The criminal trials tied to the Veltyco Cybercrime Scheme, led by the late Uwe Lenhoff, are about to begin in Germany. Many of Lenhoff’s shell companies were reportedly clients of Payvision, a once-prominent Amsterdam-based payment processor now in the process of being shut down by its parent company, ING.
While Payvision winds down operations, the fintech scene at Tesselschadestraat 12 in Amsterdam — the former headquarters of Payvision — remains active. Several companies operating from this address are under the control of Payvision’s embattled founder Rudolf Booker, including:
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SafeNed Ltd – a UK FCA-authorized payment institution;
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Fourthline B.V. – a provider of KYC and compliance solutions;
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Ardys – Booker’s personal family office.
From Fintech Darling to Liability
In April 2020, Rudolf Booker, Gijs op de Weegh, and Chen Liem Li stepped down from Payvision following its acquisition by ING. Initially bought for €360 million in 2018, Payvision soon became a liability for the Dutch banking giant. It was revealed that a large portion of the company’s transaction volume stemmed from merchants in high-risk sectors — including online gambling, adult entertainment, and alleged scam operations.
According to investigative reports, including documentation obtained by FinTelegram, ING began offloading parts of Payvision’s high-risk merchant portfolio — including those tied to porn and gambling — back to its founders at symbolic prices.
Payvision and the Lenhoff Connection
Evidence from German and Austrian law enforcement shows that Payvision, under Booker’s leadership, had close ties with Uwe Lenhoff, who died under unclear circumstances in prison in 2020. Lenhoff wasn’t just a client — he reportedly acted as a sales partner for Payvision, onboarding other cybercriminal operators like Gal Barak.
Barak was convicted in 2020 of serious financial crimes, including investment fraud and money laundering, receiving a prison sentence and an order to repay over €4 million. Together, Lenhoff and Barak allegedly laundered millions through Payvision, defrauding consumers across Europe.
The Fourthline Pivot
Previously licensed by the Dutch AFM and registered as a payment institution with De Nederlandsche Bank, Fourthline B.V. (formerly SafeNed-Fourthline B.V.) transitioned from a regulated payments firm into a compliance and identity verification provider serving other fintechs.
Fourthline is led by co-founder and CEO Krik Gunning, with Chris van Straeten serving as Chief Financial Risk Officer. Both also appear in leadership roles across other Booker-linked entities operating from Tesselschadestraat 12.
SafeNed Expands
Meanwhile, SafeNed Ltd, regulated by the UK’s FCA, continues operations under Booker, Gijs op de Weegh, and long-time associate Tony Solomon. Its subsidiaries include Safened US, Inc. (a U.S. SEC-registered broker-dealer) and Safened Deposits B.V.. Together, these firms position themselves as global liquidity and infrastructure providers for financial institutions and corporate clients.
Do You Have Information?
Were you a client, partner, or employee of Payvision or one of the Tesselschadestraat 12 fintech firms? If you have insights or documentation related to Payvision, SafeNed, Fourthline, or their legacy business dealings, we welcome your input via our confidential whistleblower system.