Sebastian Sinclair

<div id="highlights-block_62faff04e74a5" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>BBC chair Richard Sharp reportedly invested in a blockchain company linked to a now-sanctioned Russian oligarch</li>
 <li>Sharp is not considered to have breached the UK&#8217;s current sanctions nor to have committed any wrongdoing</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



Richard Sharp, chair of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), reportedly made investments three years ago into a crypto firm linked to a now-sanctioned Russian oligarch.



According to a report by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/aug/14/offshore-firm-links-bbc-chair-to-sanction-hit-russian-nickel-king" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Guardian</a> on Monday, Sharp funded Swiss crypto company Atomyze throughout 2019. Atomyze was founded by billionaire Vladimir Potanin, also known as &#8220;Nickel King.&#8221;



The <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-sanctions-russias-second-richest-man" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UK government</a> sanctioned Potanin — one of Russia&#8217;s richest men — in June for continuing to &#8220;amass wealth as he supports Putin’s regime&#8221; following the country&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine in February.



Sharp&#8217;s unreported investments into Atomyze came via Cayman Islands company ABCP GP Ltd, prior to his appointment at the BBC, where he was made company director for a two-month period.



The BBC&#8217;s office was contacted for comment but did not return a response by press time.



Atomyze is a blockchain platform for digitizing and tokenizing commodities including palladium, gold, silver and nickel with ties to Russia&#8217;s mining and smelting giant Nornickel.



The company is best known for becoming Russia&#8217;s <a href="https://www.cbr.ru/press/event/?id=12658" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">first crypto company</a> added to the country&#8217;s central bank list of approved digital asset operators, shortly before its invasion of Ukraine.



Sharp, a former banker with eight years of experience at JPMorgan and 23 years at Goldman Sachs, joined the BBC as its non-executive chairman in February 2021. 



While the chairman has since vacated his role at the Swiss firm, an employee of Sharp&#8217;s personal investment office sits on the board of directors, per the report.



Sharp is not considered to have breached the UK&#8217;s current sanctions nor to have committed any wrongdoing. Russia has <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61796070" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sanctioned the chair</a>, along with the BBC&#8217;s director general Tim Davie and other BBC staff, who have been refused entry into the country ever since Russia&#8217;s invasion began.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



Start your day with top crypto insights from David Canellis and Katherine Ross. <a href="https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire">Subscribe to the Empire newsletter</a>.