Tag: Lord Agnew

A secretive Austrian billionaire controls the UK FinTech unicorn Starling Bank. In June 2015, the reclusive Austrian investor Harald McPike-Zima met its founder, Anne Boden, aboard his yacht in the Bahamas to discuss his investment in the then freshly squeezed neobank. McPike allegedly made his first fortune as professional blackjack player. The former hedge fond manager reportedly invested at least £133m in Starling Bank for nearly two-thirds of the shares and is the controlling person and beneficial owner of Starling Bank says the UK Companies House.

The Guardian reported that Lord Agnew dramatically quit on Monday as a minister at the Treasury and Cabinet Office. In his resignation letter to Boris Johnson, Agnew revealed that a critical piece of legislation, the economic crime bill, had been rejected. He described the decision as "foolish." The bill included measures to improve the UK Companies House including a public register of beneficial ownership, revealing the individuals behind companies. Stricter laws on fraud should end the "McMafia-style legislation."