Wise reiterates outlook on bumper quarter, shares surge

20th Jan 2026 09:53

(Sharecast News) - Shares in Wise rallied on Tuesday, after the payments specialist forecast a strong end to the year on the back of a bumper third quarter.

The London-listed firm said quarterly cross-border volumes had jumped 25% year-on-year in the three months to December end, or by 26% on a constant currency basis, to £47.4bn. Active customers were also sharply higher, rising 20% to a larger-than-expected 10.9m.

As a result, underlying income sparked 21% at £424.4m on both a reported and constant currency basis, around 3% ahead of consensus.

Looking to the full year, Wise confirmed income would likely be in the middle of its guided range, for growth of between 15% and 20%, while pre-tax profit margins were forecast to be at the top end of the medium-term range, 13% to 16%.

As at 0930 GMT, shares in the firm - which is planning to move its primary listing to New York later this year - were up 14% at 947p.

Kristo Kaarmann, co-founder and chief executive, said: "We delivered 74% of payments instantly [during the quarter], up nine percentage points. This is a clear benefit of our continued focus on infrastructure: our licences, integrations, technology and operations.

"Our financial performance in the third quarter and throughout the 2026 full-year has been strong."

Kaarmann, who launched Wise in 2011, added that the US dual listing was on track to complete in the first half of the current calendar year.

The move would "further increase our profile in the US as we remain focused on accelerating global growth", he noted. Shareholders voted in favour of the fintech's plans in July.

In November, Wise posted an 11% jump in first-half revenues, but saw profits slide as it ramped up investment.