The Belgian judiciary is investigating possible money laundering by Wise Europe, the European subsidiary of the British specialist in international payments.
The case involves more than €500 million in suspicious transactions, according to reports on Monday by the newspapers De Standaard, Le Soir and other media outlets belonging to the European Investigative Journalism Consortium (EIC).
The Brussels Public Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed that it opened a judicial investigation into the company in 2025. It accuses the company of potentially failing to meet its anti-money laundering obligations.
Wise Europe (formerly TransferWise) is reportedly featured in "hundreds of criminal cases" reaching Belgium via requests for mutual legal assistance.
Specifically, judicial authorities from some 30 European countries have flagged transactions or accounts held by Wise Europe that may be linked to criminal offences, such as online fraud, corruption, illegal casinos and drug trafficking.
Brexit
As Wise's Brussels branch has been managing all payments and customers in the European market since Brexit, these cases end up in Belgium.
The investigation is reportedly nearing completion. Wise Europe risks having to appear before the criminal court, or could reach a settlement.
The London-based parent company insists it takes the fight against financial crime “extremely seriously," with a spokesperson telling the outlets that Wise is cooperating with the Brussels Public Prosecutor.
The reason there are so many requests for legal assistance is that Wise operates across the whole of Europe from Belgium, the spokesperson added. As a result, all requests from the European authorities end up in Brussels.
This is in contrast to banks, for example, which usually operate through local branches.
