Nik Storonsky, chief executive of Revolut Ltd., acquired a superyacht priced at €350 million, or about $404 million. In the UK High Court, yacht broker Cecil Wright & Partners Ltd. claims he avoided roughly €17.5 million in commission by going around the firm and closing the purchase privately. Storonsky's lawyers denied any wrongdoing, saying the broker misled his family office and hid the identity of the previous owner.
Court filings state the yacht was initially ordered by Patrick Dovigi, who is identified as a Canadian entrepreneur and ex-ice hockey player. While it was still being built, the project was sold to a Brazilian buyer. Negotiations involving Cecil Wright later fell apart after that Brazilian ex-owner was arrested in November 2025 on fraud allegations. After the arrest, Dovigi bought the yacht back and then sold it to Storonsky.
"Mr. Storonsky was already aware that Mr. Dovigi was the previous owner of the yacht, having discovered the same through a ChatGPT search of publicly available information," his lawyer wrote. The filings add that Storonsky learned who the Brazilian owner was when the broker told him three days after the arrest. Storonsky's lawyers also argue Cecil Wright did not introduce him to Dovigi and did not negotiate the deal. The broker has previously alleged that Storonsky and Dovigi structured the sale to lower the price and avoid the commission.
"We stand by our account of the events leading to Mr. Storonsky's purchase" and "look forward to presenting the evidence in court," Chris Cecil-Wright, the firm's founder, said in an email. A Revolut spokesperson declined to comment. Lurssen and Dovigi did not respond to email requests. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index lists Storonsky as the UK's wealthiest individual and pegs his fortune at roughly $20.4 billion.
Big purchases remind us to keep a steady plan for protecting your wealth. Join Briefs Finance CEO Jaspreet Singh on September 29th for a FREE live investor workshop, How to Profit From A Dollar That's Losing its Value, where he shows how we're spotting investment opportunities as the dollar falls. Save your spot.
The case offers a window into how ultraluxury yachts trade hands, with a handful of builders, brokers and family offices managing deals worth hundreds of millions through messages and offshore entities. If you follow big-ticket assets as a sign of private wealth flows, this fight is a reminder that relationships and timing can swing the economics of a deal, even before a boat hits the water.
Thoughtful guidance helps you grow and safeguard what you have for the future. Our CEO Jaspreet Singh is hosting a FREE live investor workshop, How to Profit From A Dollar That's Losing its Value, on September 29th. Sign up free to join him live.
