With the government pushing ahead with the Fraud and Error Bill, claimants are worried about the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) prying deeper into our personal financial lives. The idea that officials can trawl through bank accounts without suspicion of fraud feels less like safeguarding public money — and more like surveillance.
That’s why many people are now asking: what happens if you use Wise, the so-called “borderless bank”? Can DWP still see it?
Wise GBP Accounts (UK-Regulated)
If you open a GBP balance with Wise, it’s regulated in the UK by the FCA.
For DWP purposes, this is no different to a traditional UK bank account.
If asked, Wise UK has to hand over information just like Barclays, Lloyds, or Monzo.
Wise EUR & Foreign Currency Accounts (EU-Regulated)
Wise also lets you hold money in euros, dollars, and other currencies.
These balances are held by Wise Europe SA in Belgium, regulated by the National Bank of Belgium.
That means they sit under EU privacy and financial laws, not day-to-day UK oversight.
In practice:
The DWP cannot automatically monitor or access your euro/dollar Wise accounts.
They would need to use international agreements like the Common Reporting Standard (CRS), which only happens if there’s a specific fraud investigation.
Routine benefit checks and “data sweeps” do not give them that power.
⚖️ What This Means for You
Wise GBP accounts = visible to DWP if requested.
Wise Euro/foreign currency accounts = not visible unless there’s a formal investigation and common reporting standards are agreed.
Using a non-GBP Wise account adds a layer of privacy against the DWP’s expanding surveillance powers.
This isn’t about hiding money or being dishonest. It’s about saying: your financial life is yours, unless there’s a genuine legal reason for the state to look at it.
Justice Journals Take
The DWP’s mass data collection approach is intrusive and unfair to ordinary claimants. Until the law changes, tools like Wise give you control over your privacy while staying fully compliant.
Wise offers Justice Journaliers both personal and Business borderless bank accounts.
If you want to try Wise for yourself, I’ve set up a referral link so you can open your own borderless account today by clicking here.
By using it, you’ll also be supporting the Justice Journals project.
👉 Get Your Wise Borderless Account Here — Justice Journals Referral Link
