The rise - and fall - of Wirecard

In the 32 years since Germany’s main stock market index was created, no company has suffered a crash quite like Wirecard did on Thursday. After the payments firm revealed that €1.9bn of cash could not be accounted for, its shares sank more than 60pc. Once the shining star of Germany’s fintech scene worth €24bn two years ago and snatching a spot from the 150-year- old Commerzbank in the Dax 30, Wirecard has been chopped down to size. Now worth just €5bn, the company's f