Wise (NASDAQ: WSE) buys back nearly 2 million shares in a week across two markets
by Mitch Edgeman · The Markets DailyWhat happened
Wise Group plc (NASDAQ: WSE) repurchased 1,983,051 Class A ordinary shares from Oct. 19 to Oct. 23. The buying is part of a program announced July 21, 2026, under which Wise expects to repurchase up to £405 million (approximately $540 million) of its Class A ordinary shares.
Goldman Sachs International or an affiliate carried out the trades. Of the total, 650,000 shares were bought on Nasdaq and other US venues and 1,333,051 on the London Stock Exchange and other venues. The repurchased shares will be held in treasury.
Daily volume-weighted average prices on Nasdaq ranged from $10.94 to $11.08 a share. On the London Stock Exchange the daily averages ranged from £8.23 to £8.29.
Key numbers
| Metric | Latest | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shares repurchased, Oct. 19 to Oct. 23 | 1,983,051 shares | Calculated from SEC 6-K | |
| Bought on Nasdaq and other US venues | 650,000 shares | SEC 6-K | |
| Bought on the London Stock Exchange and other venues | 1,333,051 shares | SEC 6-K | |
| Expected buyback size (cap) | up to £405 million (approximately $540 million) | SEC 6-K | |
| Cross-border transactions processed, fiscal year 2026 | over $240 billion | SEC 6-K |
Read more: Wise Group (WSE) company research
Why it matters
OptimistFi has argued that Wise works if revenue converts back into durable per-share earnings after the FY2026 margin reset. Buying on five straight trading days is a per-share lever aimed at that goal, so the filing modestly strengthens the case.
The two markets were not equal. London venues took 67.2% of the week's purchases and Nasdaq and other US venues took 32.8%, so most of the buying happened where the filing reports prices in pounds. Wise bought on each of the five trading days, and the filing says Goldman Sachs International or an affiliate executed the trades. That steady pace shows the program is being carried out, not only announced.
The business side of the case rests on scale. In fiscal year 2026, Wise supported around 19 million people and businesses, processing over $240 billion in cross-border transactions and saving customers over $3 billion, the filing says.
The buyback figure is a ceiling on expected purchases, not money already spent. Repurchases lift per-share results only if the underlying earnings hold up.
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What's next
The next test is Wise's next periodic report or share-purchase notice. Continued weekly buying toward the program's ceiling would reinforce the per-share argument, while a pause in purchases would weaken it.
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Sources
- Wise Group plc Form 6-K, Transaction in Own Shares dated 27 October 2026 — Exhibit 99.1 lists daily repurchases by venue from Oct. 19 to Oct. 23, 2026, the buyback ceiling and Wise's fiscal year 2026 operating description.
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Originally published on OptimistFi, evidence-first equity research. More at optimistfi.com.