Unregulated foreign exchange company wound up in court
Unregulated company that provided online platform for currency market trading has been wound up following an Insolvency Service investigation.
Venice Investment Group was wound up on Tuesday 10 September by Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Mullen at the High Court in London. The Official Receiver has been appointed as liquidator.
In considering the petition to wind up the company, the court heard that Venice Investment Group was incorporated in May 2016 and advertised itself as a UK-based investment firm, providing an online platform for investors to trade in the currency market. It appears the company targeted Italian investors.
Following complaints, the Insolvency Service conducted confidential investigations into the activities of Venice Investment Group in November 2018 and found several instances of misconduct.
Venice Investment Group marketed itself to investors as an authorised company. However, it wasn’t regulated by the FCA for activities in the UK or the Stock Exchange Commission in Italy.
The investment company filed false accounts with Companies House, claiming to be dormant during a period when at least €65,000 in trades were made. The company also failed to produce its books for investigators, so the total value of investments through the platform remains unknown.
And the court heard that the company did not co-operate with investigators, failing to acknowledge any attempts to reach it. While the correspondence address of the director was the company’s registered office, all mail sent was forwarded to an address in Croatia. The company’s contact telephone number was an invalid Slovenian number and its email address was unavailable.
Five investors were successfully traced after they had invested more than €135,000 between them.
David Hill, Chief Investigator for the Insolvency Service, said:
Venice Investment Group used misleading advertising to lure investors, and targeted international clients to mislead regulators both in London and Italy. The company also failed to co-operate when Insolvency Service investigators began their proceedings.
Following this winding up order, the Official Receiver will look into the company’s affairs, including the conduct of the company’s director.
If you or your business has been affected by the actions of Venice Investment Group, contact the Official Receiver at: The Official Receiver, Public Interest Unit, 4 Abbey Orchard Street, London, SW1P 2HT. Telephone: 0207 637 1110; Email: piu.or@insolvency.gov.uk.
Notes to editors
Venice Investment Group Ltd (Company number: 10192919), registered office address 20–22 Wenlock Road, London N1 7GU.
The petition was presented under s124A of the Insolvency Act 1986 on 01 July 2019 at the High Court of Justice.
The Official Receiver was appointed as liquidator of the company on 10 September 2019 by ICCJ Mullen, a Judge of the High Court of Justice, Business and Property Courts of England and Wales.
Company Investigations, part of the Insolvency Service, uses powers under the Companies Act 1985 to conduct confidential fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies in the UK on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Further information about live company investigations is available.
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