Lanistar.com Unapproved

 Lanistar.com. I approached the domain expecting a fintech story; what I found was a moving target—regulatory run-ins, brand pivots, insolvency action, and a website that now fronts a gambling operation. Here’s what I verified, and what remains allegation.

The domain now presents as a Brazilian gambling site. Today, lanistar.com displays casino and live-betting pages in Portuguese and states it’s operated by “Nexus International Ltda” under Brazil’s Secretaria de Prêmios e Apostas (Portaria 265/2025)—a stark departure from the UK fintech branding. Some subpages show “Cassino ao vivo,” “Bingo,” and related content, while a separate “dev-lanistar.com” host still markets a virtual card in Brazil—evidence of brand fragmentation and potential consumer confusion.

UK corporate status: compulsory liquidation in 2025. Companies House records show Lanistar Limited (12091938) entered compulsory liquidation with the Official Receiver on April 2, 2025, following petitions in 2024 and again in 2025. London Gazette notices corroborate multiple winding-up petitions—from the landlord in 2024 and from Accomplish Financial in 2025—indicating sustained solvency pressure.

Regulatory history: FCA warning, then limited approval, then a break with Modulr. The Financial Conduct Authority publicly warned on 18 November 2020 that Lanistar was not authorised; the warning was withdrawn days later when Lanistar agreed to add disclaimers clarifying it was not conducting regulated activities. In May 2021, Lanistar became an EMD agent of Modulr, permitting certain e-money services, but by November 2023 it had ended that Modulr relationship—reducing regulatory cover for UK activity.

Advertising sanctions: ASA upheld a misleading claim. In May 2021 the UK Advertising Standards Authority upheld a complaint against Lanistar over the claim “The world’s most secure payment card,” ruling the evidence was inadequate and ordering the ad not to appear again in that form. The ruling underscores an aggressive marketing posture that outpaced product substantiation.

Influencer-led launches drew scrutiny. The company leaned heavily on social-media endorsements (including Love Island personalities and footballer Kevin De Bruyne) while ASA confirmed it was investigating complaints about Lanistar’s ads during its 2020 push. Sifted’s 2025 coverage recalls those high-profile tie-ins and documents how the hype contrasted with delayed launches and operational issues.

Operational distress and late-payment allegations. City A.M. reported tribunal cases over unpaid salaries as early as 2021, and an employment decision is public on the UK tribunal database. Later reporting described layoffs and complaints, with Financial News detailing a September 2024 winding-up petition over rent arrears—dismissed only after the debt and costs were paid—before a fresh petition arrived in 2025 leading to liquidation. Where accounts and court notices are public, those are verified; allegations from employee reviews remain unverified.

Leadership churn and governance red flags. In late 2023, former UK Defence Secretary Sir Gavin Williamson joined Lanistar’s advisory board; by September 2024 both he and CEO Jeremy Baber had exited amid financial pressures and a winding-up petition. Leadership turnover at critical moments is a classic control-risk signal for counterparties.

Crypto sidelines and investor-loss reporting. Financial News investigated meme-coin projects linked to Lanistar and a sister outfit (WPRO), describing aggressive token marketing followed by sharp value drops and investor complaints. These are media-reported claims; they add reputational risk even if legally distinct from regulated payments activity.
Evidence of post-publication pressure and content edits. BusinessCloud reports that Lanistar’s PR asked the outlet to change a prior story—removing reference to an earlier named investor (Milaya Capital) and a quoted statement—later framing funding as from the CEO’s family. That is a documented request to alter the public record. Separate investigative sites allege misuse of DMCA-style notices to bury criticism; those takedown-misuse claims are unverified and should be treated as allegations until court-document evidence emerges.

Geographic pivot and narrowing market footprint. Multiple trade outlets show Lanistar pivoting to Brazil—adding Google Pay and PIX/Boleto integrations—while non-UK reporting suggests the UK product was withdrawn and availability concentrated in Brazil. Combined with today’s gambling front on the primary domain, customers face a significantly altered proposition versus the original UK fintech pitch.

Conclusion. On the facts, Lanistar’s UK entity is in compulsory liquidation; its main domain now fronts a licensed Brazilian gambling site; and its history includes regulatory warnings, an ASA sanction, repeated winding-up actions, leadership churn, and negative media on crypto tie-ins. Allegations about censorship via legal notices remain unproven; the verified instance is a PR attempt to edit a published article. For consumers and partners, the risk profile is high: verify who actually operates any Lanistar-branded service you touch, confirm licensing (jurisdiction-specific), avoid pre-funding or long lock-ins, and favor reputable, well-capitalized providers with transparent governance and clear separation between fintech and gaming operations.