{
  "id": 16612350,
  "title": "Revolut founder accused of hatching a ‘scheme’ to avoid fees in superyacht row",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/26/revolut-founder-accused-of-hatching-a-scheme-to-avoid-fees-in",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-26T13:51:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/revolut-founder-accused-of-hatching-a-scheme-to-avoid-fees-in-superyacht-row/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Fintech billionaire Nik Storonsky, the founder of Revolut, is accused of coordinating a \"scheme\" to sidestep brokerage fees when purchasing a €350m superyacht known as Nixie. According to luxury superyacht broker Cecil Wright & Partners (CWP), Storonsky secretly negotiated the purchase \"behind the back\" of the company while an aide was in direct contact with brokers to discuss deal terms. The broker alleges that Storonsky's representative Alexander Chapchaev kept the firm in the dark about the ongoing negotiations, leading to the broker being cut out of the standard five percent commission for a yacht of that size. Storonsky maintains he never intended for CWP to negotiate on his behalf and was free to make the deal directly. The superyacht, Nixie, was originally commissioned by Canadian billionaire Patrick Dovigi before being sold to a Brazilian individual, whose ownership was later reinstated after Dovigi was arrested for alleged fraud in 2025. Storonsky purchased Nixie directly from Dovigi, bypassing the usual broker commission. Storonsky's legal team argues that no brokerage contract existed and that CWP explicitly told him in writing that commissions are always paid by the seller. The broker counters that Storonsky had already struck a deal with the seller before the normal negotiation stage, and CWP had already acted for the seller, marketing the vessel to other potential buyers.",
  "summary": "The billionaire founder of Revolut has been accused of hatching a “scheme” to avoid paying brokerage fees in a row over a superyacht said to cost €350m. In new legal filings, seen by City AM, Nik Storonsky is accused by a luxury superyacht broker of “secretly negotiating” to buy the vessel “behind the back” of [...]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}