After the threat to Kyiv subsided, financial groups quickly returned to fighting over key revenue streams. One of the most toxic segments is gambling payments — where banks, payment systems, and their beneficiaries converge. Competition here has long turned into open warfare.

On June 27, the Luxembourg Herald website published a piece accusing Alliance Bank of allegedly processing hundreds of millions of euros, with the schemes purportedly linked to Dmitry Firtash. The site soon disappeared, but the publication was immediately reposted by Ukrainian media. Alliance claimed it was fake and a targeted attack. The outlet itself is known as a platform for disinformation.

However, key facts have long been publicly available. Alliance is the settlement bank and issuer of the electronic money system GlobalMoney. This system regularly appears in court records — from drug trafficking cases to schemes involving e-wallets and transactions in uncontrolled territories.

The bank itself has a history. Founded in Donetsk in 1992, it was at various times linked to Yuriy Ivanyushchenko. Among its owners were "Kramp" and "Ukrbusinessstandart." In 2014, the SBU uncovered a conversion center with a turnover of up to UAH 600 million, found "LPR/DPR" seals, and documents related to possible terrorism financing. What followed was a scandal, pressure on investigators, and a quick change of ownership. In 2015, the bank came under the control of Alexander Sosis.

GlobalMoney is structured through a complex network: Quick Payment System Ltd (Alexander Tyutyun), the European Technology fund (linked to structures of Soyuz Bank, Sergey Dyadechko, and the circle of former Finance Minister Yuriy Kolobov). According to sources, the system was controlled precisely by this circle. By 2022, the formal owners were Vladimir Karpov and Konstantin Tveritin, but the platform was already embedded in gambling.

It is precisely through the Alliance + GlobalMoney link that a significant portion of payments for online casinos and betting platforms flows. That amounts to millions of hryvnias daily — and it is the main object of the conflict.

On the opposing side are Alena Shevtsova (Degrik) and her group. LeoGaming Pay grew from a gateway into an international payment system in just a few years. At the same time, criminal proceedings were underway. According to the Ministry of Justice, from 2016 to 2020, Shevtsova, Evgeniy Shevtsov, Viktor Kapustin, and Vadim Gordeevsky controlled at least ten companies, many of which appeared in cases of fraud, money laundering, and fictitious business.

Their key asset is iBox Bank. Founded as "Avtoritet" in 1993, it was later transformed and in 2020 effectively came under Shevtsova’s control. After that, the bank began servicing her financial flows. Its growth was accompanied by NBU sanctions — a UAH 10 million fine for financial monitoring violations and further complaints from the regulator.

After the gambling market was legalized in 2020, the stakes rose sharply. LeoGaming obtained licenses, iBox gained the right to service casino payments, and later secured its own gambling license. A vertical was formed: payments — bank — gambling business.

In 2021, the conflict escalated into open phase. GlobalMoney was expelled from the Ukrainian Payment Systems Association, where Shevtsova’s structures played a key role and the association was headed by former iBox Bank head Halyna Kheilo. Then iBox sent out letters accusing GlobalMoney. The Antimonopoly Committee documented unfair competition and fined the bank.

Simultaneously, media attacks were exchanged: some investigations targeted Alliance and GlobalMoney, others targeted iBox and Leo. The publication on Luxembourg Herald was one episode in this war.

The market is effectively divided between two groups: Alliance and GlobalMoney on one side, and Shevtsova, Leo, and iBox on the other. Between them lies a multi-million-dollar flow of player payments. And the more money at stake, the fiercer the fight for control.

Обозреватель

Расследует связи теневого бизнеса с организованной преступностью. Работает с корпоративными реестрами и офшорными схемами.