Kristo Käärmann

Kristo Käärmann, co-founder and CEO of TransferWise, shares his journey of disrupting traditional banking with a peer-to-peer money transfer service. He discusses the challenges of building a customer-centric solution while navigating the hidden fees imposed by banks. Kristo recalls his thrilling fundraising experiences and the pivotal moments of scaling the company, especially during the pandemic. The conversation also touches on tech skills’ importance and innovative banking partnerships that have transformed their service.

Kristo Käärmann, co-founder and CEO of Wise, the fintech that rebuilt cross-border payments. He tells the origin story of a costly transfer, explains the “money should not have borders” mission, and how Wise built global payment infrastructure, treasury tech, and regulatory trust. He also discusses scaling advantages, sharing savings with customers, and turning Wise into a platform for banks.

Kristo Käärmann, CEO von TransferWise, erzählt von der Gründung seines Unternehmens und den Herausforderungen im Finanzsektor. Er beleuchtet, wie wichtig Transparenz und Effizienz bei internationalen Geldtransfers sind. Käärmann kritisiert die Schwierigkeiten traditioneller Banken bei der Digitalisierung und erklärt, warum London an Bedeutung verlieren könnte. Zudem teilt Björn Ognibeni seine Erkenntnisse darüber, was europäische Unternehmen von der digitalen Transformation in China lernen können und diskutiert die Unterschiede zwischen den Märkten.