- Founder of Forex Club and Libertex, Vyacheslav Taran, dies in a helicopter crash over Monaco
- The passenger for the helicopter ride canceled at the last minute
- This is the third recent death of wealthy crypto leaders, with Tiantian Kullander dying in his sleep just days ago.
Vyacheslav Taran, a 53-year-old Russian billionaire and the co-founder of trading platform Forex Club and Libertex, has died following a helicopter crash over Monaco.
Taran with his wife Olga and daughter Katya (centre). Source: Hellomonaco
The billionaire made his fortune founding these companies, and was ‘devoted to giving back to the community.’ Libertex offers a range of trading products and services, but notably offers ‘commission-free’ trading on all cryptocurrencies and crypto-based CFDs. Referred to as a ‘highly respected businessman’ in a statement given by Libertex Group, his death is untimely, to say the least – this is the third high-profile crypto leader’s death this month.
Taran was traveling from Lausanne in Switzerland to Monaco, where he has lived for over 10 years. The pilot, who was allegedly well experienced, also died during the crash over Monaco in what was reported as ‘good weather.’
Tarans’ passenger for the helicopter ride mysteriously canceled at the last minute. This has led to speculation from not just the crypto community, but even mainstream news readers who find the news suspicious. Comments sections across the internet are rife with theories.
Daily Mail readers begin to ask questions in the comments section. Source: Daily Mail
Ukrainian publication UNIAN reported, in what seems to be a now-deleted article, that Taran had ‘likely ties to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service’ and that he was ‘laundering funds through a system of cryptocurrency operations.’ However, there is no proof of this and a statement released by Taran’s wife Olga states:
“Vyacheslav with his friends created Pristaniste.me a charitable foundation for Ukrainian refugees…Vyacheslav has always actively supported Ukrainian people through his charity foundations. I urge all Western journalists who cite UNIAN.net to stop spreading the lies. My children have already been bullied because of these accusations and I am concerned for their safety.” This comes after two other suspicious deaths of crypto leaders this month. The first one was Nikolai Mushegian who co-founded MakerDAO, the system that enables the generation of cryptocurrency $DAI, a decentralised stablecoin pegged to the dollar.
Mushegian died from drowning in the sea during a beach walk, just four hours after he tweeted that secret services were going to kill him.
Tiantian Kullander was the second high-profile death. He apparently died in his sleep on the 23rd of November at just 30 years old. Kullander originally founded the Amber Group, a ‘multi-billion fintech unicorn.’
All three of these crypto business leaders were either billionaires or multi-millionaires, and they were all significant contributors to the cryptocurrency industry as we know it today.
As we await the investigation into these deaths, readers can only speculate.
On the Flipside
- MakerDAO, co-founded by the now deceased Musheigan (the first high-profile crypto death this month), has rejected proposals to invest in bonds, preferring instead to focus on increasing $DAI rewards.
Why You Should Care
Notable crypto leader deaths are always a cause for concern. While they may not affect markets directly, there is still a wider repercussion. As multiple high-profile deaths occur, public trust in the cryptocurrency industry can wane – especially as they are surrounded by conspiracies and controversies.
Updates from other early crypto founders:
Ethereum Founder Vitalik Buterin Bashes Governance Token Speculation, Calls it “Pathological”