Wise’s H1 Profit Declined Due to a Spike in Expenses

Thursday, 06/11/2025 | 07:28 GMT by Arnab Shome
  • Although the company’s H1 revenue increased, income for Q2 came in lower than in Q1.
  • The platform had 10.4 million active users in Q2.
Wise (shutterstock)

Wise, the payments company known for its cross-border transfers, ended the first six months of 2025 with revenue of £658 million, an 11 per cent year-over-year increase. However, its pre-tax profit fell 13 per cent to £254.6 million.

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Expenses Ate Profits

The decline in profit was mainly driven by a 27 per cent rise in administrative expenses, which reached £465.9 million.

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

“Over the first six months of this financial year, we focused on strengthening our infrastructure and expanding the functionality of our products to capture a greater share of the £32 trillion annual market opportunity for cross-border payments,” said Kristo Käärmann, Co-founder and CEO at Wise.

In Q1, the London-listed company generated £362 million in revenue, meaning that for the three months between July and September—Wise’s fiscal Q2—the figure dropped to £296 million.

The platform handled £43.7 billion in cross-border payments during Q2, representing a 6 per cent quarter-over-quarter increase and a 24 per cent rise year-over-year. Of this, £31.2 billion were personal transactions, while £12.5 billion came from businesses.

Focus on Customer Growth

The number of active customers on Wise reached 10.4 million by the end of Q2 FY26, including 9.9 million personal users and 504,000 business customers.

Cross-border revenue increased 5 per cent quarter over quarter and 9 per cent year-over-year to £226.1 million.
Meanwhile, card and other platform revenues totalled £217.1 million over the six months.

The payments platform also continued to expand its reach through partnerships. “We announced new Wise Platform partnerships, including Upwork, MBSB Bank and Lunar, further embedding Wise into the global financial system,” Käärmann added.

“These developments continue to support our growth.”

Wise, the payments company known for its cross-border transfers, ended the first six months of 2025 with revenue of £658 million, an 11 per cent year-over-year increase. However, its pre-tax profit fell 13 per cent to £254.6 million.

Join stablecoin builders in London at the FMLS25.

Expenses Ate Profits

The decline in profit was mainly driven by a 27 per cent rise in administrative expenses, which reached £465.9 million.

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

“Over the first six months of this financial year, we focused on strengthening our infrastructure and expanding the functionality of our products to capture a greater share of the £32 trillion annual market opportunity for cross-border payments,” said Kristo Käärmann, Co-founder and CEO at Wise.

In Q1, the London-listed company generated £362 million in revenue, meaning that for the three months between July and September—Wise’s fiscal Q2—the figure dropped to £296 million.

The platform handled £43.7 billion in cross-border payments during Q2, representing a 6 per cent quarter-over-quarter increase and a 24 per cent rise year-over-year. Of this, £31.2 billion were personal transactions, while £12.5 billion came from businesses.

Focus on Customer Growth

The number of active customers on Wise reached 10.4 million by the end of Q2 FY26, including 9.9 million personal users and 504,000 business customers.

Cross-border revenue increased 5 per cent quarter over quarter and 9 per cent year-over-year to £226.1 million.
Meanwhile, card and other platform revenues totalled £217.1 million over the six months.

The payments platform also continued to expand its reach through partnerships. “We announced new Wise Platform partnerships, including Upwork, MBSB Bank and Lunar, further embedding Wise into the global financial system,” Käärmann added.

“These developments continue to support our growth.”

About the Author: Arnab Shome
Arnab Shome
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About the Author: Arnab Shome
Arnab is an electronics engineer-turned-financial editor. He entered the industry covering the cryptocurrency market for Finance Magnates and later expanded his reach to forex as well. He is passionate about the changing regulatory landscape on financial markets and keenly follows the disruptions in the industry with new-age technologies.
  • 7210 Articles
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