Finance

Overview

Browse finance connected to the personal targeting case.

Banks

UBS

Swiss multinational investment bank with alleged money laundering operations in Cyprus. Tatiana Karanasiou (girlfriend of Jan Schulmeister) works as Client Advisor for WM Greece & Cyprus.

Key Connections:

• Tatiana Karanasiou
• Jan Schulmeister
• Sergey Skaterschikov
• Cyprus money laundering allegations

Credit Suisse

Swiss banking institution merged into UBS in 2023. Both Jan Schulmeister and Tatiana Karanasiou worked at Credit Suisse during overlapping periods (2016-2021).

Key Connections:

• Jan Schulmeister (former employee)
• Tatiana Karanasiou (former employee)
• Dr. Andrea Behrends (corporate client)

Bendura Bank AG

Liechtenstein-based private bank connected to Chinese business networks and Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group. Facilitates capital movement between Chinese interests and European assets.

Key Connections:

• Hon Kwok Lung
• Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group
• Chinese Communist Party
• Swiss watch acquisitions

Peter Rosenberger + Partner GmbH

Swiss audit firm licensed by the Federal Audit Oversight Authority (RAB). Conducted valuation of Aimondo GmbH for TTIP Limited.

Key Connections:

• Aimondo GmbH (valuation client)
• TTIP Limited
• EXPERTsuisse (professional body)

Cembra Money Bank AG

Swiss consumer finance bank originally formed from Bank Prokredit (1912) and Bank Aufina (1953), acquired by GE Capital (1997-2013), now publicly traded. Major shareholders include UBS Fund Management (10-15%) and BlackRock (>3%).

Key Connections:

• UBS Fund Management (major shareholder)
• BlackRock (shareholder)
• GE Capital (former owner)
• AXA Versicherungen (insurance partner)
• Allianz Suisse (insurance partner)
• swissbilling SA (BNPL subsidiary)
• Byjuno AG (BNPL subsidiary)

Historical Timeline:

• 1912: Bank Prokredit founded (owned by SBG/UBS)
• 1953: Bank Aufina founded (owned by UBS)
• 1997: GE Capital acquires Bank Aufina
• 1998: GE Capital acquires Bank Prokredit
• 2006: Merged as GE Money Bank
• 2013: IPO as Cembra Money Bank AG

Paddle8

Last client project - Online auction house acquired by Good Cause Capital AG in February 2022. Homepage was updated to a non-functional NFT/Real World Asset bidding site post-acquisition. The goal appeared to be making the company look good for sale rather than creating a functional product.

Key Connections:

• Good Cause Capital AG (current owner since Feb 2022)
• Mousse Partners (Wertheimer/Chanel family office)
• The Carlyle Group (staff overlap with Mousse Partners)
• Damien Hirst (investor)
• Rothschild Family (Mousse Partners invested in 2023 takeover)

Post-Acquisition Timeline (2021-2022):

• December 1, 2021: Paddle8 Holdings LLC resumes operations after P8H Inc insolvency
• December 15, 2021: Launch of cryptocurrency donation platform
• February 15, 2022: Good Cause Capital AG acquires 100% of Paddle8 Holdings LLC
• March 1, 2022: Good Cause Capital acquires Alti Exchange (wine tokenization platform)

Investment Network (Historical):

• Series A ($4M): Founder Collective, Mousse Partners
• Series B ($6M): Damien Hirst, Prince Alexander von Fürstenberg, Vladimir Yevtushenkov
• Series C ($34M): David Zwirner, Eric Fellner, Edgar Berger (Sony Music)

Intelligence Connections:

• Good Cause Capital AG (Swiss holding structure)
• Mousse Partners staff from Carlyle Group, GIC, Soros Fund Management
• Rothschild & Co connection via Mousse Partners (Feb 2023)
• Russian oligarch investors

Good Cause Capital AG

Swiss-based holding company that acquired 100% of Paddle8 Holdings LLC in February 2022 and Alti Exchange in March 2022. Established to own and operate for-profit businesses that enable sustainable philanthropic and charitable activities.

Key Activities:

• Cryptocurrency donation processing for charitable organizations
• Tokenization platforms for alternative investments (wine via Alti)
• Virtual reality auctions for high-value collectibles and NFTs
• Family office philanthropic event programming

Key Connections:

• Paddle8 Holdings LLC (acquired Feb 2022)
• Alti Exchange (acquired Mar 2022)
• Winterthur Medien AG / Jakota Capital AG (development contract)

Corporate Structure:

Good Cause Capital AG (Swiss Holding)
              |
              +-- Paddle8 Holdings LLC (New York)
                      +-- European Subsidiary
                      +-- Alti Exchange

Questions Raised:

• Relationship to Jakota Capital AG and Winterthur Medien AG
• Why a philanthropy-focused company pivoted to non-functional NFT bidding
• Swiss holding structure regulatory implications

Mousse Partners

Family office managing the Wertheimer/Chanel fortune ($90B AUM). Lead investor in Paddle8 Series A. Participated in Rothschild & Co privatization (February 2023).

Key Connections:

• Wertheimer Family (Chanel owners)
• The Carlyle Group (staff backgrounds)
• Soros Fund Management (staff backgrounds)
• Rothschild & Co (2023 privatization investor)

Intelligence Significance:

• Staff pipeline from Carlyle Group (CIA-connected)
• GIC (Singapore sovereign wealth fund)
• Soros Fund Management

The Carlyle Group

Global private equity firm ($441B AUM) with deep intelligence and defense industry connections. David Rubenstein named as central figure in targeting network.

Key Connections:

• David Rubenstein (co-founder, V2K-named figure)
• Frank Carlucci (former CIA deputy director)
• George H.W. Bush (former advisor)
• Defense industry investments (United Defense, Vought Aircraft)
• Bin Laden family (pre-9/11 investors)

Significance:

• Staff connections to Mousse Partners
• Intelligence community origins
• Defense contractor ownership

Rothschild & Co

Global financial advisory and private banking firm controlled by the Rothschild family. Taken private February 2023 with Mousse Partners participation.

Key Connections:

• Rothschild Family
• Mousse Partners (privatization investor)
• Named in V2K communications

Network:

• Mousse Partners → Rothschild & Co → Carlyle Group → David Rubenstein
• Direct connection to Paddle8 investment network

Soros Fund Management

Private investment firm and family office of George Soros (~$25B family assets). Staff connections to Mousse Partners. Direct connection to Polish media through Pluralis B.V. investment.

Key Connections:

• George Soros (founder)
• Open Society Foundations (political influence)
• Mousse Partners (staff backgrounds)
• Pluralis B.V. (Dutch investment fund - MDIF/SEDF investors)
• Gremi Media (40% owned via Pluralis)
• Grzegorz Hajdarowicz (Bilderberg 2018, Polish media mogul)

Network:

• Part of the Mousse Partners staff pipeline
• Connected to Paddle8 investment network
• Direct Polish media influence through Pluralis → Gremi Media

Pluralis B.V.

Dutch investment fund that acquired 40% of Gremi Media (December 2021). Investors include Soros-connected funds MDIF and SEDF, giving Soros influence over major Polish media outlets including Rzeczpospolita.

Key Connections:

• George Soros (via MDIF and SEDF)
• Gremi Media (40% stake)
• Grzegorz Hajdarowicz (60% owner, Bilderberg 2018)
• Mediahuis (European media group, partner)

Significance:

• Direct Soros influence over Polish media
• Connection to Nobias European Studios through Hajdarowicz
• Part of broader Soros media investment strategy

C Capital

APAC-focused private markets platform established 2017 with US$1.2 billion+ AUM. Invests in venture to growth-stage companies across consumer tech, deep tech, and emerging technology. Connected to GS.Finance via C Ventures Fund link.

Key Connections:

• Adrian Cheng (founder)
• Ferrari Family (investors)
• GS.Finance (Swiss partner via C Ventures Fund)
• 16 unicorn companies in portfolio
• 40+ portfolio companies

Featured Portfolio Companies:

• Nothing - Consumer electronics (co-led Series B, 2021)
• Casetify - Customized tech accessories (2021)
• Agile Robotics - Robotic technology (led Series A, 2020)
• Agibot - AI robotics (2023)
• Biren - Semiconductors/HKSE listed (2021)
• XPeng - Smart EVs (2018)
• Little Red Book/RedNote - Social media/e-commerce (2018)
• Lalamove - On-demand delivery (2021)
• Full Truck Alliance - Digital freight (2018)
• RTFKT - Digital fashion/NFTs, Nike-owned (2021)
• Fortitude - Renewable energy (2024)
• Summer Farm - Technology (2024)
• Leadrive - EV power solutions (2023)

Office Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Zurich, Sydney

GS.Finance

Swiss financial services firm based in Zug (Crypto Valley). Discovered connection to C Capital via C Ventures Fund link during crawler analysis (13.08.2024).

Key Connections:

• C Capital (via C Ventures Fund link)
• Nexway, Elkstone Partners, Heuking (external partners)
• Centralis Group, Finartis, Ocorian (service providers)
• Zug, Switzerland location (cryptocurrency hub)

Discovery: Connection found in ARK crawler data from 13.08.2024