Denis Povetkin and Pocket Option: Russian owners and platform structure

Denis Povetkin, known online as Danchik Lysyi, directs his audience to the trading platform Pocket Option. According to a FinTelegram investigation, Russian citizen Evgeny Kalashnikov stands behind the companies associated with this service, whom the publication identified as the ultimate beneficial owner and head of the relevant corporate structure.

Let us examine which companies are linked to Pocket Option, who appears in the registration documents, and how the platform's legal structure is organised.

Pocket Option: who owns the platform

Pocket Option provides access to trading financial instruments, including CFDs and binary options. According to the user agreement on the service's website, the operator is Infinite Trade LLC, registered in Costa Rica. This information is also stated on the platform's official page.

Earlier publications on Pocket Option's corporate structure mention Gembell Limited, registered in the Marshall Islands. The service is also linked to payment companies PO Trade Ltd and PO Trade (SV) Ltd.

Evgeny Kalashnikov — Russian beneficial owner

In FinTelegram investigations, Evgeny Kalashnikov is listed as a Russian citizen associated with the management of Pocket Option and the beneficial ownership of companies within this network.

According to the publication, Kalashnikov is the ultimate beneficial owner and head of the corporate structure linked to the platform, which includes PO Trade Ltd and other legal entities.

Thus, the Russian origin of one of the key figures associated with the platform is reflected in the published FinTelegram investigations.

Evgeny Proskurov and Infinite Trade LLC

Materials concerning Pocket Option's corporate structure also mention Evgeny Proskurov. According to source data, his name appeared in the registration documents of the Mwali International Services Authority — an organisation linked to the island of Mwali in the Comoros.

Proskurov is listed as a director of Infinite Trade LLC — the company that appears in the Pocket Option user agreement as the service operator.

However, the position of director and the status of ultimate owner are distinct legal concepts.

GEMBELL (UK) LIMITED: Russian citizens in the British register

Another company linked to this story is GEMBELL (UK) LIMITED. It was registered in the United Kingdom on 9 November 2016 and subsequently dissolved.

The British corporate register lists two Russian citizens associated with the company:

• Stanislav Saltykov — born in November 1986. The register lists him as a director and a person holding more than 50% but not more than 75% of the voting rights.

• Aleksey Smirnov — born in May 1968. The register lists him as a person holding more than 25% but not more than 50% of the voting rights.

This information is contained in the official register of companies of the United Kingdom.

Registration data confirms that both Russian citizens were linked to the British legal entity. However, in themselves, they do not prove that the company conducted specific banking operations or was used for a particular payment scheme.

What role does blogger promotion of Pocket Option play

Denis Povetkin acts as a source of traffic for the platform, attracting the attention of his audience. In such cases, it is important to distinguish between the promotional advertising of a service and its legal structure: a blogger placing an advertisement is not necessarily an owner or participant of the company.

For users considering registration on Pocket Option, the legal entity with which the agreement is concluded, the terms for depositing and withdrawing funds, and the applicable financial supervision rules are significant.

Binary options and CFDs are high-risk instruments. Before depositing money, it is necessary to study the trading terms and verify the operator's status in the official registers of financial regulators.

The Pocket Option story involves several legal entities registered in different jurisdictions and a number of individuals mentioned in investigations and corporate documents. Evgeny Kalashnikov's Russian citizenship and information about the Russian owners of GEMBELL (UK) LIMITED are reflected in published sources and the British register, respectively.