In September 2014, the FT’s Dan McCrum received a tip about a fast-growing German fintech group, Wirecard. Over the next couple of years Dan and his colleagues uncovered the secret behind the payment company’s meteoric growth: many of the customers listed in company documents did not exist. In this episode Dan tells the story of the whistleblowers, shoe-leather reporting, hacking, suspected surveillance and legal threats that led to Wirecard’s downfall.  
--- Review clips: CNBC, Deutsche Welle 
Further reading:
The double life of Wirecard’s Jan Marsalek https://www.ft.com/content/511ecf86-ab40-486c-8f76-b8ebda4cc669
Inside Wirecard https://www.ft.com/wirecard
Dan’s 2015 story for Alphaville https://ftalphaville.ft.com/2015/04/27/2127427/the-house-of-wirecard/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wirecard: how to find a €2bn hole

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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.

Wirecard: how to find a €2bn hole

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