MoneyNetInt Under Scrutiny: European Authorities Investigate Ties to Broker and Binary Options Scams

Overview of Investigations

Regulatory bodies in Poland and other EU member states have initiated investigations into the operations of MoneyNetInt Ltd, a UK-registered payment service provider. The company is suspected of processing transactions on behalf of numerous fraudulent investment platforms, including binary options and unregulated brokers.

Several whistleblowers and affected individuals have alleged that MoneyNetInt facilitated payments through its Polish bank accounts, acting as a financial intermediary in schemes that resulted in significant investor losses.

Scam-or Project, an independent news platform focused on financial fraud, has also reported extensively on the PSP’s connections to unregulated trading schemes and highlighted its role in several high-profile investigations.

Company Information

Warnings from Financial Regulators

Regulatory agencies in Europe have previously issued public warnings linking MoneyNetInt to suspected violations of securities laws:

• The Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF) issued an investor alert regarding Tradereu.com, a broker scheme allegedly supported by MoneyNetInt. KNF also submitted a criminal complaint to the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw.

• In December 2017, Belgium’s FSMA stated that MoneyNetInt played a role in the Swiss Royal Bank (SRB) scam by processing payments on behalf of the fraudulent platform.

• As early as July 2016, MoneyNetInt’s involvement in binary options activities was publicly reported in the Times of Israel, highlighting how one investor recovered funds traced through the company’s Polish banking channels.

Involvement with Gal Barak’s Operations

MoneyNetInt also appeared as a transaction handler in schemes run by Gal Barak and his Bulgarian-based business entities (e.g., E&G Bulgaria). Victims of OptionStars and OptionStarsGlobal identified MoneyNetInt’s accounts as channels for their payments.

Barak’s financial network has been the subject of criminal investigations in Austria, Germany, and other jurisdictions, with charges ranging from money laundering to investment fraud. An EU arrest warrant has been issued for Barak. His business partner, Uwe Lenhoff, was arrested in early 2019 in a related probe.

Further Associations: ICoption, Payobin, and MigFin

MoneyNetInt has also been connected to other notorious binary options platforms such as:

• ICoption

• TitanTrade

• TradeSolid

These platforms were also linked to Payobin, a PSP founded by Eyal Nachum and Tamir Zoltovski. Email communications dated February 24–25, 2016, revealed that MoneyNetInt was directly informed of legal threats by defrauded investors and was aware of ongoing complaints. Correspondence shows MigFin warned Payobin about potential consequences involving international enforcement bodies, such as Interpol.

This chain of communication indicates that all parties had full knowledge of the nature of the operations and were not acting in good faith.

Regulatory Pressure on Payment Providers

In recent years, European regulators have intensified efforts to dismantle fraud-enabling payment ecosystems. According to investigators, fraudulent brokers could not have operated at scale without the infrastructure and services provided by PSPs like MoneyNetInt, Moneta International, and UPayCard.

These payment processors allegedly helped funnel investor funds into a network of offshore companies, personal accounts, and untraceable financial structures, effectively laundering stolen funds and making them accessible to beneficial owners.

Reports from platforms such as Scam-or Project suggest that regulatory scrutiny of such PSPs continues to intensify as authorities expand their efforts to recover funds and dismantle illicit financial networks.

Following the Money: Investigative Methodologies

Authorities are increasingly using payment trails to identify key figures behind scams. This includes:

• Analyzing transactions processed through PSPs

• Mapping account ownership and beneficiary structures

• Tracing offshore transfers and third-party intermediaries

However, successful asset recovery depends heavily on the cooperation of the payment service providers involved.

Ongoing Investigations and Legal Considerations

Investigations by Polish authorities are expected to yield new insight into how PSPs contribute to online financial fraud. While MoneyNetInt has not been convicted of any crime, the presumption of innocence remains in effect throughout the legal process.

Nevertheless, documentation and public records indicate that the company has processed payments for a wide range of unlicensed and fraudulent trading operations, suggesting its integral role in enabling such schemes.