As protests following the killing of George Floyd in the US reverberated around the world this summer, Belgium, like many other countries, experienced its own reckoning: with a brutal colonial past, with the systemic racism that inhibits its black citizens today and with the question of what exactly it owes to the Democratic Republic of Congo, which it exploited for 75 years. The FT's Neil Munshi reports on the company at the heart of Belgium's colonial pursuit, the Union Minière.
Read Neil's FT Magazine story here: https://www.ft.com/content/a17b87ec-207d-4aa7-a839-8e17153bcf51.
Special thanks to Heleen Debeuckelaere, Elli Fernandes, Mohamed Barrie and Jeroen Laporte. 
Review clips: Deutsche Welle, CBS News, France 24, NBC News, Reuters, Al Jazeera English, Getty Images, British Pathé. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reckoning with a colonial past

From hostile takeovers to C-suite intrigue, Behind the Money takes you inside the business and financial stories of the moment with reporting from Financial Times journalists around the world.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Business

Investing

Careers

Management & Marketing

Business News

Shopping

News

When a company is sold there tends to be a standard playbook: There’s some tough negotiations. Then, the buyer gets a business and the seller gets a check. Everyone’s happy. That’s not what happened when a private equity firm recently bought a California grocery store chain. The FT’s Wall Street editor Sujeet Indap explains how the deal went off the rails, and how the supermarket’s owners might end up paying millions of dollars to sell their company. 
Clip from KCRA  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  For further reading: The inequity method of accounting Opposition shadows Cerberus windfall from Albertsons supermarket deal  The pool is closed, part 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  On X, follow Sujeet Indap (@sindap) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When M&A goes wrong

A few years ago, four men went on a hunting trip to Wyoming. That trip would end up changing their lives — and possibly, the future of the public’s access to millions of acres of land in America's western states. The FT’s Oliver Roeder expands on the saga that’s played out since 2021 inside courtrooms and within thousands of pages of legal documents.  
Clips from KGWN, Ludlow Music and The Richmond Organisation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  For further reading: Battle for the American West Seven states, 3,000 miles: a trip across the US energy divide Wyoming’s Carbon Valley aims to turn ‘coal into gold’ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  On X, follow Oliver Roeder (@ollie) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Inside the battle for America’s West

Introducing Money Clinic’s Five Minute Investor, a miniseries hosted by Claer Barrett, the FT’s consumer editor. In each episode, Claer challenges top financial commentators to break down financial jargon in just five minutes, making you a smarter, and hopefully richer, investor. Tune in every Tuesday, and subscribe to Money Clinic wherever you get your podcasts. If you would like Claer to demystify an investment term, email the team at money@ft.com or send Claer a DM on social media — she’s @ClaerB on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Coming soon: The Five Minute Investor from Money Clinic

WeightWatchers is struggling. Launched in the early 1960s, the brand grew by helping members shed pounds through behavioural change programmes. Then, GLP-1 anti-obesity drugs hit the market, long-time spokesperson and board member Oprah Winfrey announced her departure, and the company’s credit rating was downgraded. FT reporter Anna Mutoh examines whether WeightWatchers’ latest strategy can produce the turnaround investors are hoping for.  
Clip from Lionsgate Television - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  For further reading: WeightWatchers faces an era when weight loss comes in a syringe Behold the Ozempic effect on business  The race to develop the next generation of weight-loss drugs - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  On X, follow Anna Mutoh (@anna_mutoh) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more. 
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can WeightWatchers survive the Wegovy era?

The US and China’s battle for dominance in the semiconductor industry is having some surprising knock-on effects: Companies are looking to insulate their supply chains from rising geopolitical tensions. And many from around the world are setting their sights on Malaysia to set up or expand their chip factories. FT correspondent Mercedes Ruehl explains how the country earned a prized spot in the supply chain, and what it needs to do to keep hold of it.  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  For further reading: Malaysia: the surprise winner from US-China chip wars Vietnam dangles semiconductor incentives to draw foreign companies AI boom broadens out across Wall Street Plus, sign up for the FT’s Alphaville pub quiz on April 9 in New York.  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  On X, follow Mercedes Ruehl (@mjruehl) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reckoning with a colonial past

Download our free app to listen on your phone