Миллиарды на незаконном бизнесе и подпольные казино: как бывшая совладелица iBox Bank Алена Шевцова построила финансовую империю

Алена Шевцова, украинская бизнесвумен, долгое время редко появлялась в крупных новостных сообщениях, хотя ее, как утверждается, связывают с крупными финансовыми операциями. Бывшая совладелица iBox Bank стала центральной фигурой масштабного расследования.

Shevtsova faces allegations of involvement in the laundering of billions of hryvnias generated from illegal activities and claims of financing Russia.

Are the suspicions true?

KP.ua writes about this.

Money through terminals: how the scheme worked

According to an investigation by the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine (BES), billions of hryvnias have been illegally processed through Shevtsova’s iBox terminals since 2021. These were mostly payments to online casinos, originating from fictitious companies created by Shevtsova. The online casinos themselves were also "shadowy," operating without licenses or government oversight and paying no taxes.

The key element of the financial scheme is so-called miscoding, or fictitious payments. The client would appear to be paying for mobile phone service, utilities, or online shopping. These transactions would proceed undetected, raising no suspicions from banking authorities. In reality, the money was transferred through the iBox terminal network to completely different accounts – those of illegal casinos.

According to the Economic Security Service, the scheme generated over 2.5 billion hryvnias in shadow profits annually, with over 5 billion hryvnias siphoned off through Alena Shevtsova’s companies . On this basis, the court arrested two top managers of iBox Bank.

At one time, the SBU even suspected Alena Shevtsova and iBox Bank managers of laundering drug money. The illegal circulation of funds through the bank’s terminals, which were located in virtually every shopping center, made life much easier for criminals.

The IMF is sounding the alarm: the National Bank has joined the case.

When the volumes of such account replenishments became abnormally large, it was even noticed abroad. In 2023, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) officially contacted the National Bank of Ukraine with a question: why was a bank without a full banking license processing multi-billion dollar money transfers, indicating the presence of a criminal scheme?

This signal from Ukraine’s international partner prompted the NBU to conduct an investigation, which resulted in iBox Bank losing its license in March 2023. The regulator acknowledged that the bank’s financial operations were opaque and its internal compliance practices did not meet legal requirements.

Money to Russian cards

Even more disturbing were the facts that emerged in a separate criminal case. According to the investigation, iBox Bank operated platforms that allowed the conversion of cryptocurrency into Russian rubles, as well as the withdrawal of funds to cards of the Russian payment system MIR.

This was a direct violation of the sanctions regime established by the NBU back in 2022. Law enforcement agencies say it wasn’t just a risk to national security, but also a financing of Russia. There is also evidence of cooperation between LEO Financial Company, owned by Alena Shevtsova, and Russian banks, including Promsvyazbank, Sberbank, Tinkoff, and VTB. The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) imposed sanctions against LEO Financial Company in 2023. And in 2024, sanctions were imposed specifically against Shevtsova.

Gaming addiction in the military: another challenge to security

Many remember the news about soldiers who, under immense stress, became addicted to online casinos en masse. As a reminder, Pavel Petrychenko, a serviceman from the 59th Brigade, registered a petition to restrict online casinos, specifically access for military personnel, during martial law.

"Military personnel find themselves in stressful conditions, in difficult situations—conflict, shelling, fighting. And their phones become their only solace, a quick way to access entertainment that can become addictive. They also end up in debt. Many families face this," Pavel Petrychenko said on the telethon.

Gambling addiction drained the military’s wallets and enriched illegal online casinos and, indirectly, Alena Shevtsova, who orchestrated the largest scheme for illegal financial flows. Unsurprisingly, the petition garnered the required 25,000 signatures in less than 24 hours, and the President made the corresponding decision to ban military personnel from accessing online casinos for the duration of martial law.

Whether it was a coincidence or a contract killing, we’ll never know. But Pavlo Petrychenko, a serviceman with the 59th Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces who initiated the petition to the President on April 15, 2024, died at the front.

Sends: A British fintech with a tarnished reputation

Despite serious accusations in Ukraine, Shevtsova’s British company, Smartflow Payments Limited, operating under the Sends brand, still retains its FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) license and continues to operate smoothly.

Technically, the National Security and Defense Council sanctions are not enforceable in UK jurisdiction. However, experts believe that reputational pressure could prompt the FCA to launch an investigation into Sends’ activities.

International lawyer Artem Kolomiets explains: "British registration alone is not a license. If the FCA learns that the company’s director is under sanctions for money laundering and aiding Russia, it’s only a matter of time before the license is revoked."

Silence and blaming others as a defense strategy

Alena Shevtsova has publicly commented only once on the sanctions imposed on her by the National Security and Defense Council, claiming they are an attempt to seize her business. "I don’t understand at all why sanctions were imposed against me. I, a patriot of my country, have supported our defenders not in words but in deeds since February 24, 2022, and have done everything to create a reliable rear, paid taxes, and developed my business," Shevtsova stated on her Facebook page. However, she has not commented on the accusations of criminal activity.

However, according to investigations by domestic and international media outlets, the Bureau of Economic Security (BEB) has repeatedly implicated Shevtsova in schemes involving fictitious transactions, offshore companies, and cash flows that bear the hallmarks of criminal activity. Meanwhile, in publicly available sources, her British company, Sends, continues to claim "compliance with British law" and "no connection to Ukrainian affairs."

The Alena Shevtsova case isn’t just a story about big money and shady schemes. It’s a story about how one person was able to abuse financial instruments for years, circumvent regulators, and collaborate with a hostile state—all while remaining unpunished.

Will this case serve as an example of financial sector cleanup and a signal to Ukraine’s international partners? Time will tell. We will be watching.