#1734

Kristo Käärmann

Estonia 45 years old Self-Made

Overview

Source of Wealth
Payments, banking
Residence
London
Organization
Cofounder at Wise
Education
University of Tartu (Masters in Computer Engineering)
Marital Status
Married

Assets

  • Wise Group
    186,078,000 shares @ -
    -
    WISE-GB

Biography

Kristo Käärmann cofounded cross-border payments startup Transferwise in 2011 and took it public as Wise in 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.

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

Käärmann 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.