The Worldclear Files

Project
Published: May 11, 2026

Banner: James O’Brien/OCCRP

From the 10th floor of an office block in the New Zealand city of Hamilton, a small team at a financial services provider called Worldclear transferred millions of dollars for high-risk clients.

Leaked documents from inside the firm show how Worldclear sent money to and from mainstream banks for its customers, despite some of them having previous convictions or being under investigation for financial crimes.

One of the firm’s minority partners was convicted in Panama for money laundering while Worldclear was operating, but continued to hold shares for years afterwards.

The Worldclear files give a rare glimpse into the world of high-risk financial services and raise questions about whether New Zealand authorities could have taken more action against Worldclear – and whether aspects of the country’s financial regulations are open to abuse.

The Big Picture

Stories From Our Partners

Here are some of the stories published by our partners in the Worldclear Files.

Interest.co.nz

Inside the tiny New Zealand firm that transferred millions for high-risk clients

A leaked cache from inside the firm reveals an operation that relied on manual workflows and was found by inspectors to have failed to comply with several anti-money laundering requirements.

Read the article (English)
Expressen

Worldclear Took Customers No Other Banks Wanted

Worldclear handled large sums of money for clients that regular banks avoided. Swede Mikael Magnusson was an influential partner, despite being convicted of money laundering.

Read the article (Swedish)
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