Wise, the London-founded digital money transfer company that claims up to 19 million active customers worldwide, is at the centre of a major criminal investigation in Belgium over suspected money laundering. The Brussels public prosecutor's office confirmed on 1 June 2026 that the probe — opened in 2025 and now at an advanced stage — covers more than 500 million euros in transactions deemed suspicious. The case could soon result in a criminal summons, with Wise potentially facing trial before a correctional court or reaching a criminal settlement with prosecutors.

The investigation was triggered by hundreds of mutual legal assistance requests from more than 30 countries, including France and the Netherlands, where Wise accounts repeatedly appeared in criminal case files. Belgian federal police are examining whether Wise's platform was used by domestic and international criminal organisations linked to fraud, corruption, and drug trafficking. Because Wise Europe, the company's European subsidiary, is headquartered in Brussels, Belgian authorities hold jurisdiction over the firm's EU-wide operations — a consequence of a European regulatory framework that allows payment companies to passport a single national licence across the entire bloc. Investigative journalists from the European Investigative Collaborations (EIC) network, including the French outlet Mediapart, helped bring the case to public attention as part of a coordinated cross-border investigation.

The probe fits a broader pattern of regulatory concern around Wise's compliance practices. In 2025, a US subsidiary was sanctioned for anti-money-laundering failures, and Belgium's National Bank had previously instructed Wise to strengthen its customer verification procedures. Critics argue those warnings went unheeded. Investigative reporters describe a structural tendency across the digital payments industry to prioritise rapid customer growth over the due-diligence checks that financial institutions are legally required to perform.

Wise, founded in 2011 by Estonian entrepreneurs Kristo Käärmann and Taavet Hinrikus under the original name TransferWise, has grown into one of the world's largest low-cost international transfer services, handling roughly 167–200 billion euros in transfers annually. The investigation comes at a delicate moment: the company recently listed on the Nasdaq, the American technology-focused stock exchange. In a statement, Wise said it considers combating financial crime