Wise raises revenue growth outlook to 17.5%-20% as transfers and customer base expand
Key Facts
Wise raised its net revenue growth forecast for fiscal 2027 to between 17.5% and 20% at constant exchange rates, according to its second-quarter results statement. Previous guidance, issued in its first-quarter update, targeted growth around the midpoint of a 15% to 20% range at constant exchange rates. Second-quarter net revenue reached $739.1 million, compared with $610.5 million in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year, an increase of 21%. This followed net revenue of $714.0 million in the first quarter of the current fiscal year. First-quarter year-on-year growth was 25%, exceeding the pace recorded in the second quarter.
The upgraded outlook coincided with an expansion in the company's money transfer customer base, with active customers rising to 12.5 million in the second quarter. Wise said this represented a 20% increase from the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year. Cross-border transfer volume reached $71.7 billion, compared with $59.0 billion in the second quarter of the previous fiscal year. Transfers thus grew 22% year on year, outpacing growth in active customers over the same period. The company reported a 22% year-on-year increase in transaction revenue to $561.3 million in the second quarter.
In transfer pricing, Wise's cross-border take rate fell to 49 basis points in the second quarter, according to performance indicators published by the company. This represented a decline of 3 basis points from the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year. The company said it was reinvesting some of the savings generated by its growing scale in lower prices for customers. It added that it aimed to "strengthen our competitive advantage of offering lower prices to customers" by reinvesting some of those savings. Meanwhile, instant transfers rose to 78% of total transfers, an annual increase of 4 percentage points, according to Wise's data.
The company's activity during the quarter also extended to card payments, with spending on its cards reaching $14.3 billion, according to the results statement. Card and other revenue totalled $206.1 million, up 34% from the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year. Customer funds held with Wise also rose to $43.5 billion, an annual increase of 28%, according to the company's performance indicators. In its geographic expansion, Wise launched its account and card in Thailand during September, according to a company announcement on the launch. On partnerships, OakNorth Bank selected Wise's platform to handle international payments for its UK business customers, according to a Wise statement.
In trading following the announcement, Wise's London-listed shares fell 1.9% by 11:40 GMT on 16 October 2026, according to Reuters. The agency quoted a JPMorgan analyst as saying exceptional costs limited the scope for earnings estimate upgrades. Exceptional expenses include about $15 million related to the dual listing, according to the company's financial performance statement. Wise expects exceptional expenses to have an impact of about two percentage points on its half-year pretax profit margin. After accounting for these expenses, the company expects a half-year pretax profit margin of about 23%, according to guidance in its statement.
For the full fiscal year, Wise expects its pretax profit margin to remain near the upper end of a 20% to 25% range. This guidance applies to fiscal 2027, according to the company's second-quarter results update and financial outlook. By comparison, the estimated margin of about 23% applies to the half-year performance, including the impact of the announced exceptional expenses. Wise scheduled publication of its half-year results for 12 November 2026, according to its results calendar announcement. The company said those results would be released after the US market close that day.