Wise tumbles after US declines national trust bank application


The logo for the money transfer company Wise is displayed on a screen during the company’s debut at the Nasdaq Market site, in New York City, U.S., May 11, 2026. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

July 24 (Reuters) - London-listed ⁠shares of Wise fell 10% on Friday after ⁠the money transfer group said its application ‌to create a national trust bank in the United States was denied by regulators, amid major changes in financial policy.

The U.S. ​Office of the Comptroller of ⁠the Currency denied Wise's ⁠application as it was incompatible with the Federal Reserve's ⁠new ‌policies for payment system access, the dual-listed company said. As a national trust bank, ⁠Wise sought to settle U.S. dollar payments ​directly with ‌the Fed.

U.S. regulations for payments have changed significantly ⁠since the ​firm submitted its application in June of last year, it said.

"With the Federal Reserve generally pausing account ⁠access for an uninsured trust bank, ​the approach in our application became non-viable," the firm said.

The fintech firm plans to submit a new application ⁠for a national trust bank charter under the GENIUS Act framework, which pertains to digital assets like stablecoins.

Wise said its infrastructure is well positioned to ​interoperate with digital assets alongside ⁠existing payment rails.

The company said the regulator flagged a ​U.S. consent order from last ‌year on complianceviolations following which ​Wise has strengthened its safety processes.

(Reporting by Simone Lobo in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala)

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