ABLV Bank was one of the largest
private bank
Private banks are banks owned by either the individual or a general partner(s) with limited partner(s). Private banks are not incorporated. In any such case, creditors can look to both the "entirety of the bank's assets" as well as the entire ...
s in the
Baltic States
The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern co ...
, headquartered in
Riga
Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...
, Latvia with representative offices abroad from 1993 to 2018.
Following accusations of
money laundering
Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds i ...
by the
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the Treasury, national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current United States federal executive departments, U.S. government departments.
...
and continued pressure from national regulatory agencies, on 26 February 2018 the ABLV board voted to start the process of
voluntary liquidation
Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a Company (law), company is brought to an end. The assets and property of the business are redistributed. When a firm has been liquidated, it is sometimes referred to as :wikt:wind up#Noun, w ...
.
The liquidation plan was approved on June 12.
ABLV had three primary lines of business:
private banking
Private banking is a general description for banking, investment and other financial services provided by banks and financial institutions primarily serving high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) – those with very high income or substantial asset ...
,
investment
Investment is traditionally defined as the "commitment of resources into something expected to gain value over time". If an investment involves money, then it can be defined as a "commitment of money to receive more money later". From a broade ...
and
financial planning
In general usage, a financial plan is a comprehensive evaluation of an individual's current pay and future financial state by using current known variables to predict future income, asset values and withdrawal plans. This often includes a budg ...
.
History
The bank was founded on 17 September 1993 on the basis of the
Bank of Latvia regional branch in the city of
Aizkraukle, thus the bank was named ''Aizkraukles Banka''.
The path in the top three of the largest banks of Latvia
In 1995, there were changes made to the bank's shareholding structure: and (also Oleg Fil), became the bank's shareholders and executives. Also in 1995, the bank started expanding its activities and founded a branch in Riga.
In the following years, the bank worked in the field of providing services to foreign customers, offering them various banking products, mainly related to funds transferring service.
In 2002 the ''AB.LV'' trademark was created.
In 2004, the bank focused on developing a second line of its primary activities — investment management. Two subsidiary companies were founded: ABLV Asset Management, IPAS, dealing with investment management, and ABLV Capital Markets, IBAS, which provided brokerage services.
In 2008, the bank adopted a new strategy, emphasizing development of bespoke financial solutions for customers. Since 2009, the bank offered a third line of services — advisory on asset protection and structuring.
In 2011 the bank's name was changed to ''ABLV Bank''.
The new brand and name was intended for increasing association with the chosen lines of business, strengthening the bank's reputation internationally, meanwhile retaining links to the former brand.
In 2012, ABLV Bank Luxembourg subsidiaries received a license for banking activities in
Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
.
In 2013, ABLV Bank celebrated its 20th anniversary, and a representative office was opened in
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
. ''
Euromoney
''Euromoney'' is an English-language monthly magazine focused on business and finance. First published in 1969, it is the flagship production of Euromoney Institutional Investor plc.
History and profile
''Euromoney'' was first published in 19 ...
'' magazine recognized ABLV Bank as the best bank of Latvia.
The group continued to grow and by 2021, ABLV Group consisted of several companies — ABLV Bank, ABLV Bank Luxembourg, ABLV Asset Management, ABLV Capital Markets, ABLV Corporate Services, ABLV Consulting Services, and Pillar Holding Company. Financial indicators as at 31 December 2012:
* Net profit of ABLV Group amounted to EUR 23,4 million.
* Total amount of deposits with ABLV Bank equaled EUR 2.66 billion.
* Amount of ABLV Bank assets totaled EUR 3.04 billion.
In 2014, ABLV Bank started to be directly supervised by the
European Central Bank
The European Central Bank (ECB) is the central component of the Eurosystem and the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) as well as one of seven institutions of the European Union. It is one of the world's Big Four (banking)#International ...
in liaison with the National Regulator – the Financial and Capital Market Commission (FCMC, FKTK) within the framework of
European Banking Supervision
European Banking Supervision, also known as the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM), is the policy framework for the prudential supervision of banks in the euro area. It is centered on the European Central Bank (ECB), whose supervisory arm is re ...
.
In 2015 ABLV group opened a representative office in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
.
2016, an exporter support organization - ''The Red Jackets'' - recognized the bank as one of the best Latvian exporter brands. In terms of assets and turnover, the Bank entered the top three in Latvia after
Swedbank
Swedbank AB is a Swedish multinational banking group headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. It operates primarily in the Nordic and Baltic regions, offering services such as retail banking, asset management and other financial services. Swedbank ...
and
SEB. ABLV Bank bonds were quoted on the list of securities exchange
Nasdaq Riga
The Nasdaq Riga, formerly Riga Stock Exchange, is the sole stock exchange operating in Riga, Latvia. It is owned by Nasdaq, which also operates exchanges in the USA, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Armenia, Lithuania, and Estonia. Established ...
.
In 2016, the United States Department of Justice alleged that
Gulnara Karimova
Gulnara Islamovna Karimova (Cyrillic Uzbek: ; , ; born 8 July 1972) is a former Uzbek businesswoman and the elder daughter of Islam Karimov, the president of Uzbekistan from 1991 to his death in 2016. She wielded considerable influence in Uzbeki ...
fraudulently received $800 million and some of it had been through ABLV Bank and
Parex Bank
Parex Bank was a Latvian bank founded in 1992 by Valērijs Kargins and as a privately owned full-service banking company in Riga, Latvia that was very dominant in currency exchange in the 1990s. It had local and international clients in both ...
for companies linked to her by three telecommunications operators in
Uzbekistan
, image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg
, image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg
, symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem
, national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...
.
In 2017, Sally Painter of ''Blue Star Strategies'' and who had previously worked at
Parex Bank
Parex Bank was a Latvian bank founded in 1992 by Valērijs Kargins and as a privately owned full-service banking company in Riga, Latvia that was very dominant in currency exchange in the 1990s. It had local and international clients in both ...
allegedly intermediated a secret payment from Latvia to
Anders Aslund, who was on the
Atlantic Council
The Atlantic Council is an American think tank in the field of international affairs, favoring Atlanticism, founded in 1961. It manages sixteen regional centers and functional programs related to international security and global economic prosp ...
, for him to write an article which stated that ABLV Bank had not been involved in money laundering.
Previously in 2011, Dombrovskis and Aslund were authors of a book which praised Dombrovskis role at ABLV Bank and falsely denounced Sweden for the collapse of ABLV Bank.
Bank liquidation
Since 2018, ABLV is in voluntary liquidation.
On February 13, 2018, the FinCEN ( Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the US Department of Treasury) published a message with a variety of accusations against ABLV — from suspicions of complicity in money laundering and avoiding currency controls to assisting North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
in implementation of its nuclear program. Despite the fact that the "accused" had the right to reasonably respond to this message within 60 days, which was done in April 2018 by FinCEN
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is a bureau within the United States Department of the Treasury that collects and analyzes information about financial transactions to combat domestic and international money laundering, terrori ...
. On February 24, 2018, the European Central Bank (ECB) announced that ABLV will be liquidated in accordance with the laws of Latvia
Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
.
The Latvian authorities chose not to capitalize the bank, and Finance Minister Dana Reizniece-Ozola
Dana Reizniece (born November 6, 1981) is a Latvian politician and chess player. She has been managing director of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) since 2021. She also served as minister of Economics (2014–2016) and minister of Fina ...
and Prime Minister Māris Kučinskis were quick to declare that the liquidation of the bank would not harm the economy; at the same time, the Luxembourg Commercial Court rejected the request of the Luxembourg regulator to liquidate ''ABLV Bank Luxembourg''.
In the report of the lawyers of the American branch of the international company WimerHale, attracted by the bank, it was indicated that FinCEN
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is a bureau within the United States Department of the Treasury that collects and analyzes information about financial transactions to combat domestic and international money laundering, terrori ...
not only failed to prove the accusations against the Latvian bank, but did not even study the money laundering prevention system created in the bank and ignored its significant improvements in recent years. The letter was signed by David Cohen, former CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
Deputy Director and Comptroller of FinCEN
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is a bureau within the United States Department of the Treasury that collects and analyzes information about financial transactions to combat domestic and international money laundering, terrori ...
, now a partner at WilmerHale.
In July 2022, Latvian prosecutors charged ABLV Bank's co-owner and CEO, Ernests Bernis, former deputy CEO, Vadims Reinfelds, and others with money laundering
Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds i ...
. The indictment alleged that, starting in 2010, Bernis led an organized crime group that utilized shell firms incorporated and administered by International Overseas Services to launder illicit funds. The bank's division, ABLV Corporate Services, was accused of helping cover up the illegal activities.
On September 26, 2024, FinCEN
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is a bureau within the United States Department of the Treasury that collects and analyzes information about financial transactions to combat domestic and international money laundering, terrori ...
submitted a notice to the Federal Register withdrawing its finding that ABLV Bank, AS is a financial institution of primary money laundering concern, as well as the related notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) seeking to impose special measure five pursuant to section 311 of the USA PATRIOT Act (section 311).
Shareholders
The bank's controlling interest was held by Ernests Bernis (43%) and Oļegs Fiļs (43%).
Sanctions
ABLV was sanctioned by the United States for facilitating prohibited transactions for North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
. The bank has been banned from the American financial network. Bill Browder
Sir William Felix Browder, (born 23 April 1964) is an American-born English financier and political activist. He is the CEO and co-founder of Hermitage Capital Management, the investment advisor to the Hermitage Fund, which was formerly the l ...
has alleged that the bank was being used by Russians for money laundering purposes, a complaint being investigated by the European Central Bank
The European Central Bank (ECB) is the central component of the Eurosystem and the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) as well as one of seven institutions of the European Union. It is one of the world's Big Four (banking)#International ...
and the Latvian Anti-Laundering authority.
See also
* Parex Bank
Parex Bank was a Latvian bank founded in 1992 by Valērijs Kargins and as a privately owned full-service banking company in Riga, Latvia that was very dominant in currency exchange in the 1990s. It had local and international clients in both ...
* Banka Baltija
* Ūkio bankas
Ūkio Bankas was a Lithuanian commercial bank based in Kaunas. More than 50% of shares are owned by Lithuanian businessman Vladimir Romanov who therefore was in the control of the bank. It was the fifth largest and oldest private bank in Lithuani ...
* Martins Bunkus
* Daphne Caruana Galizia
Daphne Anne Caruana Galizia (; 26 August 1964 – 16 October 2017) was a Maltese writer, journalist, blogger and anti-corruption activist, who reported on political events in Malta. She was known internationally for her investigation of the Pa ...
* Pilatus Bank
* Anti-Money Laundering Authority
Notes
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Banks of Latvia
Banks established in 1993
Companies based in Riga
Latvian companies established in 1993
Defunct banks of Latvia
Banks disestablished in 2018
2018 disestablishments in Latvia
Banks under direct supervision of the European Central Bank