A primary document names a controlling owner based outside the EU. That includes Switzerland, the UK and Norway.
- Legal entity
- Wise Europe SA (EEA contracting entity, NBB-authorised payment institution); group parent Wise Group plc (Jersey) (BE)
- Register id
- BE KBO/BCE 0713.629.988
- LEI
- 699400U6W3SV7TR4TM73 · ISSUED · renews 2027-03-31
- What GLEIF shows
- Reports no parent (exception). reporting exception NON_CONSOLIDATING (direct and ultimate); Wise Group plc 984500Z0CT5DE760B008 (JE, renewal 2027-02-05) reports NATURAL_PERSONS; old top company 213800LD9XCHIC1C4V71 (GLEIF name still 'WISE PLC', Companies House 13211214) reports NO_KNOWN_PERSON
- Controlling owner, from documents
- Wise Group plc (Jersey, principal office London, primary listing Nasdaq since 11 May 2026), which wholly owns Wise Europe SA; no majority holder: founder-CEO Kristo Käärmann (Estonian citizen) holds 49.99% of total voting power (JE / GB (group); largest voter EE citizen; Europe outside the EU)
- Control type
- largest-shareholder-filing
- Listed on
- buy-european.net, goeuropean.org
- Category
- Finance and payments
- Source
- sec.gov
- GLEIF record
- 699400U6W3SV7TR4TM73
Our notes
Re-read 18 Oct 2026. Wise Group plc 20-F (filed 25 Jun 2026), Item 7.A: Käärmann 186,858,255 Class A (18.2%), 161,802,356 Class B (79.2%), 49.99% total voting power; Baillie Gifford 9.73%, Skaala Investments OÜ 7.1%. Item 4 names Wise Europe SA, reg. 0713629988, as the Belgian regulated entity; the guarantee notes list Wise Europe SA among 'certain wholly owned subsidiaries'. The 20-F also says Wise Group plc is incorporated in Jersey, is intended to be solely UK tax-resident, and moved its primary listing from the LSE to Nasdaq on 11 May 2026. Not re-read this pass: Schedule 13G (Aug 2026) and the Companies House PSC for 13211214. The verdict is by group-parent domicile only (Jersey/UK, both non-EU). Nobody holds a voting majority, and the largest voter is an EU citizen. Do NOT count this in any 'non-European owner' headline; an editorial call is needed. GLEIF changed since the earlier pass: Wise Group plc's own parent exception is now NATURAL_PERSONS; the earlier row gave only its LEI.
