The Regional Court Berlin II (Landgericht Berlin II, Case No. 2 O 72/26) has ruled largely in favour of Xryma Plc, a banktech group based in Nicosia, Cyprus, ordering the law firm Schirp Schmidt-Morsbach Rechtsanwälte to stop making or repeating most of the public statements Xryma challenged over the Juicy Fields matter.
The Juicy Fields matter is named after Juicy Holdings B.V. and Juicy Grow GmbH, the companies behind the case. Failure by Schirp to comply with the order could carry a fine of up to €250,000 or a contempt sentence of up to six months’ imprisonment.
Injunction scope#
The statements covered by the injunction were published by Schirp on its own websites and through third-party platforms including EQS News, Ad-hoc-News and TradingView. They include:
- Claims that there were “very good reasons” or “sufficient grounds for suspicion” to hold Xryma responsible for investment fraud or money laundering.
- Descriptions of Xryma as “one party involved in the crime… still active in the market.”
- Statements that Schirp had sent letters of demand accusing Xryma of money laundering.
The court found that these statements infringe Xryma’s rights and ordered Schirp to stop making or repeating them. The false assertion of “money-laundering allegations” by Schirp is also covered by the injunction.
Court reasoning#
The court said Schirp went beyond permissible “suspicion-based reporting” because it did not give Xryma an opportunity to respond before publicly accusing it. A law firm addressing the public is bound by the same German press-law principles as press media, the court added, and is separately subject to a duty of objectivity under Section 43b of the German Federal Lawyers’ Act on the Professional Code of Conduct for Lawyers (BRAO).
The court noted that no criminal investigation has been opened against any Xryma officer or employee, and that Schirp’s publications were aimed at winning clients rather than informing the public. Xryma confirms that no criminal investigation has been opened against the company, any of its officers or employees in relation to this or any other matter.
Company response#
“We welcome the Court’s ruling. It confirms what we have said from the outset: Xryma Plc, formerly ISX Financial EU Plc, was publicly accused of serious crimes, in explicit terms, without Schirp asking for our position or informing the public that we dispute the allegations. The Court found that Schirp fell short of what German law requires, including those expected of a law firm that was intent on building a client base around these claims. Separately, Schirp also claims to be running ‘multi million euro civil claims’ against Xryma Plc, which to date, total less than €240,000 across 6 claimants, each of which claim Xryma is vigorously defending. Law firms should conduct themselves to a higher standard when making public claims.”
Nikogiannis Karantzis, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Xryma Plc, made the statement.
“Xryma has always taken its regulatory obligations very seriously. No investigation has been opened into Xryma or any of its officers or employees. We continue to cooperate with the authorities examining the Juicy Fields matter, including providing data and witness statements to law enforcement agencies.”
Karantzis added that statement.
Company background#
Xryma Plc, formerly ISX Financial EU Plc, is a regulated European banktech group that develops banking technology through its Probanx subsidiary and operates digital payment services underpinned by direct central-bank settlement.
The company is one of the first non-bank participants authorised to connect directly to the Eurosystem’s T2 real-time gross settlement (RTGS) and TARGET Instant Payment Settlement (TIPS) platforms. It holds Electronic Money Institution (EMI) authorisations in the EU and offers multi-currency corporate accounts.
