Founder Profile
Kristo Käärmann
Last reviewed: October 2026 · By Swet Parvadiya
Who is Kristo Käärmann?
Kristo Käärmann is a founder of Wise Group plc, which was founded in 2011 with Taavet Hinrikus.
- Company founded
- Wise Group plc
- Founded
- 2011
- Co-founders
- Taavet Hinrikus
Background
Estonian; worked as a consultant at PwC and Deloitte in London before co-founding TransferWise.
Founding Story
Kristo Käärmann co-founded TransferWise with Taavet Hinrikus in 2011 and has been chief executive since 2017, when Hinrikus stepped back from the CEO role. He has led the company through the 2021 rename to Wise, the July 2021 London direct listing, and the May 2026 move of its primary listing to Nasdaq. Kristo Käärmann was born in 1980.
Sources
This profile does not yet cite a source specific to Kristo Käärmann. The sources below document the company company rather than the person, so check them against the claims above.
- Wise Group plc reports Full Year 2026 Financial Results (RNS) (Wise Group plc)
- Wise Group plc reports Q1 FY27 Results (Wise Group plc)