Kristo Käärmann

Kristo Käärmann (#2031)

Global Rank #2031

Country Rank #1

Country Estonia

Kristo Käärmann is listed among the world billionaires tracked by Iconic Billionaires.

$ 2 B
Payments, banking
Estonia
M
45 Years

Snapshot

Quick Facts

Global Rank #2,031

Country Rank #1

Net Worth $2.0B

Previous Worth $2.1B

Worth Change -$0.1B

Country Estonia

Industry Payments, banking

Age 45 Years

Gender M

Worth As Of May 4, 2026

Residence London, United Kingdom

Citizenship Estonia

World Billionaires List Estonia Billionaires Payments, banking

Profile Data

Personal Stats

Age 45

Source Of Wealth Payments, banking, Self Made

Residence London, United Kingdom

Citizenship Estonia

Marital Status Married

Education Masters in Computer Engineering, University of Tartu

Net Worth Change -$0.1B -4.8% from previous worth

Previous Net Worth $2.1B

Current Net Worth $2.0B

Worth as of May 4, 2026

About Me

Kristo Käärmann cofounded cross-border payments startup Transferwise in 2011 and took it public as Wise in 2021 on the London Stock Exchange. Wise offers low-cost money transfers across 50 different currencies, allowing users to avoid big banking fees for moving money abroad. Käärmann and cofounder Taavet Hinrikus became Estonia's first two billionaires. The pair met while working in London. Käärmann and Hinrikus started Wise after becoming tired of losing money to their banks in fees charged for sending money to Estonia. Billionaires Peter Thiel and Richard Branson were early investors, followed by VC firm Andreessen Horowitz and money manager Baillie Gifford.

Achievements

Forbes List Highlights

A snapshot of the list placements and rankings connected to Kristo Käärmann.

#1913

Billionaires (2026)

Ranked

New Billionaires (2021)

Wealth Growth

Net Worth Growth Over Time

Tracking Kristo Käärmann's net worth journey over the years, highlighting key growth phases and financial milestones.

Worth Trend Net Worth Growth

Period Change Worth Movement

Current Net Worth: $2.0B (May 4, 2026)