UK London-Listed $16 Billion Fintech Wise to Change Primary Listing to United States with London Stock Exchange as Secondary Listing, IPO on London Stock Exchange in 2021 with $10.8 Billion (£8 Billion) Market Value, Wise Founded in 2011 by Taavet Hinrikus & Kristo Käärmann
6th June | Hong Kong
UK London-listed fintech Wise ($16 billion market value) has announced to change the London primary listing to United States with London Stock Exchange as secondary listing. Wise IPO on London Stock Exchange in 2021 with $10.8 billion (£8 billion) market value. Wise was founded in 2011 by Taavet Hinrikus & Kristo Käärmann. In 2024 November, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) fined fintech Wise CEO Kristo Kaarmann $452,000 (£350,000) for failure to notify tax authority of capital gains tax liability after selling £10 million of shares in 2017 & breaching the senior manager conduct rule. UK FCA (28/10/24): “The FCA has fined Mr Käärmann, the CEO of Wise plc and senior manager of Wise Assets UK Ltd, £350,000 for breaching a senior manager conduct rule. In February 2021, Mr Käärmann paid a significant fine to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) of £365,651. He was fined for deliberately failing to notify HMRC of a capital gains tax liability after he sold shares worth £10m in 2017. In September 2021, HMRC subsequently added Mr Käärmann to their public tax defaulters list. Between February 2021 and September 2021, these matters, including the circumstances surrounding them, were relevant to the FCA’s assessment of Mr Käärmann’s fitness and propriety. Mr Käärmann failed to appropriately consider the significance of the tax issues and notify the FCA, despite being aware of them for over 7 months.”
“ UK London-Listed $16 Billion Fintech Wise to Change Primary Listing to United States with London Stock Exchange as Secondary Listing, IPO on London Stock Exchange in 2021 with $10.8 Billion (£8 Billion) Market Value, Wise Founded in 2011 by Taavet Hinrikus & Kristo Käärmann “
Profile – Wise is a global technology company, building the best way to move money around the world. With the Wise account people and businesses can hold 40+ currencies, move money between countries and spend money abroad. Large companies and banks use Wise technology too; an entirely new cross-border payments network that will one day power money without borders for everyone, everywhere. However you use the platform, Wise is on a mission to make your life easier and save you money. Co-founded by Kristo Käärmann and Taavet Hinrikus, Wise launched in 2011 under its original name TransferWise. It is one of the world’s fastest growing, profitable technology companies and is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker, WISE. 16 million people and businesses use Wise globally, which processes £9 billion in cross-border transactions every month, saving customers around £1.5 billion a year.
UK FCA Fines Fintech Wise CEO Kristo Kaarmann $452,000 for Failure to Notify Tax Authority of Capital Gains Tax Liability After Selling £10 Million of Shares in 2017 & Breaching Senior Manager Conduct Rule
9th November 2024 – The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has fined fintech Wise CEO Kristo Kaarmann $452,000 (£350,000) for failure to notify tax authority of capital gains tax liability after selling £10 million of shares in 2017 & breaching the senior manager conduct rule. UK FCA (28/10/24): “The FCA has fined Mr Käärmann, the CEO of Wise plc and senior manager of Wise Assets UK Ltd, £350,000 for breaching a senior manager conduct rule. In February 2021, Mr Käärmann paid a significant fine to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) of £365,651. He was fined for deliberately failing to notify HMRC of a capital gains tax liability after he sold shares worth £10m in 2017. In September 2021, HMRC subsequently added Mr Käärmann to their public tax defaulters list. Between February 2021 and September 2021, these matters, including the circumstances surrounding them, were relevant to the FCA’s assessment of Mr Käärmann’s fitness and propriety. Mr Käärmann failed to appropriately consider the significance of the tax issues and notify the FCA, despite being aware of them for over 7 months.”
Therese Chambers, joint executive director of enforcement and oversight: “We, and the public, expect high standards from leaders of financial firms, including being frank and open. It should have been obvious to Mr Käärmann that he needed to tell us about these issues which were highly relevant to our assessment of his fitness and propriety.”
Notes:
- Final Notice: Kristo Käärmann
- Mr Käärmann would have been fined £500,000, but he agreed to resolve these matters and so qualified for a 30% discount.
- The FCA issued the fine after determining that Mr Käärmann was in breach of Senior Management Conduct Rule 4, which states: ‘You must disclose appropriately any information of which the FCA would reasonably expect notice.’
- The FCA’s Senior Managers and Certification Regime aims to reduce harm to consumers and strengthen market integrity by creating a system that enables firms and regulators to hold people to account.
- Mr Käärmann is the CEO of Wise plc, and director of two FCA regulated firms, which form part of the Wise group: Wise Assets UK Ltd and Wise Payments Ltd. Mr Käärmann held two senior manager functions at Wise Assets UK Ltd (SMF1 – chief executive and SMF3 – executive director) between February 2021 and September 2021.
- As a senior manager at Wise Assets UK Ltd, the FCA expected Mr Käärmann to have self-notified of any matters that may be significant to his fitness and propriety, which included matters that may have an adverse impact on his reputation and/or that of his firms.
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