DST Global

DST Global is a venture capital and private equity firm primarily investing in late-stage internet companies that is headquartered in Hong Kong and was founded in 2009 by Yuri Milner. Notable investments made by DST Global include: Facebook, Twitter, AirBnB, Spotify, JD.com, Zalando, and Alibaba.

In October 2017 a set of 13.4 million confidential electronic documents were leaked detailing information relating to offshore investments; these documents are known as the 'Paradise Papers'. The Paradise Papers contained information about DST Global which showed connections between DST Global's investments in Twitter and Facebook and the Russian government. In response to concerns about the Russian governments ability to influence Twitter and Facebook during the 2016 U.S. elections through investments made by DST Global, the companies founder, Yuri Milner, and the following statement:

DST Global’s investments in Facebook and Twitter were just two of the more than 30 internet companies around the world that DST Global’s funds have invested in — including Airbnb, Spotify, JD.com, Zalando and Alibaba. Since 2009, DST Global has invested $7 billion in the consumer internet sector, with a majority being invested in non-U.S. companies — and with less than 5% coming from VTB Bank. VTB Bank was the only Russian government institution that invested in any DST Global funds. In addition, all investors in DST Global — including Mr. Usmanov, VTB Bank, and a number of sovereign wealth funds from all over the world — are passive investors. That means they are simply committing funds to be invested by DST Global in companies of DST Global’s choosing, and they have no influence over what companies DST Global chooses to invest in or any other decision-making.

Investments made by DST Global in Twitter and Facebook occurred between 2013 and 2014 following each companies initial public offering.