DAREX Tier: Not applicable (digital assets service providers only)

Operating under the public brands Colibrix One and Kartiera, this dual-licensed Anglo-Maltese payment group provides critical Open Banking infrastructure (mellifera.tech) to unregulated offshore casinos. By acting as a “clean” settlement layer for anonymous, high-risk aggregators like Puretransfer, Colibrix/Mellifera effectively launders illicit gambling deposits directly into the European banking system, bypassing standard merchant category blocks.

R42 Risk Signal

• Traffic Light: 🔴 RED (Critical Risk)

• Confidence Grade: A (High – Confirmed via live API routing data, traffic analysis, and checkout footprint)

Because Mellifera is knowingly using its MFSA/FCA status to launder transaction data for blacklisted casinos, it crosses the threshold into Critical Risk.

Key Data Table

Operational Overview

Publicly, the Colibrix group markets itself as a robust B2B payment ecosystem offering merchant acquiring, corporate accounts with Maltese IBANs, and global settlement solutions. However, digital forensic analysis of its gateway (pay.clx.acq.mellifera.tech) reveals a shadow operation. The platform systematically acts as an Open Banking payment initiator for illegal offshore casinos. By utilizing licensed API connections (such as Yapily), Mellifera masks the true nature of the transaction from the consumer’s bank, validating deposits for blacklisted gambling operators.

Regulatory Framework

The ecosystem relies on top-tier European licensing as a “regulatory shield.”

• Colibrix Limited holds an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license from the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

• Mellifera Kartiera Limited holds an MFSA authorization in Malta.

• The Arbitrage: By inserting these regulated entities between the consumer’s bank and the unregulated casino, the network exploits the trust inherent in FCA/MFSA licensing to process otherwise blocked transactions.

Ownership & Executives

The corporate structure traces primarily through the UK entity. Corporate filings list Latvian national Artjoms Grivkovs as the active Person with Significant Control (PSC) holding ultimate beneficial ownership. Andrei Zayats serves as the active director. Historical directors include Aleksandrs Djugajevs and Stanislav Yoffe, establishing a strong Eastern European/Baltic management profile operating out of London and Malta.

Corporate Structure

The operation utilizes a classic dual-hub setup:

• Colibrix (UK): Secures the FCA license, principal Visa/Mastercard memberships, and serves as the primary corporate face.

• Mellifera (Malta): Operates the EU-facing infrastructure (kartiera.eu, mellifera.tech) to service European traffic seamlessly post-Brexit, utilizing SEPA networks and issuing local IBANs.

Technical Footprint

Mellifera operates a highly opaque routing system. Web traffic analysis indicates that 100% of the referral traffic to the mellifera.tech gateway originates from the known shadow-aggregator puretransfer.io. Mellifera then utilizes third-party Open Banking providers—specifically Yapily—to interface with consumer banks (like Revolut or Wise), ultimately settling the fiat to offshore shells like Paradis Tech Ltd (Canada).

Merchant/Customer Footprint

• Primary Identified Merchant: BetAlice (and related mirror domains like betalice-1110.com).

• Customer Base: Retail users in regulated EU jurisdictions, specifically Italy (where BetAlice is actively blacked out by the ADM), Germany, and the UK.

Enforcement/Litigation History

There are currently no public enforcement actions or fines levied against Colibrix Limited or Mellifera Kartiera Limited by the FCA or MFSA. They operate strictly in the gray zone, utilizing technical obfuscation to keep their high-risk processing hidden from regulatory audits. However, they are actively flagged by FinTelegram compliance intelligence.

Red Flags

• Aggregator Dependency: Relying entirely on anonymous shadow-gateways (Puretransfer) for inbound API traffic.

• Facilitating Illegal Gambling: Processing deposits for casinos operating illegally in the UK and Italy.

• API Abuse: Weaponizing third-party Open Banking providers (Yapily) to bypass bank-level gambling blocks.

• Regulatory Shielding: Using prestigious FCA/MFSA licenses to sanitize dirty fiat flows.

Merchant Due-Diligence Checklist

For B2B partners, corresponding banks, or Open Banking providers (like Yapily) dealing with Colibrix/Mellifera:

• [ ] Audit API Endpoints: Demand a full technical trace of all transactions originating from mellifera.tech to identify the ultimate merchant URL.

• [ ] Enforce Merchant of Record Rules: Ensure Mellifera is not masking the ultimate beneficiary (e.g., Paradis Tech Ltd) behind its own corporate accounts.

• [ ] Review Aggregator Contracts: Scrutinize Mellifera’s contract with Puretransfer to determine if they are performing adequate KYC on the end-merchants feeding into the system.

Evidence Box (Sources)

• UK Companies House: Record 12578874 (Colibrix Limited), detailing PSC Artjoms Grivkovs.

• MFSA Financial Register: C107685 / C 99854 (Mellifera Kartiera Limited).

• Traffic Analysis: Similarweb/Semrush data proving the 100% Puretransfer-to-Mellifera traffic loop.

• Live Checkout Data: Screenshots of BetAlice cashier routing via pay.clx.acq.mellifera.tech using Yapily Open Banking.

Update Log

• February 27, 2026: RatEx42 profile published. Risk status set to RED following confirmed involvement in the BetAlice illegal gambling network.

16) Whistle42 Call to Action

Are you an insider at Colibrix, Mellifera, or Yapily? We are investigating how FCA and MFSA-licensed entities are being hijacked to serve the offshore casino industry. If you have internal emails, compliance audit reports, or processing agreements detailing the Puretransfer or BetAlice relationship, we need your help. Submit your evidence anonymously and securely at Whistle42.