Wise hints at stablecoin ambitions with new digital-asset product lead hire

Wise, the global currency exchange and payment platform, is hiring a digital-asset product lead with a focus on stablecoins, a move that could signal the company’s expansion into the cryptocurrency space amid improving global regulation.

Wise’s product director, Matthew Salisbury, posted the position on LinkedIn last week. The role will be based in London, where Wise’s global headquarters are located.

“If you’ve built wallets and/or payments solution based on stablecoins and you now want to do it at Wise apply through the ad or DM me,” Salisbury wrote.

Source: Matthew SalisburyAccording to the LinkedIn listing, which has already attracted interest from over 100 applicants, the successful candidate will join Wise’s Accounts team to help expand its product offering and explore how customers could hold digital assets within their Wise accounts.

The company is seeking candidates with at least five years of product management experience and a proven track record of launching business-to-consumer products in the digital asset or blockchain space.

Wise, formerly known as TransferWise, is best known for providing low-fee international money transfers across more than 160 countries and 40 currenices. In 2024, the company reported £979.9 million ($1.23 billion) in revenue and £345.6 million ($443 million) in profit.

Related: The rise of Money2: The next financial system has already begun

Wise and stablecoin payments: Assessing the potential

It’s still uncertain whether or how Wise will adopt stablecoin payment rails. Stablecoin technology is generally regarded as a way to make international money transfers faster and more efficient by allowing digital dollars to move without traditional banking intermediaries.

Last month, Visa launched a pilot program using the stablecoins USDC (USDC) and EURC (EURC) to help financial institutions facilitate cross-border payments. Wise, by contrast, primarily serves retail users, which is a group that has already been turning to stablecoins for similar purposes.

According to Chainalysis, Latin America and Africa are among the fastest-growing regions for stablecoin adoption, driven by lower remittance costs and currency volatility

“In these regions, retail adoption of stablecoins is largely driven by their practicality for low-cost remittances, secure savings in regions with volatile currencies, and accessibility to DeFi services like lending and staking,” the company noted in a December report.

Stablecoin remittances offer significantly greater cost savings than traditional remittance methods in Sub-Saharan Africa. Source: ChainalysisThe move comes amid a more favorable regulatory environment for stablecoin adoption in the United States, following the recent passage of the GENIUS Act. In contrast, adoption in Wise’s home market, the United Kingdom, has been slower, as regulators work toward implementing new stablecoin rules by the end of 2026.

As a result, US dollar–pegged stablecoins continue to dominate the market, while British pound–denominated alternatives account for only a small share of total fiat-backed stablecoins in circulation.

Related: BoE signals flexibility on stablecoin caps amid industry pushback: Report

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