting an income-before-tax margin target of 15%-20%. It said reported margins would likely run at 20%-25% in the near term until it can pay more interest to customers.

Cross-Border Rivals Step Up

Wise operates in a market where rivals are moving on similar ground. Revolut, whose valuation recently overtook Barclays, expanded its international transfers with 14 new payment corridors across nine African countries, plugging into Airtel Money, Orange Money and MTN.

Nubank's global account runs on Wise Platform, the firm's infrastructure arm that also powers Morgan Stanley, Standard Chartered and Google Pay, taking its partner tally above 85.

Wise leans on a fee-compression model funded by scale and interest income on safeguarded balances. Customer holdings grew 37% to £29.4 billion, card and other revenue rose 29%, and Wise Business volumes jumped 35%.

Instant transfers, defined as arriving in under 20 seconds, climbed to 75% of flows from 65%, a capability the company has long pushed in its broker partnerships with Interactive Brokers, Tiger Brokers Singapore and Gotrade.

Wise estimated that a 25 basis point change in central bank rates would move net interest income by around $40 million a year, based on customer balances of $26.4 billion at the end of the first half of fiscal 2026.

About the Author: Damian Chmiel
Damian Chmiel
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Damian Chmiel is a Senior Analyst & Editor at Finance Magnates with more than 15 years of experience in the CFD and online trading industry. Active as both a trader and journalist since 2010, he focuses on broker coverage, fintech innovation, and regulatory developments across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. His work includes interviews with C-level leaders at major brokerages and fintech platforms, as well as co-authoring Finance Magnates’ quarterly industry benchmarking reports. Damian’s reporting is data-driven, market-aware, and grounded in direct industry engagement. His analysis and commentary have also been cited by external media outlets, including Investing.com, Binance, The Asset, Stockhead, and Dispatch. Education: MA in Finance and Accounting, Cracow University of Economics

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