Skandal! La chute de Wirecard

This TV series is marketed as an exposé, yet it becomes evident that it is a mouthpiece for third-party agendas. The storyline is crafted to systematically attack a legal business that is a significant source of employment for thousands. This tactic is strikingly similar to the US/UK playbook, which aims to discredit and eliminate any European company, or any global competitor for that matter, that poses a threat to their interests.

The series chooses to ignore the positive impact of the business, such as job creation and its contributions to the economy, focusing instead on elements that align with its prejudiced narrative. This selective storytelling not only distorts the truth but also endangers the livelihoods of those who depend on the company for their jobs.

The lack of impartiality and the series' alignment with certain vested interests cast doubt on the credibility of its content. It seems more concerned with advancing a particular viewpoint than with presenting an unbiased account, misleading viewers who are in search of genuine information.

In its essence, this TV series comes off as a piece of propaganda, intent on smearing the reputation of a thriving enterprise. It weaves a tale to benefit a select few, overlooking the wider impact of its message. If I had the option, I would give this series a zero rating for its one-sided depiction and failure to maintain journalistic integrity. It serves as a reminder that not all series are committed to the pursuit of truth; some are produced to further a predetermined narrative, regardless of the fallout.

All credit to Dan and the FT management for staying with a story even the German financial authorities tried to kill. Tenacious research and following of leads in Asia and Europe inspite of threats legal and otherwise reveals a real life financial scandal at one of Germanys largest companies. Fascinating insight into the world of short sells - not a very attractive bunch outside of two focuses American ladies who with others help lift the thick veil of secrecy of the fraudsters. Beats most financial dramas into small corner and makes you aware of the abilities of a determined fraudster to nearly make it even the German chancellor 'supported the company. Great insight into the talent and doggedness of a journalist never prepared to give up and of an editor prepared to take huge risks to get the story.

There have been many documentaries & films over the past decade on the financial industry trying to give outsiders a glimpse into their usually mundane world, only to find that sometimes when they get it wrong it really is mammoth in proportions. In this case, we have a fascinating look into the world of now defunct German company Wirecard, which was pure criminal fraud right front of all our eyes, yet few even an eyelid, with there being either only some mavericks "shorting" them or a few genuine brave investigators. We have tales of politicians, financial gurus, outside investors, stock traders and one very brave FT newspaper journalist; all talking heads taking us through the machinations of this catastrophe.

What this doc does well is help to explain the ins & outs of the company, but also show the shere scale of the corruption underlying this company. Yet everyone was fawning over it, and clearly a blind eye was turned by everyone. It took some brave reporting despite the threats to reveal the truth.

However, I feel that this documentary is a little watered down. I guess for legal reasons there were more targets & names they could have attacked but didn't which is a shame, as at the end only a couple of names seem to be blamed when really there are plenty of more guilty parties involved. That lets it down but not enough to knock the film off the tracks.

As an introduction to the 'skandal' it's a fine start, but really I think something more meaty is required to forensically investigate all that took place. There may still be other "Wirecard" companies out there which we are all blind to!

If you want to know the reason why people hate short sellers this film will give you a good idea. The cartoon character in his Cannes pile bemoaning what he didn't make by literally doing nothing is a perfect example. Their's, and the journalists glee at bringing down a company that employed thousands of people, and hundreds of thousands of investors, is quite hard to stomach. No doubt the company was dodgy to say the least but neither party were working for the good of mankind. The short sellers thinking only of the profit to be made by destroying the business, and the journalists revenge for having the tables turned on them. As a film it's well made and if you don't know the story worth the effort, personally I can't get over the unsurpassed delight at seeing the business fail.

I had read about the reports that Dan McCrum published in the FT concerning Wirecard's nefarious activities, but didn't know the intricate details apart from the fact that he was put under immense pressure to retract his accusations both by Wirecard themselves (using lawyers and spooks), and by the German financial authorities.

This excellent documentary shows just how far the German authorities went to protect Wirecard because it was a home grown FinTech success story which blinded them to the fact that it was committing fraud on a massive scale.

The information I didn't know was how Russia was involved and why the company was founded in the first place.

Absolutely amazing documentary which shows just how far Russia had infiltrated into the German financial system, and I can guess into the London financial system too.