Kristo Käärmann is the co-founder and chief executive of Wise, the international money transfer and financial services company headquartered in London. He co-founded the business in 2011 alongside Taavet Hinrikus, having previously worked as a consultant at Deloitte and in a finance role at Skype. The founding idea grew from a personal frustration with the high cost of moving money between currencies, and Wise has since grown into a publicly listed company on the London Stock Exchange following its direct listing in 2021. Käärmann has been a prominent voice in debates around financial regulation and the cost of cross-border payments. His tenure has not been without scrutiny; he received a public censure from the Financial Conduct Authority in 2022 relating to a personal tax matter.