Wise—Belgian prosecutors investigated Wise Europe over ~EUR500M in suspicious transactions flagged in cross-border criminal cases
Belgium's federal organized-crime police unit (DJSOC) and the Brussels prosecutor's office investigated Wise Europe SA after the company's accounts appeared repeatedly in hundreds of criminal files tied to fraud, corruption, and drug trafficking. The probe, opened in 2025 and nearing a decision by mid-2026, stemmed from European Investigation Orders and international letters rogatory submitted by more than 30 European countries. Prosecutors were finalizing a 'direct summons' that would send the case to criminal court without an investigating judge, citing indications of non-compliance with anti-money-laundering legislation including inadequate customer identification, activity verification, and monitoring for unusual transactions. The investigation covers Wise's Belgian-licensed European operations, not its UK-regulated business. Results were to be shared with the National Bank of Belgium, which supervises Wise Europe.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate Governance | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.483 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.64)× agency (negligent ×0.5)
Evidence (2 signals)
Bureau of Investigative Journalism: Wise investigated for EUR500M in suspicious transactions in Belgium
Investigative report detailing how Wise accounts featured in hundreds of cross-border criminal assistance requests from over 30 European countries, prompting a Belgian federal organized-crime unit probe into potential AML non-compliance.
American Banker: Wise faces Belgian money-laundering investigation
Reporting confirming Belgian prosecutors were finalizing a direct summons against Wise Europe over AML compliance concerns, with findings to be shared with the National Bank of Belgium.