Germany considered bailing out Wirecard just days before it collapsed last year with a multibillion hole in its balance sheet. Leaked documents suggest Mr Kukies, a former staff member of Goldman Sachs, asked staff whether there was a case for Wirecard to receive a bailout. ‘Risk standpoint’On June 23rd, Mr Kukies asked to speak with the head of Ipex, a subsidiary of Germany’s state-owned KfW bank. According to one financial ministry official, the subject of the call was to “find a German solution to Wirecard”. Days later Berlin dropped the idea of a bailout as questions about Wirecard’s business practices grew and the company collapsed.

Source: The Irish Times March 17, 2021 07:15 UTC