SkyWay Group: Difference between revisions
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| key_people = Evgeny Kudriashov |
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'''SkyWay Group''' is an investment group based |
'''SkyWay Group''' is an investment group based focused on transportation.<ref name="letteraemme"/> In 2018, financial regulators in Germany, Lithuania, and five other countries, warned that SkyWay "is not registered as a financial services provider and therefore, is not allowed to provide such services in their country," or warned the public about a potential scam the company was perpetrating.<ref name="fm2018"/><ref name="Bafin"/> |
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==Railway system== |
==Railway system== |
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The SkyWay Group introduced |
The SkyWay Group introduced investment opportunities for technology they referred to as "''string transport,''" which they claimed driverless, elevated [[railcar|railcars]]<ref name="2017JulyETControversy"/> would be "strings" traveling on prestressed tensioned steel wires placed in a concrete-filled body.<ref name="onliner2016">{{cite web|last=Сидорович|first=Константин|date=5 September 2016|title=Илон Маск — чушь собачья, несите деньги мне. Белорус основал "компанию на $400 млрд" и строит под Минском "сверхскоростной" Sky Way|trans-title=Elon Musk - bullshit, bring me the money. Belarusian founded “a company for $ 400 billion” and builds a “superfast” Sky Way near Minsk|url=https://tech.onliner.by/2016/09/05/sky-way|website=Onliner|accessdate=2 April 2019}}</ref> The technology was marketed as a new type of elevated [[light rail]] [[transportation system]] where small transport units of up to 50,000 passengers per hour.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Look: The Skyway is the new transport project to beat traffic in Sharjah|url=https://gulfnews.com/uae/look-the-skyway-is-the-new-transport-project-to-beat-traffic-in-sharjah-1.67420944|access-date=2020-01-29|website=gulfnews.com|language=en}}</ref> But in 2017, government officials raised doubts about the company's ability to actually execute construction of the system and was warning investors about potential untruths.<ref name="siol2018" /> Their claims that vehicles can reach speeds of up to 500 kilometers an hour, and that costs would be 20 percent less than normal subways, were never substantiated.<ref name="BII2019">{{cite web|last=Sparaciari|first=Andrea|date=1 May 2019|title=Attaccàti al tram… Dal Pirellone a Messina, gli italiani che hanno abboccato alla fantomatica monorotaia da 500 kmh di SkyWay|trans-title=Attack on the tram… From the Pirellone to Messina, the Italians who took the SkyWay's elusive 500 kmh monorail|url=https://it.businessinsider.com/attaccati-al-tram-dal-pirellone-a-catania-gli-italiani-che-hanno-abboccato-alla-fantomatica-monorotaia-da-500-kmh-di-skyway/|publisher=Business Insider Italia}}</ref> SkyWay also claimed that this technology produces minimal gas and particle emissions, which was never proven.<ref name="siol2018" /> |
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But in 2017, government officials raised doubts about the company's ability to actually execute construction of the system and was warning investors about potential untruths.<ref name="siol2018"/> Their claims that vehicles can reach speeds of up to 500 kilometers an hour, and that costs would be 20 percent less than normal subways, were never substantiated.<ref name="BII2019">{{cite web|last=Sparaciari|first=Andrea|date=1 May 2019|title=Attaccàti al tram… Dal Pirellone a Messina, gli italiani che hanno abboccato alla fantomatica monorotaia da 500 kmh di SkyWay|trans-title=Attack on the tram… From the Pirellone to Messina, the Italians who took the SkyWay's elusive 500 kmh monorail|url=https://it.businessinsider.com/attaccati-al-tram-dal-pirellone-a-catania-gli-italiani-che-hanno-abboccato-alla-fantomatica-monorotaia-da-500-kmh-di-skyway/|publisher=Business Insider Italia}}</ref> SkyWay also claimed that this technology produces minimal gas and particle emissions, which was never proven.<ref name="siol2018"/> |
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The transport technology was being tested at the ''SkyWay EcoTechnoPark'', located in Belarus, and at the ''SkyWay Innovation Centre'', located in the United Arab Emirates.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Watch: Sharjah to open UAE’s first high-speed sky pod network|url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/transport/watch-sharjah-to-open-uae-s-first-high-speed-sky-pod-network-1.1141999|access-date=2021-01-17|website=The National|language=en}}</ref> |
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===History=== |
===History=== |
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[[File:String railway test track Ozyory.jpg|thumb|left|SkyWay test track built in Ozyory, Russia in 2001 which was later deconstructed]] |
[[File:String railway test track Ozyory.jpg|thumb|left|SkyWay test track built in Ozyory, Russia in 2001 which was later deconstructed]] |
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In 2001 a prototype of a SkyWay track was constructed in the Russian village [[Ozyory]] in [[Moscow Oblast]]. The allowable load on this track was tested |
In 2001 a prototype of a SkyWay track was constructed in the Russian village [[Ozyory]] in [[Moscow Oblast]]. The allowable load on this track was tested using a truck with iron wheels, but the site was later dismantled. A prototype was assessed in Russia in 2008 by the [[Moscow State University of Railway Engineering]] concluding that it was "not viable and unsafe".<ref name="2017JulyETControversy" /> |
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In October 2015 the SkyWay Group started constructing a test site to demonstrate 'SkyWay' technology. It is situated in [[Marjina Horka]] (about 70 km from [[Minsk]]) and is called the EcoTechnoPark.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gorka.by/?p=29392|title=Возле Марьиной Горки строят испытательный центр транспорта будущего — Пухавiцкiя навiны. Пуховичские новости. Марьина Горка. Новости Марьиной Горки|publisher=}}</ref> In 2016, a Russian government panel that evaluated the technology called it innovative, but only in theory.<ref name="2017JulyETControversy" /> A prototype of the technology reached speeds of 102 kilometers per hour in 2017.<ref name="siol2018"/> In August 2018 at the ''EcoFest'' event, there were three tracks demonstrating prototypes at this site |
In October 2015 the SkyWay Group started constructing a test site to demonstrate 'SkyWay' technology. It is situated in [[Marjina Horka]] (about 70 km from [[Minsk]]) and is called the ''EcoTechnoPark''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gorka.by/?p=29392|title=Возле Марьиной Горки строят испытательный центр транспорта будущего — Пухавiцкiя навiны. Пуховичские новости. Марьина Горка. Новости Марьиной Горки|publisher=}}</ref> In 2016, a Russian government panel that evaluated the technology called it innovative, but only in theory.<ref name="2017JulyETControversy" /> A prototype of the technology reached speeds of 102 kilometers per hour in 2017.<ref name="siol2018"/> In August 2018 at the ''EcoFest'' event, there were three tracks demonstrating prototypes at this site, one is for a vehicle with a maximum capacity of 48 people, the second was for a 14-seater vehicle, and the third is for a 6-seater vehicle.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://42.tut.by/603396|title=Струнный транспорт против журналистов и ученых. Как в Марьиной Горке прошел ЭкоФест-2018|date=5 August 2018|website=42.tut.by}}</ref> In August 2019 at the ''EcoFest'' event, guests were given rides on the prototype vehicles.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Бизнес-новость. Инновационный струнный транспорт SkyWay представили в Беларуси - YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFmP0ARAHvs |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/HFmP0ARAHvs |archive-date=2021-12-14 |url-status=live|access-date=2021-01-12|website=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref> |
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In October 2018 the SkyWay Technologies reached an agreement with the [https://srtip.ae/ Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park (SRTIP)] to build a test site at the facility for the project.<ref>{{Cite web|title=SkyWay Dubai transportation project, United Arab Emirates|url=https://www.railway-technology.com/projects/skyway-dubai/|access-date=2021-01-12|website=www.railway-technology.com}}</ref> The company launched an experimental phase of the suspended transport system and demonstrated a passenger pod on a 400 m long track in October 2019.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Gibbon|first=Gavin|date=27 October 2019|title=SkyWay project in Sharjah launches experimental phase|work=Arabian Business|url=https://www.arabianbusiness.com/transport/431543-skyway-project-in-sharjah-launches-experimental-phase|url-status=live|access-date=12 January 2021}}</ref> |
In October 2018 the SkyWay Technologies reached an agreement with the [https://srtip.ae/ Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park (SRTIP)] to build a test site at the facility for the project.<ref>{{Cite web|title=SkyWay Dubai transportation project, United Arab Emirates|url=https://www.railway-technology.com/projects/skyway-dubai/|access-date=2021-01-12|website=www.railway-technology.com}}</ref> The company launched an experimental phase of the suspended transport system and demonstrated a passenger pod on a 400 m long track in October 2019.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Gibbon|first=Gavin|date=27 October 2019|title=SkyWay project in Sharjah launches experimental phase|work=Arabian Business|url=https://www.arabianbusiness.com/transport/431543-skyway-project-in-sharjah-launches-experimental-phase|url-status=live|access-date=12 January 2021}}</ref> |
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=== Company structure === |
=== Company structure === |
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SkyWay Capital, which was launched in 2014 to self-finance transportation projects,<ref name="BII2019"/> was associated with SWIG International Ltd. and SkyWay Capital Inc. which function to collect investor funds meant to be used for rail projects.<ref name="siol2018"/> |
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The company is registered under several business names<ref>{{cite web|url=https://42.tut.by/464466|title=Со скоростью 500 км/ч. На "дорогу будущего" под Марьиной Горкой изобретатели ищут 300 млн долларов|trans-title=Inventors are looking for $ 300 million for the “road of the future” near Marina Gorka|first=Анна|last=Ермаченок|quote=The office of 'Strunnye Technologii ZAO' occupies several floors in one of the Minsk business centers|date=15 September 2015|website=42.tut.by}}</ref> including Euroasian Rail Skyway Systems Holding Ltd.,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://42.tut.by/615150|title=У бывшего сотрудника SkyWay со счета исчезли доли компании|trans-title=A former employee of SkyWay company’s shares disappeared from the account.|first=Анна|last=Ермаченок|date=16 November 2018|website=42.tut.by}}</ref> First SkyWay Invest Group Limited<ref name="GVA2017">{{cite web|url=https://www.gva.be/cnt/dmf20170922_03087744/financiele-waakhond-waarschuwt-voor-piramidefraude-van-skyway-capital|title=Financiële waakhond waarschuwt voor piramidefraude van SkyWay Capital |trans-title=Financial guard dog warns about the pyramid scheme of SkyWay Capital|website=Gazet van Antwerpen}}</ref><ref name="fsma2017">{{cite web|date=22 September 2017|accessdate=1 March 2019|url=https://www.fsma.be/en/warnings/first-skyway-invest-group-limited-skyway-capital|title=First Skyway Invest Group Limited ("Skyway Capital")|publisher=[[Financial Services and Markets Authority]]|quote=The Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) warns the public against the activities of First SkyWay Invest Group Limited (“SkyWay Capital”), a company that offers investment instruments to the public in Belgium.}}</ref> and Global Transport Investment Inc.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lrytas.lt/verslas/mano-pinigai/2018/12/20/news/lietuvos-bankas-perspeja-del-pasiulymu-investuoti-i-skyway-projektus-8629638/|title=Lietuvos bankas perspėja dėl pasiūlymų investuoti į "Skyway" projektus|trans-title=The Bank of Lithuania warns of proposals to invest in Skyway projects|quote=At the moment, various people on SkyWay Capital's web site, social networking and investor events offer funding for SkyWay Group projects by acquiring shares issued by Global Transport Investments and Euroasian Rail Skyway Systems Holding.|website=www.lrytas.lt}}</ref> incorporated in the [[British Virgin Islands]], London, and [[Saint Lucia]].<ref name="BII2019"/> It has been documented that companies in the SkyWay Group seek potential investors globally for the development of their elevated [[rail transport]] technology they refer to as ''SkyWay''.<ref name="siol2018"/> |
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=== Marketing === |
=== Marketing === |
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In addition to demonstration models at the EcoTechnoPark in Belarus, the company has exhibited its technology at trade fairs like the 3rd Singapore International Transport Congress and Exhibition (SITCE).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/gateless-gantries-suspended-trams-among-public-transport-10512540|title=Gateless gantries, suspended trams among public transport innovations on show at World Cities Summit|website=Channel NewsAsia}}</ref> The SkyWay Group markets itself primarily by promoting investment in its technology to small investors. |
In addition to demonstration models at the EcoTechnoPark in Belarus, the company has exhibited its technology at trade fairs like the 3rd Singapore International Transport Congress and Exhibition (SITCE).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/gateless-gantries-suspended-trams-among-public-transport-10512540|title=Gateless gantries, suspended trams among public transport innovations on show at World Cities Summit|website=Channel NewsAsia}}</ref> The SkyWay Group markets itself primarily by promoting investment in its technology to small investors. |
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SkyWay Group seeks investors through its website and social media.<ref name="fm2018"/> The SkyWay Group have been seeking potential investors all over the world using various forms of marketing such as [[crowdfunding]],<ref name="letteraemme"/> [[telemarketing]]<ref name="VolgaNews2017">{{cite web|url=https://gid.volga.news/article/437987.html|title=Самарцев затягивают в "высокотехнологичную" финансовую пирамиду|trans-title=Samarans are being dragged into a "high-tech" financial pyramid|first=Алексей|last=Дмитренко|website=ПокупкиСамара|accessdate=24 April 2019}}</ref> and [[multi-level marketing]].<ref name="siol2018">{{cite web|url=https://siol.net/digisvet/novice/kdo-so-rusi-ki-lovke-stegujejo-po-slovenskem-denarju-468937|first=Matic|last=Tomšič|title=Kdo so Rusi, ki lovke stegujejo po slovenskem denarju|trans-title=Who are the Russians hunting Slovenian money|website=siol.net}}</ref> It has also been documented that the SkyWay Group promote their |
SkyWay Group seeks investors through its website and social media.<ref name="fm2018"/> The SkyWay Group have been seeking potential investors all over the world using various forms of marketing such as [[crowdfunding]],<ref name="letteraemme"/> [[telemarketing]]<ref name="VolgaNews2017">{{cite web|url=https://gid.volga.news/article/437987.html|title=Самарцев затягивают в "высокотехнологичную" финансовую пирамиду|trans-title=Samarans are being dragged into a "high-tech" financial pyramid|first=Алексей|last=Дмитренко|website=ПокупкиСамара|accessdate=24 April 2019}}</ref> and [[multi-level marketing]].<ref name="siol2018">{{cite web|url=https://siol.net/digisvet/novice/kdo-so-rusi-ki-lovke-stegujejo-po-slovenskem-denarju-468937|first=Matic|last=Tomšič|title=Kdo so Rusi, ki lovke stegujejo po slovenskem denarju|trans-title=Who are the Russians hunting Slovenian money|website=siol.net}}</ref> It has also been documented that the SkyWay Group promote their investment opportunities with paid advertising on television, newspapers, and [[social media]].<ref name="fm2018">{{cite web|url=https://www.financemagnates.com/forex/regulation/new-zealands-fma-adds-skyway-capital-to-its-warning-list/|title=New Zealand’s FMA Adds Skyway Capital to Warning List - Finance Magnates|date=12 July 2018|website=Finance Magnates - Financial and business news}}</ref> |
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The company "Sky Way Invest Group Limited" also launched financial training courses for a fee |
The company "Sky Way Invest Group Limited" also launched financial training courses for a fee which it marketed as 'Educational Investment Packages' (EIPs).<ref>{{cite web | url = https://swig-group.com/en/education/| title = EIP - Education| website = Sky Way Invest Group| access-date = 12 May 2019| quote = Sky Way Invest Group is the official partner of Academy Private Investment (the educational training)... Therefore, when you pay for the packages, you not only buy the Certificates for the SKY WAY shares, but also save on your investment education.}}</ref> CONSOB, the Italian financial regulatory agency, banned the sale and advertisement of these investment products in February 2018 because it turned out instead of receiving the "investment training courses" advertised, customers unwittingly ended up with "gift certificates" that could later be converted to company shares on the occasion of its [[Initial public offering|IPO]].<ref name="BII2019"/> |
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=== Negotiations === |
=== Negotiations === |
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== Criticism == |
== Criticism == |
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Concerns have been raised in published articles about information the company has posted about itself to promote investment. These concerns include the unrealistic returns promised to investors,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.delfi.lt/verslas/transportas/transporto-revoliucija-zadantis-rusas-siauliams-mauna-kvailio-kepure.d?id=65806180|title=Transporto revoliuciją žadantis rusas Šiauliams mauna kvailio kepurę|first=Šarūnas|last=Černiauskas|website=DELFI|quote=Shares are likely to gain tremendous value and solid dividends as long as there is a functioning technology infrastructure. Each £100 you invest in today may turn into a £20,000 capital.}}</ref> the value of its intellectual property, |
Concerns have been raised in published articles about information the company has posted about itself to promote investment. These concerns include the unrealistic returns promised to investors,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.delfi.lt/verslas/transportas/transporto-revoliucija-zadantis-rusas-siauliams-mauna-kvailio-kepure.d?id=65806180|title=Transporto revoliuciją žadantis rusas Šiauliams mauna kvailio kepurę|first=Šarūnas|last=Černiauskas|website=DELFI|quote=Shares are likely to gain tremendous value and solid dividends as long as there is a functioning technology infrastructure. Each £100 you invest in today may turn into a £20,000 capital.}}</ref> the value of its intellectual property, awards it has won,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.geldthemen.de/geldanlage-kapitalanlage/skyway-capital-transport-award/|title=SkyWay Capital und der Golden Chariot Award - Ein Fake? geldthemen.de|date=24 November 2017|website=geldthemen.de}}</ref> excessive pre-order contracts, and people/organizations who have invested in the company.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.geldthemen.de/geldanlage-kapitalanlage/skyway-capital-luegen-anleger/|title=SkyWay Capital Lügen - Angebliche Investoren erfunden|date=23 January 2018|website=geldthemen.de}}</ref> |
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Particular criticism relates to misleading information about proposed SkyWay projects. [[Onliner.by]] (a popular Belarusian news portal), for example, document that the claims SkyWay made about a proposed project in [[Mogilev]] were actually untrue.<ref name="onliner11september2017"/> Similar misleading promotion has been documented relating to proposed projects in Russia,<ref name="VolgaNews2017" /> the Crimea<ref name="Primechaniya2017">{{cite web|url=https://primechaniya.ru/home/news/iyul_2017/yunickij_skyway_sevastopol/|title=Под пение струн: в Севастополь зашла новая пирамида?|trans-title=Singing the strings: has a new pyramid entered Sevastopol? |
Particular criticism relates to misleading information about proposed SkyWay projects. [[Onliner.by]] (a popular Belarusian news portal), for example, document that the claims SkyWay made about a proposed project in [[Mogilev]] were actually untrue.<ref name="onliner11september2017">{{cite web|last=Сидорович|first=Константин|date=11 September 2017|title="Паразитирую на финансовых пирамидах", "перспективы развития — виртуальные". Что происходит со SkyWay Юницкого|trans-title=“I am leeching from financial pyramids”, “development prospects are virtual”. What is happening to Yunitskiy's SkyWay|url=https://tech.onliner.by/2017/09/11/skyway|website=Onliner.by}}</ref> Similar misleading promotion has been documented relating to proposed projects in Russia,<ref name="VolgaNews2017" /> the Crimea<ref name="Primechaniya2017">{{cite web|url=https://primechaniya.ru/home/news/iyul_2017/yunickij_skyway_sevastopol/|title=Под пение струн: в Севастополь зашла новая пирамида?|trans-title=Singing the strings: has a new pyramid entered Sevastopol? |
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|first=Андрей|last=Лучников|date=4 July 2017|website=Примечания.ру}}</ref> and India. |
|first=Андрей|last=Лучников|date=4 July 2017|website=Примечания.ру}}</ref> and India. |
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The first article by Onliner.by was published in September 2016 and it was commenting on the EcoTechnoPark testing facility being built at the time in [[Marjina Horka]]. |
The first article by Onliner.by was published in September 2016 and it was commenting on the EcoTechnoPark testing facility being built at the time in [[Marjina Horka]]. Anatoly Yunitskiy sued them for damage done to his company and his reputation. Yunitskiy lost the case in June 2017 and was required to pay costs incurred by the defendant and appealed unsuccessfully.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://gid.volga.news/article/465427.html|title=Sky Way Invest Group "приструнили" на 120 миллионов|first=Алексей|last=Дмитренко|website=ПокупкиСамара|accessdate=24 April 2019}}</ref> |
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In May 2017 the ''Volzhskaya Kommuna'' newspaper published a critical article on their 'Volga News' information portal about a telemarketing campaign used for funding in [[Samara]]. |
In May 2017 the ''Volzhskaya Kommuna'' newspaper published a critical article on their 'Volga News' information portal about a telemarketing campaign used for funding in [[Samara]]. The company's representative Andrei Khovratov filed a lawsuit against the editorial board but in March 2018 the court decided against the plaintiff.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://primechaniya.ru/home/news/mart-2018/skyway-pristrunili-na-120-mln-rublej/|title=SkyWay "приструнили" на 120 млн рублей|first=Андрей|last=Лучников|date=3 March 2018|website=Примечания.ру|accessdate=24 April 2019}}</ref> |
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In July 2017 the popular Crimea news sender ''Primechaniya.ru'' published an article critical of a telemarketing campaign promoting investment in an unsupported SkyWay project in Sevastopol.<ref name="Primechaniya2017"/> Later articles they published include information about legal threats issued by SkyWay employee Andrei Khovratov who represented SkyWay in the Crimea<ref>{{cite web|url=https://primechaniya.ru/home/news/iyul_2017/primechaniya_skyway_ugrozy/|title=Продавцы воздуха грозят "Примечаниям" Роскомнадзором|first=Андрей|last=Лучников|date=6 July 2017|website=Примечания.ру}}</ref> and the unsuccessful litigation in Minsk and Samara. |
In July 2017 the popular Crimea news sender ''Primechaniya.ru'' published an article critical of a telemarketing campaign promoting investment in an unsupported SkyWay project in Sevastopol.<ref name="Primechaniya2017"/> Later articles they published include information about legal threats issued by SkyWay employee Andrei Khovratov who represented SkyWay in the Crimea<ref>{{cite web|url=https://primechaniya.ru/home/news/iyul_2017/primechaniya_skyway_ugrozy/|title=Продавцы воздуха грозят "Примечаниям" Роскомнадзором|first=Андрей|last=Лучников|date=6 July 2017|website=Примечания.ру}}</ref> and the unsuccessful litigation in Minsk and Samara. |
Revision as of 11:38, 1 February 2022
SkyWay, SkyWay Capital | |
Company type | Private |
Industry | Investment services |
Founder | Evgeny Kudriashov |
Key people | Evgeny Kudriashov |
Products | Investment Vehicles |
Divisions |
|
Subsidiaries |
|
Website | http://rsw-systems.com/ |
SkyWay Group is an investment group based focused on transportation.[1] In 2018, financial regulators in Germany, Lithuania, and five other countries, warned that SkyWay "is not registered as a financial services provider and therefore, is not allowed to provide such services in their country," or warned the public about a potential scam the company was perpetrating.[2][3]
Railway system
The SkyWay Group introduced investment opportunities for technology they referred to as "string transport," which they claimed driverless, elevated railcars[4] would be "strings" traveling on prestressed tensioned steel wires placed in a concrete-filled body.[5] The technology was marketed as a new type of elevated light rail transportation system where small transport units of up to 50,000 passengers per hour.[6] But in 2017, government officials raised doubts about the company's ability to actually execute construction of the system and was warning investors about potential untruths.[7] Their claims that vehicles can reach speeds of up to 500 kilometers an hour, and that costs would be 20 percent less than normal subways, were never substantiated.[8] SkyWay also claimed that this technology produces minimal gas and particle emissions, which was never proven.[7]
History
In 2001 a prototype of a SkyWay track was constructed in the Russian village Ozyory in Moscow Oblast. The allowable load on this track was tested using a truck with iron wheels, but the site was later dismantled. A prototype was assessed in Russia in 2008 by the Moscow State University of Railway Engineering concluding that it was "not viable and unsafe".[4]
In October 2015 the SkyWay Group started constructing a test site to demonstrate 'SkyWay' technology. It is situated in Marjina Horka (about 70 km from Minsk) and is called the EcoTechnoPark.[9] In 2016, a Russian government panel that evaluated the technology called it innovative, but only in theory.[4] A prototype of the technology reached speeds of 102 kilometers per hour in 2017.[7] In August 2018 at the EcoFest event, there were three tracks demonstrating prototypes at this site, one is for a vehicle with a maximum capacity of 48 people, the second was for a 14-seater vehicle, and the third is for a 6-seater vehicle.[10] In August 2019 at the EcoFest event, guests were given rides on the prototype vehicles.[11]
In October 2018 the SkyWay Technologies reached an agreement with the Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park (SRTIP) to build a test site at the facility for the project.[12] The company launched an experimental phase of the suspended transport system and demonstrated a passenger pod on a 400 m long track in October 2019.[13]
Operations
Company structure
SkyWay Capital, which was launched in 2014 to self-finance transportation projects,[8] was associated with SWIG International Ltd. and SkyWay Capital Inc. which function to collect investor funds meant to be used for rail projects.[7]
The company is registered under several business names[14] including Euroasian Rail Skyway Systems Holding Ltd.,[15] First SkyWay Invest Group Limited[16][17] and Global Transport Investment Inc.[18] incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, London, and Saint Lucia.[8] It has been documented that companies in the SkyWay Group seek potential investors globally for the development of their elevated rail transport technology they refer to as SkyWay.[7]
Marketing
In addition to demonstration models at the EcoTechnoPark in Belarus, the company has exhibited its technology at trade fairs like the 3rd Singapore International Transport Congress and Exhibition (SITCE).[19] The SkyWay Group markets itself primarily by promoting investment in its technology to small investors.
SkyWay Group seeks investors through its website and social media.[2] The SkyWay Group have been seeking potential investors all over the world using various forms of marketing such as crowdfunding,[1] telemarketing[20] and multi-level marketing.[7] It has also been documented that the SkyWay Group promote their investment opportunities with paid advertising on television, newspapers, and social media.[2]
The company "Sky Way Invest Group Limited" also launched financial training courses for a fee which it marketed as 'Educational Investment Packages' (EIPs).[21] CONSOB, the Italian financial regulatory agency, banned the sale and advertisement of these investment products in February 2018 because it turned out instead of receiving the "investment training courses" advertised, customers unwittingly ended up with "gift certificates" that could later be converted to company shares on the occasion of its IPO.[8]
Negotiations
Although countries like Australia,[1] India,[4] Indonesia,[22] Italy[1] and Lithuania[23] started negotiating with the SkyWay Group, they were later cancelled or postponed due to concerns about safety and financial irregularity.[4][22] Projects are being realized in Belarus and in the United Arab Emirates.[24][7] The most recent negotiations have taken place in the United Arab Emirates.[25][26][27]
The SkyWay Group started negotiating with countries like Lithuania,[23] Australia,[28] Slovakia,[29] India,[4] Italy[1] and Indonesia.[22]
Lithuania
The municipality of Siauliai in Lithuania signed an investment agreement with SkyWay in 2014. The mayor of Siauliai was later criticized for negotiating with the SkyWay Group[30] and at the end of 2014 he was instructed to cancel the negotiations.[23][31][32] In 2014, the Bank of Lithuania released an official statement warning investors of SkyWay.[23] An investigation by the country's Prosecutor General's office found no evidence to prosecute the company. A subsequent lawsuit by SkyWay against the Lithuanian government was dismissed in 2018.[33][34]
Australia
In 2016 in South Australia, SkyWay negotiated with Flinders University to build a 500 meter long line for $13 million Australian dollars under the direction of ex-state transport minister Rod Hook who worked for SkyWay as an infrastructure consultant.[28][35] These negotiations were eventually postponed indefinitely in August 2018, as they opted for driverless busses instead. [36]
Slovakia
In July 2016 SkyWay signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava to promote SkyWay technology in Slovakia.[29]
India
In May 2017 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the minister of Urban Development of the Northern Indian state Himachal Pradesh with SkyWay Group.[37] The minister who negotiated with SkyWay was criticised for doing so "without following proper procedures"[38] Critics also questioned why an agreement was signed with a company that had no operational projects,[4] and for the suitability of the technology to be used in the region.[4] As a result, negotiations in India have been postponed.[citation needed]
Indonesia
In September 2017 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the University of Indonesia in West Java to build on-campus 'sky trains'.[39]
In December 2017 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed in Jakarta for a proposed project in Kalimantan.[40]
In February 2018 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the Gadjah Mada University in Central Java to promote research and innovation in the field of transportation.[41]
Members of the Indonesian public complained about the suspicious sale of investment products[22] and the OJK (the Indonesian financial regulatory agency) added SkyWay Capital to its list of prohibited companies.[42] As a result all negotiations in Indonesia were finally cancelled or postponed and the activities of the Indonesian subsidiary "PT SkyWay Technologies Indonesia" were frozen.[22]
Italy
In early 2018 negotiations took place in Italy. The Secretary of State for the Republic of San Marino signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the EcoTechnoPark in Belarus in March 2018 for the construction of the San Marino-Rimini line.[43] The mayor of the Sicilian city Messina also used SkyWay's "flying trams" to promote his electoral campaign.[44] Both negotiations were postponed or cancelled because of concerns brought up in local politics and by the Italian regulatory agency Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa (CONSOB).[8]
In March 2019, Brianza - a region in North-West Lombardy, Italy - invited SkyWay to present a feasibility project for a cable car between Cologno Monzese and Vimercate.[45] Due to controversy surrounding the company these negotiations have been postponed.[46]
United Arab Emirates
In October 2018 an investment agreement was signed between the SkyWay Group and Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park in the United Arab Emirates and 25 hectares was allocated to build a SkyWay test-site there.[47]
In February 2019 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of Dubai with the "Skyway Greentech Company" to develop 'sky pods' there.[26]
In April 2019 the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, approved a SkyWay suspended transit system that would have a length of 15 kilometres, consist of 21 stations and link vital spots in Dubai.[27]
In November 2019 the Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Federal Supreme Council of the UAE and Ruler of Sharjah, witnessed the launch of the experimental phase of the SkyWay project for a hanging track transport system at the Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park.
Financial regulation
Regulators in Belgium, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia have warned investors about SkyWay not being authorized to issue shares in the respective countries.[2][48]
In February 2018 the Italian regulatory agency CONSOB prohibited the advertisement and sale of certain SkyWay investment products to Italian citizens.[8][49]
In May 2019 the German regulatory agency BaFin prohibited the public offering of SkyWay investment products to the general public.[3][50]
In August 2019 the Financial markets Authority (FMA) of the New Zealand reiterated warning about potential Skyway Capital/SWIG scam.[51][52]
Criticism
Concerns have been raised in published articles about information the company has posted about itself to promote investment. These concerns include the unrealistic returns promised to investors,[53] the value of its intellectual property, awards it has won,[54] excessive pre-order contracts, and people/organizations who have invested in the company.[55]
Particular criticism relates to misleading information about proposed SkyWay projects. Onliner.by (a popular Belarusian news portal), for example, document that the claims SkyWay made about a proposed project in Mogilev were actually untrue.[56] Similar misleading promotion has been documented relating to proposed projects in Russia,[20] the Crimea[57] and India.
The first article by Onliner.by was published in September 2016 and it was commenting on the EcoTechnoPark testing facility being built at the time in Marjina Horka. Anatoly Yunitskiy sued them for damage done to his company and his reputation. Yunitskiy lost the case in June 2017 and was required to pay costs incurred by the defendant and appealed unsuccessfully.[58]
In May 2017 the Volzhskaya Kommuna newspaper published a critical article on their 'Volga News' information portal about a telemarketing campaign used for funding in Samara. The company's representative Andrei Khovratov filed a lawsuit against the editorial board but in March 2018 the court decided against the plaintiff.[58][59]
In July 2017 the popular Crimea news sender Primechaniya.ru published an article critical of a telemarketing campaign promoting investment in an unsupported SkyWay project in Sevastopol.[57] Later articles they published include information about legal threats issued by SkyWay employee Andrei Khovratov who represented SkyWay in the Crimea[60] and the unsuccessful litigation in Minsk and Samara.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e "Sky Way, l'azienda del "tram volante" che non ha mai realizzato un progetto". letteraemme.it. 2018-07-20. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
- ^ a b c d "New Zealand's FMA Adds Skyway Capital to Warning List - Finance Magnates". Finance Magnates - Financial and business news. 12 July 2018.
- ^ a b "Sky Way Capital Inc.: BaFin untersagt öffentliches Angebot von Investments". BaFin.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Venugopal, Vasudha (13 July 2017). "Doubts raised over Belarus company credential for Rs 250-crore skyway transport project in Dharamshala". The Economic Times. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ^ Сидорович, Константин (5 September 2016). "Илон Маск — чушь собачья, несите деньги мне. Белорус основал "компанию на $400 млрд" и строит под Минском "сверхскоростной" Sky Way" [Elon Musk - bullshit, bring me the money. Belarusian founded “a company for $ 400 billion” and builds a “superfast” Sky Way near Minsk]. Onliner. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ "Look: The Skyway is the new transport project to beat traffic in Sharjah". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
- ^ a b c d e f g Tomšič, Matic. "Kdo so Rusi, ki lovke stegujejo po slovenskem denarju" [Who are the Russians hunting Slovenian money]. siol.net.
- ^ a b c d e f Sparaciari, Andrea (1 May 2019). "Attaccàti al tram… Dal Pirellone a Messina, gli italiani che hanno abboccato alla fantomatica monorotaia da 500 kmh di SkyWay" [Attack on the tram… From the Pirellone to Messina, the Italians who took the SkyWay's elusive 500 kmh monorail]. Business Insider Italia.
- ^ "Возле Марьиной Горки строят испытательный центр транспорта будущего — Пухавiцкiя навiны. Пуховичские новости. Марьина Горка. Новости Марьиной Горки".
- ^ "Струнный транспорт против журналистов и ученых. Как в Марьиной Горке прошел ЭкоФест-2018". 42.tut.by. 5 August 2018.
- ^ "Бизнес-новость. Инновационный струнный транспорт SkyWay представили в Беларуси - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
- ^ "SkyWay Dubai transportation project, United Arab Emirates". www.railway-technology.com. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
- ^ Gibbon, Gavin (27 October 2019). "SkyWay project in Sharjah launches experimental phase". Arabian Business. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Ермаченок, Анна (15 September 2015). "Со скоростью 500 км/ч. На "дорогу будущего" под Марьиной Горкой изобретатели ищут 300 млн долларов" [Inventors are looking for $ 300 million for the “road of the future” near Marina Gorka]. 42.tut.by.
The office of 'Strunnye Technologii ZAO' occupies several floors in one of the Minsk business centers
- ^ Ермаченок, Анна (16 November 2018). "У бывшего сотрудника SkyWay со счета исчезли доли компании" [A former employee of SkyWay company’s shares disappeared from the account.]. 42.tut.by.
- ^ "Financiële waakhond waarschuwt voor piramidefraude van SkyWay Capital" [Financial guard dog warns about the pyramid scheme of SkyWay Capital]. Gazet van Antwerpen.
- ^ "First Skyway Invest Group Limited ("Skyway Capital")". Financial Services and Markets Authority. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
The Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) warns the public against the activities of First SkyWay Invest Group Limited ("SkyWay Capital"), a company that offers investment instruments to the public in Belgium.
- ^ "Lietuvos bankas perspėja dėl pasiūlymų investuoti į "Skyway" projektus" [The Bank of Lithuania warns of proposals to invest in Skyway projects]. www.lrytas.lt.
At the moment, various people on SkyWay Capital's web site, social networking and investor events offer funding for SkyWay Group projects by acquiring shares issued by Global Transport Investments and Euroasian Rail Skyway Systems Holding.
- ^ "Gateless gantries, suspended trams among public transport innovations on show at World Cities Summit". Channel NewsAsia.
- ^ a b Дмитренко, Алексей. "Самарцев затягивают в "высокотехнологичную" финансовую пирамиду" [Samarans are being dragged into a "high-tech" financial pyramid]. ПокупкиСамара. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ^ "EIP - Education". Sky Way Invest Group. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
Sky Way Invest Group is the official partner of Academy Private Investment (the educational training)... Therefore, when you pay for the packages, you not only buy the Certificates for the SKY WAY shares, but also save on your investment education.
- ^ a b c d e "Investasi Mandek, PT Skyway Teknologies Indonesia Umumkan Pembekuan". 30 September 2018.
- ^ a b c d Černiauskas, Šarūnas. "Lietuvos bankas: "oro traukinius" žadančio A. Junickio veikloje – sukčiavimo požymiai". DELFI. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- ^ "SkyWay project in Sharjah launches experimental phase". ArabianBusiness.com. Retrieved 2019-12-25.
- ^ "Sheikh Mohammed, Sheikh Hamdan try 150kmph Sky Pod in Dubai". Khaleej Times.
- ^ a b "Sky Pods could be here sooner than we think". DubaiWeek. 12 February 2019.
- ^ a b "Skyway to transport passengers along Dubai's skyscrapers". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
- ^ a b "Unveiled - the plan to bring driverless sky trains to Adelaide". FIVEaa.
- ^ a b "STU a Sky Way podpísali memorandum o inovatívnom železničnom systéme [teraz.sk] - Slovenská technická univerzita v Bratislave (STU)". www.stuba.sk.
- ^ "Sutartis dėl Styginio transporto skandalo centre". www.snaujienos.lt. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
- ^ "A genuine investment project? A boondoggle? A scheme? Lithuania: a national security threat first". Baltic News Network - News from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia. 2014-09-25. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- ^ "Šiauliai decides to cancel suspicious investment deal near military airport". DELFI.
- ^ "Court dismissed Rail Skyway Systems' EUR 10 mln claim against Lithuania". The Baltic Course. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
- ^ "Основатель компании, строящей струнный транспорт, подал иск против Литвы на 10 миллионов евро". 42.tut.by. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ^ "[PRO] Flinders Skyway - $13m - Sensational-Adelaide.com". www.sensational-adelaide.com.
- ^ "Warnings mount as it all looks like pie in the Sky-Way". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 23 February 2019.
- ^ "Dharamsala to boast of world's first 'skyway': Himachal Pradesh government". Financial Express. 10 May 2017.
- ^ "BJP leader attacks minister over skyway project". The Times of India.
- ^ Khumaini, Anwar. "Gandeng SkyWay Indonesia, UI akan bangun 'Kereta Langit'". merdeka.com.
- ^ "SkyWay Technologies MoU dengan MII, dan PT Jorong Port Development". Tribunnews.com.
- ^ "UGM Gandeng SkyWay Kembangkan Inovasi Transportasi". Republika Online. 20 February 2018.
- ^ Simorangkir, Eduardo. "Hati-hati! Ini 57 Investasi Bodong yang Dilarang OJK". detikfinance.
- ^ "PDCS: interpellanza monorotaia". SMTV San Marino. 20 March 2019.
- ^ "Elezioni Messina, Cateno De Luca fa sul serio: ecco il progetto dell'avveniristico tram sospeso in aria [VIDEO e DETTAGLI]". 7 June 2018.
- ^ "Col prolungamento la metropolitana volerà". La Martesana. 10 March 2019.
- ^ "Progetto con treni volanti per il Milanese, Bussolati: "Attenzione, è una farsa, società bloccata da Consob"". MilanoToday.
- ^ Constant, Olivier. "Système de transport innovant : SkyWay marque des points dans les Émirats arabes unis - Actu-Transport-Logistique.fr". www.actu-transport-logistique.fr.
- ^ "FKTK atkārtoti brīdina par SkyWay Capital sniegtajiem pakalpojumiem".
- ^ "CONSOB Skyway Invest Group Warning - Resolution 20291". www.consob.it.
- ^ "BaFin News: Sky Way Capital Inc.: BaFin untersagt öffentliches Angebot von Investments". finanzen.net.
- ^ "FMA reiterates warning about potential Skyway Capital/SWIG scam". FMA.
- ^ "Financial Markets Authority warns New Zealanders to 'stay away' from SkyWay Invest Group scheme". NewsHub.
- ^ Černiauskas, Šarūnas. "Transporto revoliuciją žadantis rusas Šiauliams mauna kvailio kepurę". DELFI.
Shares are likely to gain tremendous value and solid dividends as long as there is a functioning technology infrastructure. Each £100 you invest in today may turn into a £20,000 capital.
- ^ "SkyWay Capital und der Golden Chariot Award - Ein Fake? geldthemen.de". geldthemen.de. 24 November 2017.
- ^ "SkyWay Capital Lügen - Angebliche Investoren erfunden". geldthemen.de. 23 January 2018.
- ^ Сидорович, Константин (11 September 2017). ""Паразитирую на финансовых пирамидах", "перспективы развития — виртуальные". Что происходит со SkyWay Юницкого" [“I am leeching from financial pyramids”, “development prospects are virtual”. What is happening to Yunitskiy's SkyWay]. Onliner.by.
- ^ a b Лучников, Андрей (4 July 2017). "Под пение струн: в Севастополь зашла новая пирамида?" [Singing the strings: has a new pyramid entered Sevastopol?]. Примечания.ру.
- ^ a b Дмитренко, Алексей. "Sky Way Invest Group "приструнили" на 120 миллионов". ПокупкиСамара. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ^ Лучников, Андрей (3 March 2018). "SkyWay "приструнили" на 120 млн рублей". Примечания.ру. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ^ Лучников, Андрей (6 July 2017). "Продавцы воздуха грозят "Примечаниям" Роскомнадзором". Примечания.ру.