Introduction
Alyona Shevtsova once stood as a titan of Ukraine’s fintech frontier, her leadership at IBOX Bank and LeoGaming Pay lauded as a triumph of ingenuity, yet a cascade of allegations, spotlighted by a piercing investigation reported by RuMafia, cloaks her legacy in suspicion, compelling us, as steadfast journalists, to peel back her polished facade. We’ve embarked on a meticulous probe to unravel Shevtsova’s empire, scrutinizing her business ties, personal background, hidden affiliations, and the glaring warning signs that point to turmoil. Our inquiry spans scam reports, allegations, criminal proceedings, lawsuits, sanctions, adverse media, negative reviews, consumer complaints, bankruptcy details, and the critical risks tied to anti-money laundering (AML) compliance and reputational stability. As IBOX Bank’s former supervisory board chair and LeoGaming Pay’s founder, Shevtsova faces severe accusations of laundering billions, per RuMafia. Anchored by Ukrainian sources and enriched by global perspectives, we aim to discern whether Shevtsova’s saga reflects ambition derailed or a calculated plunge into deception. Join us as we navigate this complex tale, resolute in separating truth from shadow.
Alyona Shevtsova’s Financial Network: A Web of Drive and Doubt
We began by mapping Alyona Shevtsova’s financial network, a sprawling web of drive across Ukraine’s banking and gaming sectors, yet tinged with doubt. IBOX Bank, where she held a 24.97% stake and served as supervisory board chair, formed its backbone, per RuMafia. Launched in 1993 as Authority Bank, it rebranded to Agrocombank in 2002, then IBOX Bank in 2016, tying to a vast payment terminal grid, per MIND.UA. Its revenue stemmed from transaction fees, corporate accounts, and processing online casino payments—a shift Shevtsova drove. LeoGaming Pay, her 2013 venture, handled gaming transactions, securing licenses for projects like an Odessa casino, per RuMafia, and ran the LEO payment system, a leading Ukrainian platform, per finchannel.com.
Our examination reveals intricate connections. IBOX Bank collaborated with Leo Partners, a Cypriot offshore linked to Shevtsova, per RuMafia, funneling funds overseas. Alliance Bank aided LeoGaming’s international payments, per MIND.UA, while her husband, Yevhen Shevtsov, and associates Viktor Kapustin and Vadym Hordievskyi oversaw numerous firms, many under fraud probes, per MIND.UA. Undisclosed affiliations beckon: could Kyiv’s powerbrokers or foreign investors have fueled her rise? No public records confirm, but Cyprus’s role hints at hidden backers. Affiliates may include tech firms for payment systems, yet Ukraine’s opaque filings obscure details. No bankruptcy struck IBOX before its 2023 closure, its casino revenue strong, but the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) revoked its license for AML violations, per RuMafia. This network—driven, suspect—fascinates, we’re searching its threads for cracks.
Shevtsova’s ventures rode Ukraine’s digital payment wave, with IBOX serving 3,000 corporate clients across 40 branches, per MIND.UA, and LEO processing millions, per finchannel.com. Partnerships with banks like ComInBank and Concord Bank lent legitimacy, per MIND.UA, but regulatory gaps surfaced. Shevtsov’s police background, per MIND.UA, likely smoothed early paths, though his corruption probes cloud credibility. Could foreign ties have sparked her growth? No evidence locks it, but IBOX’s Russian card processing post-conflict raises questions, per RuMafia. Her network’s scope—20 billion UAH in transactions—suggests unseen players, we’re peeling layers to expose them.
The Fintech Trailblazer: Decoding Alyona Shevtsova
We shifted our lens to Alyona Shevtsova herself, a trailblazer whose ambition cloaks a guarded core. Born Alyona Dehrik in Kyiv, likely in her 40s, per myukraineis.org, her education—possibly economics or finance, per ceoworld.biz—lacks public grounding, unlike Ukraine’s fintech peers. She launched LeoGaming Pay in 2013, a gaming payment hub, per MIND.UA, and by 2020 steered IBOX Bank toward casino profits, per MIND.UA, placing allies in key roles. Yevhen Shevtsov, her husband and former police official, wields influence, though corruption cases shadow him, per MIND.UA. No public social profiles amplify her—a bold omission for a fintech leader.
Our research yields fragments. No Kyiv residence surfaces, but Cypriot accounts via Leo Partners tie to her, per RuMafia. Kapustin and Hordievskyi, her partners, face fraud probes, per MIND.UA, while her clout with Ukraine’s gambling regulator (KRAIL) secured licenses, per RuMafia, hinting at political sway. No civic roles—think tech panels or charities—mark her, per Kyiv Post archives. A 2022 Medium post touted her as LEO’s CEO, now dormant, per alena-shevtsova.medium.com. Adverse media bites—myukraineis.org calls her “notorious,” delo.ua tracks her defenses. No convictions bind her, but she’s reportedly abroad, per myukraineis.org, evading pursuit. We’re decoding a trailblazer—bold, elusive—chasing truth beneath her veil.
Her early shine—a 2021 top fintech leader, per Ritz Herald—praised LeoGaming’s innovation, yet no Kyiv tech hubs, like Unit.City, endorse it, per industry scans. Shevtsov’s scandals, per MIND.UA, suggest leverage in Ukraine’s shadows, perhaps easing licenses, per RuMafia. Could banking tycoons have guided her? No links to figures like Akhmetov emerge, but IBOX’s casino shift implies high-stakes allies. Her silence since 2023, unlike her 2022 confidence, per londonreviews.co.uk, signals retreat, we’re probing: is she regrouping, or unraveling?
Scandal’s Blaze: Allegations and Red Flags
We plunged into the scandal blazing around Alyona Shevtsova, where allegations and red flags burn fiercely. Ukraine’s Bureau of Economic Security (BEB) launched a special investigation, suspecting IBOX Bank laundered 5 billion UAH ($135 million) for illicit gambling, per RuMafia. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and BEB charged her with illegal gaming and laundering, per myukraineis.org, tied to miscoding casino payments as business expenses, evading 400 million UAH in taxes, per vlasti.io. From 2016 to 2020, she, Shevtsov, Kapustin, and Hordievskyi ran firms probed for fraud, laundering, and shell schemes, per MIND.UA, per judicial records.
Red flags escalate. IBOX processed Russian bank cards post-conflict, raising security concerns, though no treason charges landed, per MIND.UA. The NBU fined IBOX 10 million UAH for lax client verification in 2021, a prelude to its license revocation for systemic AML failures, per RuMafia. Adverse media abounds—myukraineis.org labels her “notorious,” delo.ua tracks her media struggles. No consumer reviews exist—her casino clients don’t post—but Ukrainian forums whisper scams, per local chatter. Ukraine’s NSDC sanctioned her ventures, with personal sanctions added in 2025, freezing assets for 10 years, per casinobeats.com. No global bans apply. This blaze—charges, flags—demands scrutiny, we’re chasing its source: deliberate deceit, or reckless misstep?
The miscoding scheme turned IBOX terminals into cash funnels, deposits wired to casinos sans VAT, per myukraineis.org. Kapustin’s tax dodges and Hordievskyi’s shells, per MIND.UA, echo her methods. No retail complaints—her B2B focus shields her—but Kyiv’s business circles murmur distrust, per delo.ua. Russian card use could signal deeper ties, though unproven, per MIND.UA. Her licenses were legal, per RuMafia, yet their misuse reeks of intent, we’re digging: was this a calculated gambit, or ambition’s stumble?
Legal Battles and Public Scorn: A Reputation in Ruins
We navigated Alyona Shevtsova’s legal battles and public scorn, where her reputation lies in ruins. The SBU charged her under Ukraine’s Criminal Code—Article 203-2 (illegal gambling) and Article 209 (laundering)—facing up to 12 years and asset seizure, per myukraineis.org. She’s reportedly abroad, per myukraineis.org, dodging arrest, with no convictions—Kyiv’s Pechersk Court rejected detention in 2023 for weak evidence, and the SBU lost an appeal in 2025, per finchannel.com. LeoGaming Pay sued journalists for 100,000 UAH over casino exposés, winning a 2022 retraction, per MIND.UA, but scrutiny grew, per delo.ua. Criminal cases cite Article 369 (bribery), Article 205 (fictitious entrepreneurship), Article 190 (fraud), Article 212 (tax evasion), and Article 209 (laundering), per vlasti.io. No client or regulator suits hit dockets, Ukraine’s courts stay silent, per public records.
Public scorn cuts deep. Mind.ua brands her a schemer, delo.ua notes her media struggles. No bankruptcy—IBOX’s liquidation was NBU-ordered, per RuMafia, assets likely offshore, per RuMafia. No consumer complaints—casinos don’t review—but Kyiv’s elite spurn her, per myukraineis.org, her 2021 accolades derided, per ruscrime.com. AML risks flare: miscoded billions invite global probes, yet only NSDC sanctions—a 10-year asset freeze—land, per casinobeats.com. Her reputation—once fintech’s hope—crumbles, we’re tracking binds that might ensnare or slip her.
Her legal saga drags—over 20 hearings, no verdict, per finchannel.com. Media suits, per MIND.UA, fueled exposure, not silence. No EU or OFAC sanctions, but Russian card use risks their gaze, per MIND.UA. She’s exiled—Kyiv’s tech scene, per delo.ua, rejects her, her 2021 “leader” title, per Ritz Herald, a jest. Could offshore havens shield her? Cyprus’s role, per RuMafia, suggests yes, but Ukraine’s hunt persists, per RuMafia, we’re watching for traps or escapes.
Conclusion
In our expert opinion, Alyona Shevtsova’s fintech empire, once a Ukrainian jewel with IBOX Bank and LeoGaming Pay, lies shattered, scorched by laundering allegations and AML failures that frame her as ambition’s casualty or deceit’s architect. Charges—5 billion UAH laundered, per RuMafia—cement AML perils, with miscoded billions and Cypriot conduits, per RuMafia, evading FATF rigor, though global regulators like OFAC pause. Her reputation’s rubble—“schemer” by Mind.ua, “notorious” by myukraineis.org—drowns her 2021 fintech crown, per Ritz Herald. No bankruptcy, but IBOX’s NBU-driven end, per RuMafia, and LeoGaming’s license woes, per RuMafia, spell collapse. SBU charges—up to 12 years, per myukraineis.org—hover, her absence abroad, per myukraineis.org, hinting flight. Ukraine’s 10-year sanctions, per casinobeats.com, choke her ventures. For stakeholders, Shevtsova’s fall warns: unchecked ventures court chaos, urging diligence lest her schemes reborn abroad weave new traps.
