Fintech Wise's shares fall on Belgian money-laundering investigation

FILE PHOTO: Wise logo in this illustration taken November 27, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

PARIS, June 1 (Reuters) - Money transfer company Wise's ⁠London-listed shares fell by more than 10% on ‌Monday on news that the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating its European entity in cases the prosecutor said reportedly involve more ​than half a billion euros ($582.5 million) ⁠in suspicious transactions.

Authorities in ⁠Europe are trying to crack down on illicit finance, following ⁠the ‌collapse of Wirecard and a 2019 money-laundering scandal.

• The prosecutor's office said the investigation, ⁠which began last year and is nearing completion, ​concerns potential ‌money laundering offences, with alleged links to fraud, corruption ⁠and drug ​trafficking.

• Prosecutors are investigating whether Wise Europe’s services were used by international criminal organisations, and are currently finalising a ⁠direct summons before the criminal court.

• ​Wise , which shifted its primary listing to the Nasdaq last month, responded to an earlier media report on the ⁠matter by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, saying, without confirming details, that it was working with the Brussels prosecutor.

• Wise said no specific findings had been ​shared with it.

• "We face the reality ⁠of increasingly sophisticated bad actors attempting to exploit our platform ​and we continually invest in ‌tech-enabled systems and teams to ​stay ahead of ever-evolving threats," it said.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus, Kirsten Donovan)