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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Wirecard says missing $2.1 billion likely did not exist; withdraws forecasts [reuters.com]

Scandal-hit German payments firm Wirecard AG on Monday said a quarter of its assets totalling 1.9 billion euros ($2.13 billion) that auditor EY has been unable to account for likely did not exist in the first place.

The company, whose stock has plummeted 75% since EY refused to sign off its 2019 accounts last week, also said it has withdrawn its preliminary 2019 and first-quarter 2020 financial results as well as forecasts.

"The Management Board of Wirecard assesses on the basis of further examination that there is a prevailing likelihood that the bank trust account balances in the amount of 1.9 billion EUR do not exist," the company said in a statement.

The development comes after Chief Executive Officer Markus Braun quit on Friday with the company scrambling to secure a financial lifeline from its banks, while its search for the money hit a dead end in the Philippines.

'Total disaster': Phantom billions plunge Wirecard into chaos [reuters.com]

The one-time investor darling is holding emergency talks with its banks, which are owed roughly 1.75 billion euros, to avert a looming cash crunch triggered by the missing money.

The episode marks a dramatic turn in the fortunes of a homegrown tech firm that attracted some of the world's biggest investors before a whistleblower alleged that it owed its success in part to a web of sham transactions.

See also: Wirecard shares crash again after payments firm says missing $2 billion likely doesn't exist [cnbc.com]
German finance minister on Wirecard oversight — 'the supervisory institutions did their job' [marketwatch.com]
Bank of China Weighs Ending Wirecard's Credit Line [bloomberg.com]
Short sellers made $2.6 bln off Wirecard plunge [marketwatch.com]

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