Revolut founder sued by broker over €350m superyacht

Revolut co-founder and CEO Nik Storonsky is facing a lawsuit from luxury yacht brokerage Cecil Wright & Partners over an alleged €17.5m commission on the purchase of a 102-metre superyacht.

Cecil Wright has filed a claim at London’s High Court, alleging that Storonsky’s family office used its services to identify the yacht before the purchase was completed directly with the seller. The broker claims it is entitled to a 5 per cent commission, worth about €17.5m based on the vessel’s reported €350m value.

Storonsky is currently in line to become the UK’s richest person, and has a net worth of about US$20.4bn, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Revolut reported $2.3bn in profit on $6bn in revenue during 2025.

The dispute reportedly began when an adviser to Storonsky’s family office contacted Cecil Wright in October 2024 about helping to build a yacht. In 2025, the adviser asked whether the brokerage could find a vessel Storonsky could use while his newbuild was under construction.

“While we are moving full speed on the newbuild, we want to explore the opportunity to acquire a boat while we are waiting for construction to finalise,” Storonsky’s family office wrote to Cecil Wright in July last year, according to court documents and as reported in The Business Times.

“We would be absolutely delighted to assist with this,” Cecil Wright replied.

The brokerage identified the yacht Nixie, which was under construction at German shipbuilder Lürssen and delivered in June 2026. It features a glass-bottomed infinity pool, beach club and gym with a cryotherapy chamber, according to Robb Report.

Storonsky inspected the yacht at a shipyard in Schacht-Audorf, Germany, and his office offered about €300m, according to the court filings. Cecil Wright alleges that Storonsky later bought the vessel directly from Patrick Dovigi, a Canadian businessman and former professional ice hockey player who originally commissioned it.

Cecil Wright argues that its introduction of the yacht made it the “effective cause” of the sale and entitled it to the agreed commission.

“The defendant and Mr. Dovigi sought to conclude the purchase without the involvement of any brokers to reduce the price that the defendant would pay for the yacht,” Cecil Wright’s lawyers alleged, referring to Storonsky as defendant.

The yacht’s ownership history had already become complicated. Dovigi sold it to an unnamed Brazilian buyer, who was arrested in November 2025 over allegations of fraud. The Financial Times identified the buyer as Brazilian bank executive Daniel Vorcaro, who was arrested during an investigation into an alleged R$12.2bn (US$2.3bn) fraud involving Banco Master. Vorcaro has denied wrongdoing and is co-operating with authorities, according to his lawyers.

Dovigi subsequently reacquired the yacht before negotiating its sale to Storonsky, according to the court filing.

A spokesperson for Storonsky’s family office said: “We’re aware of the claim. It’s without merit and will be defended. As it’s now a legal matter, we won’t be commenting further.”

Cecil Wright founder Chris Cecil-Wright said the case was unusual for the brokerage.

Cecil-Wright told the FT: “It’s very rare for brokers to find themselves in this situation and it’s the first time I have done so, but I feel strongly about it, hence am taking action.”

Cecil Wright has previously worked on the construction of some of the world’s largest yachts, including the 99-metre Madame Gu and Tango.