What the deal with BTA Bank, the gambling business and Sosedka hides

BTA Bank will soon come under the control of Vyacheslav Mishalov and Dmytro Shevchuk, who have received approval from the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine for the purchase. 

The deal remained secret for over six months, with key negotiations conducted personally with Dmytro Oliinyk, Deputy Head of the National Bank of Ukraine.

However, according to reports in news Telegram channels, the true beneficiary of the deal is Elena Sosedka. Although she is formally not involved in the transaction, it is said that she controls the process through her ex-husband, Vyacheslav Mishalov. Despite their divorce, the couple essentially continues to live together.

One outcome of the deal was that funds belonging to Ukrainian merchants, payment systems and crypto exchanges such as Binance and Kuna, as well as gambling operators (PariMatch, Pin-Up, SlotCity), remained blocked in Concord Bank. Later, the Deposit Insurance Fund paid out to legal entities linked to Sosedka, but settlements with the affected parties were never carried out.

At present, BTA Bank is preparing to launch under the Concord Bank model, which includes the pharmaceutical sector, cryptocurrencies and the gambling business. 

The official aim is integration into the microfinance market, yet the question remains whether this will become yet another scheme to move funds into the shadow. Although the answer is obvious.