John Lefebvre: A Man of Many Talents
There’s no doubt that modern day polymath John Lefebvre has been both an admired and controversial figure. Here, we’ll divulge the most important information about John Lefebvre, including details about his origins, the co-founding of Neteller, and his environmental activism.
Who Exactly Is John Lefebvre?
John Lefebvre is a Canadian businessman, musician, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. With a history in law, he has had an extensive career in various creative and business fields. Considered something of a modern renaissance man, Lefebvre has one of the most interesting stories of any Canadian businessperson.
Here, we’ll discuss Lefebvre’s background and career, ranging from his early life and origins to his beginnings as an entrepreneur. We’ll also cover his successful business practices in providing payment services to online casinos in Canada, in addition to past legal issues and his present passions.
Background and Early Life
Born on August 6, 1951, in Calgary, Canada, John Lefebvre was the child of a successful businessman. As a teen, he gained a reputation as a vagabond, known for being a bit of a slacker while simultaneously receiving outstanding grades in certain high school classes.
One of his earliest loves and passions would become music, which later shaped his early career stages. He started learning piano at seven and Cathedral Boys’ Choir by the third grade, followed by learning guitar in the sixth grade. At age 17, he was arrested for selling psychedelic drugs to police officers.
Entrepreneurial Origins
This passion for music led to Lefebvre busing to fund his travels around Alberta and beyond. Though foremost passionate about music, John Lefebvre went on to study law. He started practicing law in Vancouver upon graduating, where he specialized in corporate and commercial law.
While he started his career in law, his love for music never died. He related his love for music to his business creativity, despite not completing a full song until the age of 45. In the late 1990s, he would go on to co-found Neteller, an online payment processing service that quickly became popular among online gambling sites for claiming the best CA casino bonuses. Under Lefebvre’s focused and creative leadership, his company Neteller grew quickly, going public in 2004.
Time with Neteller
John Lefebvre co-founded Neteller in 1999 alongside his business partner Stephen Lawrence. This is an e-wallet service which swiftly became popular among online gambling enthusiasts. It stood out as it allowed customers to ewsily transfer funds to and from gambling sites such as online poker casinos, which wasn’t widely available elsewhere at the time.
By offering a convenient and secure way to deposit and withdraw funds, the company quickly grew into one of the largest payment processors in the global online gambling industry. By the year 2000, Neteller was processing payments for 85% of online gambling operators. In 2003, the company launched the Neteller Card, which worked as MasterCard prepaid and independently brandable virtual debit cards.
Legal Issues with Neteller
In 2006, the US government passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), making illegal for any private financial institutions to process online gambling transactions for sites. Neteller was forced to stop processing payments for U.S. customers, which had a significant impact on the company’s revenue.
This legal trouble continued in 2007 when Lefebvre and Lawrence were arrested by U.S. authorities and charged with money laundering. The pair were accused of processing billions of dollars in transactions through Neteller for online gambling sites, including ones which operated in the United States. This led to both Lefebvre and Lawrence pleading guilty to charges, forfeiting a whopping $100 million.
Lefebvre ultimately served 45 days in prison. Some stated that Neteller was used to set a symbolic example by the government in order to aggressively implement new laws. A range of other eminent gambling companies were later indicted in 2011.
In light of this, John Lefebvre’s Neteller remains a legitimate and popular payment method for players outside of the United States to this day. The parent company Paysafe also provides payment services to players in the USA through the popular Skrill e-wallet and Paysafecard, under the new conditions established by the UIGEA.
Writing and Climate Activism
Since his time as a high-level business person, John Lefebvre has shifted back to his other passions. These include his talent for writing, with his most recent book being titled “All’s Well – Where Thou Art Earth And Why,” which was published in 2017. This work focuses on political, moral, and legal commentary on climate change and its impact on our planet and the human species.
He has also been involved in numerous environmental initiatives beyond the realm of writing. Lefebvre has invested in developing and implementing carbon-negative technologies to combat climate change. He has made significant donations to the David Suzuki Foundation, a prominent environmental non-profit organization, and has also supported charitable causes related to education, health, and the alleviation of global poverty. He is a founding member of the David Suzuki Institute.
John Lefebvre – Present and Future
In recent years, Lefebvre has also been an advocate for using blockchain technology to support global sustainability and equity, discussed in the Good With Money book by Kerry Gold. Atop his activism on climate change and technology, Lefebvre has involved himself in various philanthropic initiatives, including as a founding funder of the Dalai Lama Centre for Peace and Education in Vancouver.
He has also found the time in his life to focus on music, releasing multiple albums in the past decade. He’s made it clear that he has shifted his focus to world peace, environmentalism and musicianship, and has made no indication that he’s interested in returning to the worlds of law and finance.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
On this page, we’ve covered everything readers need to know about famed businessman and creative John Lefebvre. If you’re looking for more details, feel free to read the following section, where we’ve provided answers to frequently asked questions about John Lefebvre.
1️⃣ What was John Lefebvre’s upbringing like?
Born in Calgary, Canada, John Lefebvre was the son of a successful businessman, and became something of a rebel in his youth. Before he started his career, he was known as a vagabond, a musician who was arrested as a teenager.
2️⃣ How did John Lefebvre’s career start?
After considering a career in music, John Lefebvre decided to study law. He later began practising law for a number of years, while indulging his eye for Entrepreneurial enterprises and maintaining a strong passion for music. His connection with the payment giant Neteller is maybe the detail that most people know.
3️⃣ How did John Lefebvre find business success?
John Lefebvre eventually decided to spend his time developing entrepreneurial business interests, which eventually culminated in the development of payment provider Neteller. This became one of the premier payment methods for online gambling, and carried a long and interesting origin and lineage.
4️⃣ What interests did John Lefebvre pivot into?
After some drama surrounding his business interests, John Lefebvre eventually decided to indulge his love of music. This led to recording a number of studio albums, in addition to pursuing creative writing. He also delved into climate activism and promoting awareness.
5️⃣ What does John Lefebvre do now?
Since leaving Neteller, several of his other business interests and the legal profession behind, John Lefebvre's future activities will most probably include writing and activism. He continues to write and record music., and his likely to continue to focus on music and philanthropy in the future.