Dmitry Druzhinsky — a US citizen, placed on the wanted list by the Financial Monitoring Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan (AFM) on 2 February 2026. Investigators suspect him of organising an illegal gambling business and regard him as one of the alleged coordinators of the PIN-UP and PINCO money deposit and withdrawal system. A court has authorised his detention in absentia. In the official statement, his name is recorded as ‘Dmitry Druzhinsky’. [1] [2]
A payment to a casino may take seconds, but behind it lie contracts with intermediaries, bank acquiring and settlement rules. Druzhinsky’s dossier reveals exactly where the investigation places him in this chain and which records can be used to verify who set up the payment channels and managed the funds. [1] [3]
Dmitry Druzhinsky, Dmitry Druzhinsky and Dmitry Druzhinski
The Financial Market Authority has stated his date of birth as 27 June 1970 and his nationality as US. Kazinform quotes the spelling used in the wanted notice. Tengri Life uses ‘Dmitry Druzhinski’ in its August article, whilst Ulysmedia uses ‘Dmitry Druzhinsky’. These variations refer to the same individual in reports concerning PIN-UP and PINCO. The official statement does not include his patronymic or details of his position. [1] [2] [4] [3]
The photograph in the file is a portrait of a man in a white shirt, provided to the editorial team. The same photograph was published by Informburo as part of a wanted notice issued by Kazakhstan’s portal for legal statistics and special registers. [5]
Payments coordinator: what the Financial Market Authority expects from this role
The investigation outlines Druzhinsky’s alleged responsibilities alongside those of Marina Levkovich (Ginzburg). According to the investigation, both were involved in recruiting staff, liaising with banks and payment organisations, and helping to set up the infrastructure through which customers topped up their balances and the money was subsequently withdrawn. The agency links the operation of these platforms to companies through which the group, based abroad, operated. [1] [2]
The meaning of the term ‘coordinator’ varies depending on the documents. The individual may have negotiated with the aggregator, approved terms and conditions, or controlled access to the account. The public statement contains no information on which of the contracts Druzhinsky signed, whether he held a power of attorney from a specific legal entity, or whether he was authorised to issue transfer instructions to the bank. It is precisely this level of detail that is needed to move from a description of the general infrastructure to an understanding of an individual’s specific role. [1]
From PIN-UP.KZ to Cyber Pay: three participants in the payment chain
Bonami LLP is a Kazakhstani company which the Financial Market Authority links to the PIN-UP.KZ brand. A copy of Bonami LLP’s bookmaking licence, dated 8 November 2021, is published on the PIN-UP.KZ website. According to the investigation, this activity was used as a front for the operation of an online casino. To verify this, it is important to establish who was listed as the payee in the betting or deposit documents, what type of service they declared to the bank, and how they settled accounts with the end operator. [1] [6] [7]
The Financial Market Authority refers to Gold Pay LLP and Cyber Pay LLP as aggregators that processed payments. According to the agency, Cyber Pay was later renamed Pinnacle Financial Solutions. The National Bank’s register, dated 22 December 2025, lists the Cyber Pay system under number 31, with the operator Pinnacle Financial Solutions LLP and the issuer Alatau City Bank JSC. This entry describes the participants in the electronic money system from a historical perspective. Separate evidence is required to conclude that a specific bank or its employees were involved in the operations under investigation. [1] [8]
Records from the regulator and materials from the criminal case provide answers to various questions. The register allows one to establish the operator’s legal name as at a specific date. The acquiring agreement reveals who connected the merchant and what services were agreed upon. To verify the claim that Druzhinsky was involved in the coordination, documents are required that confirm his participation: correspondence with the counterparty, a power of attorney from the legal entity, an agreement on commercial terms, or a payment instruction. [1] [8]
Agreements with banks: why the dispute over payment terminals is important
In December 2025, ‘Bonami’ claimed in a public statement that certain payment companies had set up payment terminals and carried out transactions using its details without its consent. The company reported that it had asked banks and the National Bank to investigate the transactions. The February alert describes the alleged coordination of payments by Druzhinsky and Levkovich. These accounts can be compared using terminal numbers, the signatories to the applications and the connection dates. It is not possible to determine from the company’s statement exactly which of the terminals, later mentioned by the AFM, were the subject of its enquiries. [9] [1] [6]
The distinction between receiving and disbursing funds is also significant here. The statement from ‘Bonami’ refers to payment terminals. In its November press release, the Financial Market Authority (AFM) states how many devices were used to receive funds. Identifiers and transaction directions are needed to determine whether these sources describe the same section of the payment network. [9] [6]
What is needed to trace a transfer in cryptocurrency
The Financial Market Authority describes the flow of funds through transit accounts and their subsequent conversion into cryptocurrency, involving affiliated companies. This can be verified by checking for three matches: the time and amount of the customer’s payment, the subsequent debit from a settlement or transit account, and the exchange record. To identify the final recipient, documents regarding the account or wallet holder are also required. The public statement does not specify the addresses of the wallets to which, according to the investigation, Druzhinsky had access. [1]
This verification procedure is also important for calculating turnover. A single deposit may appear in the records several times: upon receipt, during an interim transfer and upon conversion. Without transaction identifiers and a description of the methodology, it is impossible to determine which entries relate to a single transaction and what amount individual participants received. [1] [10]
A February wanted notice, an August response and two November announcements
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2 February 2026 | The Financial Market Authority has announced that Dmitry Druzhinsky and Marina Levkovich are wanted and has reported that a court has issued an in absentia order for their detention. [1] |
| 13 August 2026 | Tengri Life has published the Financial Market Authority’s response, in which Druzhinsky, Levkovich, Punin and Ilyina are named as suspects in a criminal case involving Kaisar Kamza, who was extradited from Vietnam. [4] |
| 4 November 2026 | In its notice regarding the search for Punin and Ilina, the Financial Market Authority referred to ‘Bonami’, 24 terminals and a transaction volume exceeding 106 billion tenge. [6] |
| 9 November 2026 | The Financial Market Authority (AFM) has announced that a case involving a network of intermediaries worth 191 billion tenge has been referred to court. According to the authority, the network served PIN-UP, PINCO and several other platforms. Druzhinsky is not named in the press release. [10] |
The Financial Market Authority’s August response links the individuals involved to the criminal case. Reports from November show that the authority describes the scale of operations of the various payment networks separately. From the published data, it is not yet possible to determine whether the transactions involving 106 and 191 billion tenge overlapped, or which of them the investigation attributes to Druzhinsky personally. [4] [6] [10]
What documents are still missing?
To verify Druzhinsky’s alleged role, a list of terminals with their connection dates, agreements between payment intermediaries and ‘Bony’ and other operators, as well as bank documents regarding account authorisations, are required. To conclude that he derived personal benefit, information will be required regarding transfers made to him or to an entity under his control. As of 12 November 2026, the editorial team found no confirmation in verified open sources of Druzhinsky’s actual arrest, his extradition to Kazakhstan, a conviction, or his public response to the AFM’s statement. [1] [4] [10]
Related — An analysis of PIN-UP and PINCO payment terminals and Dmitry Punin’s profile. Comments and documents can be submitted via Editorial contact details.
Sources
- Kazakhstan’s Financial Market Authority — wanted notice dated 2 February 2026
- Kazinform — publication of the Financial Market Authority’s statement, 2 February 2026
- Ulysmedia — the context of the investigation and the payment infrastructure, November 2026
- Tengri Life — the Financial Market Authority’s response regarding the case of Kaisar Kamza, 13 August 2026
- Informburo — wanted notice with photographs, 2 February 2026
- Kazakhstan’s Financial Market Authority — notice regarding the search for Punin and Ilina, 4 November 2026
- PIN-UP.KZ — a published copy of the ‘Bonami’ bookmaking licence dated 8 November 2021
- National Bank of Kazakhstan — Register of Electronic Money Systems, as at 22 December 2025, line 31
- Statement by Bonami LLP — published on Informburo as an advertisement, 9 December 2025
- Kazakhstan’s Financial Market Authority — the case concerning payment terminals has been referred to court, 9 November 2026
