The billionaire founder of Revolut has been accused of hatching a “scheme” to avoid paying brokerage fees in a row over a superyacht said to cost €350m.
In new legal filings, seen by City AM, Nik Storonsky is accused by a luxury superyacht broker of “secretly negotiating” to buy the vessel “behind the back” of the company.
Cecil Wright & Partners (CWP) claims the fintech chief sidelined the company by entering direct talks with the yacht’s owner, even while an aide was actively liaising with brokers.
The firm accuses Storonsky’s representative, Alexander Chapchaev, of stringing the firm along with calls to discuss “next steps” while a direct deal was being hammered out behind the scenes.
In the new filing, which labelled Storonsky’s defence as “lengthy and repetitive”, CWP alleges the Revolut founder’s camp continued “pretending to the claimant that the defendant was not secretly negotiating… behind the Claimant’s back” as part of a “scheme to try to cut the Claimant out of the deal”.
Storonsky has argued he never indicated he wanted CWP to negotiate on his behalf and maintained he was free to strike a deal directly.
Revolut boss found superyacht’s ex-owner on ChatGPT
The superyacht, which is named Nixie, was originally commissioned by Canadian billionaire and former professional ice hockey player Patrick Dovigi, before being sold to a Brazilian individual. The buyer was arrested for alleged fraud in 2025 leading to the yacht’s ownership reverting back to Dovigi.
When Storonsky purchased the yacht directly from Dovigi, the broker argued it was cut out of the standard five per cent commission rate for a vessel of that scale. CWP estimates Storonsky paid €350m for the yacht, which means its fees would equate to €17.5m (£15m). Storonsky’s defence says the sum paid is confidential.
Storonsky’s defence contends that no brokerage contract existed and said CWP explicitly told him in writing that “commissions are always paid by the seller”.
When Dovigi insisted the broker show written proof that Storonsky had hired them and would cover their fee, CWP agreed but never asked Storonsky to sign anything, the bank boss’s lawyers said. The broker said Storonsky had already struck a deal with the seller before such a stage was reached.
Storonsky’s legal team also argues CWP acted for the seller and marketed the vessel to rival buyers.
Filings claim the Revolut boss identified Dovigi via ChatGPT and secured his direct contact through a mutual acquaintance without CWP’s help.
Storonsky’s family office declined to comment.
A spokesperson for Cecil Wright & Partners said: “We stand by our account of the events leading to Mr Storonsky’s purchase of Nixie and look forward to presenting the evidence in court.”