It has been a while since we last saw any interesting developments involving the Mt. Gox exchange. New research shows an unknown London-based firm was involved in laundering the stolen 650,000 BTC from this now-defunct exchange. That is a pretty intriguing discovery, although it remains to be seen how the situation will evolve.
The Mt. Gox Plot Continues to Thicken
It is evident Mt. Gox will always remain an integral part of Bitcoin. Both in terms of history and the future, this now-defunct Japanese exchange has created many shockwaves felt throughout the ecosystem. Several years after it disappeared with customers’ money, BBC Radio 4 has uncovered how the 650,000 stolen Bitcoins were laundered exactly.
More specifically, it seems the London-based firm Always Efficient LLP has been involved in this matter. Although no one knows for sure who has been operating this platform or how they moved the money, this firm is an important cog in the machine. Considering that this heist represented over US$5 billion worth of Bitcoin, it is only normal that people would want to gain more insight into how things went down exactly.
According to local sources, one Russian national has been charged by the FBI for his involvement in running the Always Efficient LLP firm. From the information we’ve been able to gather, it seems Always Efficient LLP was incorporated back in 2014, which is very close to the time Mt. Gox suddenly disappeared and a lot of funds were stolen.
The names of Alexander Buyanov and Andrii Shvets have been cited as “individuals with significant control”. Since this was only noted in 2016, it is unclear if either of these gentlemen had previous ties to the company or simply took over from other individuals. Both females associated with this company were terminated back in September of 2017, which is pretty interesting. Both women are linked to firms in the Seychelles, which makes this London-based company all the more intriguing.
As of July 9, 2017, Alexander Buyanov was no longer a person with significant control. That would indicate his stint as a person of interest only lasted one year, as Sangaro Solutions LTD and Legacy Properties LTD took control of the company on that same date. As of right now, the company has no registrable person with significant control. Alexander Buyanov is the only Russian individual ever associated with this company; thus, it seems safe to assume he was the one arrested by the FBI.
Lastly, it seems Always Efficient LLP used to own the BTC-E exchange. The BTC-E exchange has been under a lot of scrutiny for quite some time now. It seems the puzzle pieces are finally falling into place as we speak, although it is unclear what role Alexander Vinnik plays in all of this.
