Reborn in Russia as a Big Shot

Chapter 100 Russian Version of WeChat

Li Xiang declined Peter's offer, saying, "It is indeed a lucrative business, with long-term stability, controllable risks, and the protection of powerful figures. However, too much financial dealings with Potanin and Friedman would affect my overseas investments."

"I didn't think that much about it," Peter scratched his head and explained. "I just felt that even if it's just a simple return on investment, I should share some of the profits with you at this point."

"Natasha's second child is a daughter, and I'll soon have both a son and a daughter. Two children in three years, what more could I ask for than such a high return?" Li Xiang said sincerely, mimicking Andrei's slow speech, "We're family, we don't need to rely on interests to maintain our relationship."

Li Xiang changed the subject and resumed his normal speaking pace, "There's something you might not know: Natasha didn't immigrate; she simply changed her identity and completely severed ties with her past."

"The long-time employees who started this business with me don't know where she went. They thought we had broken up a long time ago. I don't want her and the child to receive too much attention."

"The outside world all thinks I'm just a front man for the Ivanov family. Maintaining this superficial distance and helping each other is fine."

"You are the child's uncle, and I am truly happy for you to see that you have cheered up and found your way again so quickly."

Peter was a little unsure what to say, so he paused, then changed the subject, asking, "Did Marina complain to you?"

"What?" Li Xiang asked, his face full of confusion.

"Before Andrei was released from prison, I spoke with her privately once," Peter explained. "I was afraid that Andrei would be unhappy if she found out and cause trouble for you, so I wanted her to keep a low profile."

Li Xiang proactively admitted his mistake, saying, "It's my fault; I couldn't control my lower body."

"Afterwards, I thought about it and realized that I had privately warned Marina that interfering in your family affairs was indeed a bit too much. I apologize to you and promise that it won't happen again."

Peter added, "But if Natasha ever comes to me complaining and asks me, as her brother, to get involved, I will definitely see it through to the end, and I hope you can understand."

"It was my fault after all," Li Xiang chuckled, changing the subject. "Kumarin has a lot of US dollars in cash with me. Could you find a few trustworthy people to help me exchange the money for rubles?"

"I'll go to Friedman's bank to exchange it for you. I can sell it for any amount of money." Peter wasn't afraid that Li Xiang would ask him for favors; he was afraid that Li Xiang wouldn't need his help and would just keep taking from him without being able to give anything back.

"Don't go to the bank, go to the casino," Li Xiang instructed. "Don't exchange more than 60 rubles at a time. According to the Anti-Money Laundering Law, you have to report your real name if you exchange more than 60."

"There's such a regulation? Now that foreign exchange is liberalized and there are no limits, I just exchange it directly." Peter looked astonished.

Li Xiang explained in detail: "Although the exchange rate at casinos is worse than that at banks, the regulation is lax."

"Even if you use fake documents to exchange currency, as long as they're not too obviously fake, they'll turn a blind eye and pretend they can't tell."

"In another year and a half, all these casinos in St. Petersburg will be shut down, and the companies will be gone. Where will we find those records of currency exchange? Even if someone wants to investigate in the future, there will be no way to prove it."

Peter asked suspiciously, "How much money did Kumarin give you? He was being so careful. Tens of millions?"

Li Xiang truthfully replied, "I don't know the specifics either, but I'd estimate it to be between one and two hundred million. It's hard to say where this money came from, so it's best to be careful and try not to leave any traces."

"So many!" Peter was quite shocked.

"One of their paintings sold for 60 million US dollars. If it were to be auctioned publicly, it might fetch over 100 million. So, it makes sense for them to have 100 or 200 million in cash as safe money."

Peter knew about the painting sale.

"This doesn't even include Kumarin Jr.'s frozen assets, or those in Europe. It must be close to a billion," Peter remarked. "Those big gangs really make money; there's no comparison."

Li Xiang sarcastically remarked, "You're about to sell oil, and you're still envious of those who run gangs."

Peter chuckled and said, "That's true. As long as Potanin and Friedman don't cause any problems, I can keep making money."

"Besides, this is my legal income, and I can spend it directly."

Peter revealed, "The old man confronted Potanin, saying he didn't want to be a rat and wanted to be aboveboard, otherwise this good thing wouldn't have come my way."

Exchanging currency was no problem for Peter.

You don't need to use your real identity; just find a few thugs on the street, give them some running fees, and they'll help you exchange it.

The exchanged rubles didn't need to be delivered to Li Xiang; they were deposited directly into his SkrilI account via an ATM on the street.

Although the money is entrusted to Deutsche Bank, Skril I handles the risk control himself.

If a large amount of funds enters the account, it will be deemed a risky account, and relevant asset and income certificates will be required to supplement the information.

You can just edit the image.

Self-regulation: What information is valid, and how to edit it? A smooth, seamless process.

Most importantly, even if something goes wrong in the future, SkrilI can distance herself from the situation.

Submitting false information is a personal act of the user. While financial platforms do have a regulatory obligation, their regulatory capacity is limited.

Aside from being obviously fake, it's very difficult to verify the authenticity of the information.

Of course, if the truth comes out, fines will be unavoidable.

MB itself started as a gambling payment company, and there are a lot of unclear funds involved. As long as they can maintain profitability after paying off fines, this business can continue.

Legal risks are never a matter of principle, but a matter of cost.

According to the agreement between Li Xiang and Galina, half of the funds that leave through his side will be withheld and paid out after one year.

The funds have already begun to be transferred out of Russia piece by piece through cross-border transactions.

For a user in Russia who wants to send money to a friend in the UK, the international wire transfer fee is approximately £35.

Transfer money via SkrilI with no transaction fees and instant arrival.

However, the funds were traded in a reverse transaction pattern.

Russian users pay rubles to Deutsche Bank (Russia), which then transfers the funds to British pounds through a UK-based pool.

Both sides are local remittances with no cross-border flow. SkrilI, as an intermediary, earns the exchange rate difference between the ruble and the pound.

However, if Skri Mountain wants to grow bigger, relying solely on small-amount cross-border remittances is not enough.

Li Xiang set his sights on his old friend VK.

Nevsky Prospekt, Singer House.

VKontakte's office is on the ninth floor, and Shopee's is on the seventh floor. The two companies are neighbors and are the only two internet companies in the entire building.

However, Li Xiang lived at the Hongxing Factory for a long time and didn't come here often.

"I heard you failed another course? Maybe you should drop out." Xiao Du was very well-informed.

"I had someone take my class for me, but the teacher found out, so I have to retake the exam." Li Xiang complained before getting to the point, "Let's discuss adding some new features to VKontakte, like integrating Skri Mountain I into the chat software so users can transfer money directly to each other."

Chat software + payment tool – that's the Russian version of WeChat!