Kristo Käärmann

Cofounder, Wise

$1.6B

as of 10/04/24

About Kristo Käärmann

Kristo K??rmann cofounded cross-border payments startup Transferwise in 2011 and took it public as Wise in July 2021 on the London Stock Exchange.

Wise offers low-cost money transfers across 50 different currencies, allowing users to avoid big banking fees for moving money abroad.

K??rmann and cofounder Taavet Hinrikus became Estonia's first two billionaires. The pair met while working in London.

K??rmann and Hinrikus started Wise after becoming tired of losing money to their banks in fees charged for sending money to Estonia.

Billionaires Peter Thiel and Richard Branson were early investors, followed by VC firm Andreessen Horowitz and money manager Baillie Gifford.

Personal stats

Citizenship

Estonia

Source of wealth

Payments, banking

Residence

London, United Kingdom

Marital status

Married

Birth date

09/01/80 (age 44)

Education

Masters in Computer Engineering, University of Tartu

Self-made

self-made