Can I buy shares in Wise?
Image source: Getty Images  Investing can be a great way to grow your wealth. If youre in the UK or EU and interested in investing, youll soon be able to buy Wise shares. Lets explore what Wise is, whether Wise shares are right for you and how to get started! Compare stocks and shares ISAs If youre planning to open a stocks and shares ISA, choosing the right platform is important. To help you narrow down the choices, weve created a list of some of the top stocks and shares ISAs. Wise, formerly TransferWise, is an online borderless bank account and money transfer service in 56 currencies. Theyve grown quickly since 2011. In the 2021 financial year, they facilitated $54 billion (39 billion) worth of low-cost international transfers. Wise users can manage multiple currencies online, either through the app or in the browser. In 2020, Wise received a UK licence to offer investment products. They might move into this area in the future, so watch this space. In June 2021, Wise announced their intention to float on the London Stock Exchange. If you can buy and sell UK shares, youll be able to buy Wise shares from 8am BST on the day they list. At the moment, that will probably be in early July 2021. Rather than an initial public offering (IPO), Wise is going public via a direct listing. This means the market sets the initial share price, which can make the price more volatile. Sky News reported that insiders expect the initial value of Wise shares to be between 5 and 9 billion. These all-too-common investing errors can cause you to miss out on the long-term wealth-building power that shares can hold. To help you side-step these pitfalls, and move forward on your path to wealth-building, weve created a free report, The 3 Worst Mistakes New Investors Make. Just enter you best email below for instant access to your free copy. Click here! If youre in the UK or EU and you already use Wise for your banking and transfers, you might be eligible for OwnWise. While anyone can buy Wise shares, OwnWise is only for users. Its a Wise program to encourage up to 100,000 of their users to become shareholders. To be eligible for OwnWise, you must be:  an active Wise customer;  in the UK or EU;  not restricted by law from receiving and holding shares in Wise;  able to receive OwnWise benefits without any special procedures; and  not be a current or former employee of Wise or any Wise Group company. OwnWise members who buy their shares during the eligibility period and hold their shares for 12 months or more will receive bonus shares worth 5% of the initial value of their shares (to a maximum of 100). Theyll also get to join a private community, and they might even win a trip to the annual conference! If youre eligible, you will have received an email from Wise in the last few weeks with instructions on how to register your interest. Whether or not you qualify for OwnWise, once Wise shares are listed on the share market you can buy them through your normal brokers. If you dont have a broker yet, you still have time to compare share dealing accounts or check out the list of brokers on the Wise investor site. If you want to buy Wise shares on the first day, dont leave it until the last minute. It often takes a few days to get a new account set up. The exact process for buying shares depends on your broker or share dealing account, but on most platforms, its very similar to online shopping. Thats up to you, so do your research. Since 2019, Wise has had a healthy revenue compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 54%, and 42% CAGR for volume. With 10 million customers worldwide, thats a great result. But remember: past performance is not an indication of future results, and the value of shares can go down as well as up. If youre just starting out, check out our guide on how to start investing for some handy hints before you dive in! Get a free initial review lasting up to 1 hour, plus 50 off any follow-up advice. MyWalletHero has sourced you a 50 discount off the cost of advice when you find an independent or whole-of-market financial adviser through Unbiased.co.uk*. All advisers are FCA-regulated, qualified and give fully unbiased advice. To find yourself an adviser fast and for free  use the Unbiased matching tool. Find an adviser now! *This is an offer from one of our affiliate partners. For more information on why and how we work with partners, click here. About the author Nic Gardner Nic is a freelance writer with a focus on personal finance, technology, budget travel, and work-life balance.