Fraud

China’s bad banks go on, even if bad bankers don’t

26 Apr 2018

Huarong is humbled as graft busters oust its chairman and confiscate passports. The company is part of an aging group that evaded obsolescence by turning into distressed asset investors. With $270 bln of bank loans gone sour, Beijing needs to keep bad banks around.

Review: China fraud will always have a sequel

30 Mar 2018

It’s hard to know whether China or the U.S. financial-services industry comes off worse in a new movie about scam companies in the People’s Republic. Both emerge looking greedy and amoral. But “The China Hustle” forgets to lay blame on another group: overly credulous investors.

Illicit money is Europe bank stability blind spot

22 Mar 2018

U.S. authorities arrested the head of a Maltese bank for violating Iran sanctions, prompting calls for it to lose its licence. Similar issues triggered the recent folding of a Latvian bank. Without power to fight financial misconduct, euro zone regulators can’t keep banks safe.

Zuckerberg is making a worrying passel of enemies

19 Mar 2018

The alleged exploitation of 50 mln Facebook profiles by political consultant Cambridge Analytica compounds the $540 bln social network's woes, as it contends with other backlashes. U.S. and UK legislators want to hear from founder Mark Zuckerberg now. He may be in over his head.

Revamped ENRC should set its sights low

8 Mar 2018

The colourful Kazakh miner, renamed ERG after it delisted under a cloud in 2013, is testing a recovering commodities market. A fresh IPO sounds a non-starter, but selling a stake in one of its operations could fly. If so, it would help the group trim almost $6 bln of debt.

Viewsroom: Fraud puts India’s lenders on edge

28 Feb 2018

A $1.8 bln scam at Punjab National Bank comes just months after the government injected $32 bln to bail out 20-odd state-run financial institutions. The scandal may increase calls for them to be privatized. Elsewhere: Will Sky be the limit for Comcast, Disney or Fox?

India’s bad borrowers are a big problem for Modi

16 Feb 2018

A billionaire jeweller linked to a $1.8 billion fraud at a Punjab bank kept asking for credit even after a nationwide bank bailout. He is now overseas, like disgraced liquor baron Vijay Mallya. The pair of bad-debt poster boys tarnish the prime minister’s anti-corruption fight.

Freed Samsung heir cannot escape reform spotlight

5 Feb 2018

A court suspended Jay Y. Lee’s prison sentence. With Lee’s family symbolising the state of corporate Korea, any perceived leniency will be controversial. But this does not look like a return to the bad old days of executive impunity. In any case, both sides can still appeal.

Yellen swan song could presage Wells CEO’s

2 Feb 2018

The Fed chief used her last day in office to slap a restraining order on the $2 trln U.S. bank. It’s mostly a symbol, and a late one: boss Tim Sloan has already started to clean up the company's act. But the Fed action could persuade Wells' new chair that it’s time for a change of leader.

Steinhoff reminds creditors they are not all equal

1 Feb 2018

The scandal-hit retailer is planning early repayment of a $1.3 bln South African bond in return for releasing funds to cash-strapped European brands. Other mainly international creditors will be asked for waivers. It’s an early indicator of the unofficial pecking order.

Breakdown: Why Steinhoff’s complexity may save it

24 Jan 2018

An accounting scandal has exposed the retailer’s warren-like structure. Creditors who are owed close to 11 billion euros face a fight for repayment. But the prospect of a messy restructuring may help keep Steinhoff afloat for now. Breakingviews offers a guide through the maze.

Saving Carillion will cost banks and investors

9 Jan 2018

The troubled building services group is due to meet creditors to lay out a plan to avoid financial doom. That will require it to write off almost half its 925 mln pounds of debt. Though shareholders may put up some cash, banks will be forced to take the biggest hit.

Hadas: Albanian mania is cautionary crypto tale

28 Dec 2017

Back in 1996, the Balkan state went wild for investment funds offering 30 percent monthly returns. The final cost was 2,000 lives and five years of lost GDP growth. Bitcoin’s 24 percent monthly gains in 2017 show similar foolishness, but a quick collapse could limit the harm.

Fewer fines are upside of bank compliance drive

2 Jan 2018

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority collected 230 million pounds in penalties in 2017. Though that’s a big increase on 2016, the haul was skewed by a record fine for Deutsche Bank. It suggests hefty spending on tightening up controls is finally delivering some benefits.

Steinhoff creditors face a shrinking pot

19 Dec 2017

The South African furniture retailer lost nearly a fifth of its market value after failing to clear up accounting issues. Its debt levels are increasing and insurers are withdrawing credit guarantees. The risk is that there’s less and less for creditors to fight over if it fails.

Steinhoff takes minimum first step in cleanup

15 Dec 2017

The departure of Chairman Christo Wiese was a prerequisite to shoring up trust in the embattled retailer. Surviving its accounting scandal presents more imminent challenges, though. Lenders must next week be persuaded to provide more money and jittery suppliers kept on side.

Yahoo ex-boss shows everyone’s in dark on hacks

8 Nov 2017

Marissa Mayer told senators she still doesn’t know who was behind a 2013 data theft affecting 3 bln users. Equifax’s CEO said the same of a breach involving 145 mln consumers. And Congress struggles to draft cyber rules. Amid such cluelessness, the epidemic can only get worse.

CEO exit worsens Deutsche Boerse’s bind

26 Oct 2017

Carsten Kengeter is stepping down after failing to resolve an insider-trading probe. An aborted plan to merge with the London Stock Exchange also eroded support at home. But his departure leaves the German group ill-prepared to benefit from any Brexit-related opportunities.

Mistimed writedowns lesser of mining M&A evils

18 Oct 2017

Rio Tinto has been accused by the SEC of hiding the plunging value of a coal mine it bought in 2011. The charges are serious, but at least accounting procedures are fairly clear. If only there were rules that could prevent mining bosses getting carried away during M&A upswings.

Fintech deal suggests everything old is new again

5 Oct 2017

Navient is buying student-loan refinancer Earnest for less than half its 2015 valuation. Even then, it'll eat into the buyer’s earnings and buybacks. Worse, Navient faces a fresh lawsuit over dodgy practices. Modern finance is feeling a lot like the kind it's supposed to replace.