There is a growing interest in making cross-border payments affordable, instant and transparent as a positive step. In an exclusive conversation, Samarth Bansal, APAC General Manager, Wise Platform, informs Rajneesh De, Group Editor, CXO Media & APAC Media, that Wise has been working towards this goal for the past 14 years and has invested in solving the inefficiencies and challenges plaguing cross-border payments.
Wise just set up a full-stack centre in Hyderabad and received RBI’s nod for cross-border payment aggregation. How critical is India to Wise’s global growth story, and what unique role will the Hyderabad hub play?
India is one of the most significant markets in the world for cross-border money movement, making it central to Wise’s mission of addressing the challenges of international payments. We began transfers into India in 2013 and launched lightning-fast outward remittances in 2021. This year, we secured in principle approval to operate as a cross-border payment aggregator and opened our Hyderabad hub.
The Hyderabad office is Wise’s newest full-stack hub where we’re hiring for hundreds of roles across product, engineering, operations and more over the next few years. Hyderabad has a rich talent pool, and the local team will play a key role in Wise’s mission to become the network for moving and managing the world’s money, building products and features for India, as well as contributing to the company’s global roadmap to make international payments faster, more affordable, and more transparent.
Wise Platform’s partnership with Google Search is being called transformative. Why Google, and how does embedding remittances directly into search results change the game for both Wise and customers?
We are delighted to collaborate with Google on their new remittance experience, which integrates Wise into Google Search and Google Wallet. For many people, Google is the first place they go when they want to understand how to send money abroad, and now customers in the U.S. can access Wise simply by searching for select currency exchange rates or exploring international payment options within Wallet.
This experience is powered by Wise Platform, our global payments infrastructure that banks and large organisations use to enable international money movement for their own customers. Embedding Wise into Google is a testament to the speed, scale, and reliability of the infrastructure we have built over the past decade.
For customers, it means full transparency as they can see fees and transaction speeds upfront on high-demand routes such as USD to INR, PHP, MXN, and BRL, helping them make confident and informed choices. For us, it is an extension of our platform strategy, bringing our infrastructure to the places people already use and setting a new benchmark for transparency in cross-border payments.
Global fintechs, banks, and even big tech players are entering cross-border payments. How does Wise plan to stay ahead — is it scale, technology, partnerships, or something else?
We see the growing interest in making cross-border payments affordable, instant and transparent as a positive step. Wise has been working towards this goal for the past 14 years and has invested in solving the inefficiencies and challenges plaguing cross-border payments.
Today, we have one of the most robust, highly scalable infrastructures that brings together technology with our 70+ regulatory licenses, direct connections to local payment rails and deep local market expertise to deliver seamless international payments — addressing customer needs across retail, SME and enterprises.
Cross-border payments often face complex regulatory hurdles. What have been your biggest learnings navigating India’s regulatory landscape, and how do you balance innovation with compliance globally?
As a company regulated in all the markets we operate in, we spend time understanding local policies and building strong relationships with regulators and partners. It has been especially encouraging to see regulators engage in open dialogue to understand our learnings from the 70+ licenses we have globally, and share our focus on solving the real cross-border payment problems that individuals and businesses face.
All of this is supported by opening local offices and hiring local team members. Having people on the ground who understand both our mission and the local market makes a big difference in our expansion journey. It allows us to drive innovation while delivering fast, low-cost, convenient, and transparent cross-border payment experiences for our customers.
Unlike many fintechs, Wise is profitable and growing. What has been your secret to achieving sustainable profitability without compromising on growth?
Sustainable profitability at Wise comes from building the business on strong fundamentals and thinking long term. We are disciplined about where and how we invest, making sure every decision, whether it is a new market or a new product, supports our mission and creates real benefits for customers.
Growth is important, but it is always balanced with sustainability. Every market, product, and feature is designed to stand on its own without cross-subsidisation. Achieving this requires understanding local dynamics, building strong teams, and engaging closely with regulators and partners. By combining long-term investment in our infrastructure with financial discipline, we continue to deliver on our mission and create lasting value.
Looking ahead, what is the endgame for Wise? Is it to become the default global standard for moving money, or do you see the company expanding into adjacent areas like credit, investments, or blockchain-powered rails?
Our focus is on making international money movement affordable, instant, convenient, and transparent, whether that is sending, spending, receiving, holding, or managing funds. We want to serve people wherever they are, either directly through the Wise app or through the banks and providers they already use.
