BEFORE it crashed last year, Wirecard AG — founded in Munich in 1999 — was the leading global digital payments provider with operations across five continents. In June 2020, 1.9 billion euros reflected in its books was found missing. Moreover, management was said to have manipulated the firm's financial numbers over the course of several years to maintain stock price growth.

After the discovery, Wirecard shares fell by over 72 percent over a period of two days. It eventually had to file for bankruptcy given the inability to meet obligations. German authorities likewise initiated a criminal investigation against its CEO at the time, Markus Braun.