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In 2015, Sergei Leontiev's life's work — a Russian banking business — was taken away from him overnight. Why were he and the bank being targeted? This is the first episode of The Russian Banker, a new three-part series from the Financial Times. The remaining episodes will air the following two Wednesdays on Behind the Money. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Who is Sergei Leontiev? To the US asylum system, he’s an exiled Russian banker who was persecuted by the state and forced to flee. To Russia, he’s said to be responsible for massive fraud. On The Russian Banker, a new series from the Financial Times, reporters Courtney Weaver and Stefania Palma try to uncover the truth, and find a story that tells us about Russia today and how people in the west build stories about who’s good and who’s bad. The Russian Banker is a special series that will run on...
The collapse of FTX sent shockwaves through the crypto ecosystem last year. But it gave rival crypto exchange Binance, the biggest in the world, a chance to dominate the markets. The FT’s digital assets correspondent Scott Chipolina explains why Binance has struggled to capitalise on that moment. Clips from CNBC, CBS News and Good Morning America - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The FT Weekend Festival is back on Saturday, September 2 at Kenwood House Gardens in Lo...
Share buybacks are a strategy companies use to return excess cash to their shareholders. But recently, they’ve exploded in popularity, and that’s sparked strong discussions inside financial circles. The FT’s US financial editor Brooke Masters explains why share buybacks have become so hotly debated. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For further reading: If companies are going to buy back shares, they should pay a fair price Share buybacks need less hate and more sc...
For decades, the global centre for oil trading has been Geneva, Switzerland. But Russia’s war in Ukraine changed that. Sanctions have made it harder for western traders to move Russian oil. Now, traders are flocking to a new trading hub that has no restrictions on oil from Russia: the United Arab Emirates. The FT’s energy correspondent Tom Wilson explains how this shift has helped the UAE replace Switzerland, and whether the global energy industry is shifting away from western economies. P...
There’s a new club coming to women’s professional football in the United States. Next season will see the debut of Bay FC, out of northern California. Aly Wagner, a former player on the US women’s national team, explains how she helped get the club off the ground with an investment model that has never been used in US professional sports before. We explore how this funding model could change the landscape for American sports. You’ll also hear from the FT’s US sports business correspondent Sara G...
Under “normal” circumstances, economists and analysts study a variety of specific indicators to understand what’s happening with the US economy. But lately, those indicators have been sending mixed signals. The FT’s US financial commentator Robert Armstrong explains why they’re wonky and how that’s led him to a different data source to help him understand the economy. Plus, have your own burning questions about business or finance? Send us your questions and we may use them in a future show...
About 30 years ago, an Australian investment company called Macquarie figured out how to turn public utilities into lucrative assets. This strategy helped catapult the company into the biggest infrastructure investor in the world. Now, its services range from delivering tap water to London to transporting gas across the United States. But recently it has emerged that one of Macquarie’s former assets, Thames Water, is struggling, and the utility’s consumers are feeling the consequences. We sit do...
Frances Haugen was just another Silicon Valley tech worker until she decided to speak up about what was happening inside Facebook. Now she’s written a book about her experience titled The Power of One: How I Found the Strength to Tell the Truth and Why I Blew the Whistle on Facebook . Frances talks to Michela about what she’s learned. Clips from CBS, CNBC - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For further reading: Who is Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen? Faceb...
This week, we are revisiting an episode from earlier this year about an obscure firm from the United Arab Emirates: International Holding Company’s share price has jumped 40,000 per cent in just a few years. But little is known about the business, which has investments in everything from Elon Musk’s SpaceX to India’s Adani Group. The FT’s Middle East editor Andrew England travelled to Abu Dhabi to get answers about its rapid growth and its connections to some of the most powerful people in the G...
Illumina, the world’s biggest gene sequencing company, announced plans to buy cancer detection start-up Grail for $8bn while the biotech boom was in full swing. To Illumina, Grail looked like a potential gold mine. Until reality — and regulators — entered the picture. Three years and an activist investor campaign waged by Carl Icahn later, the FT’s US pharmaceutical correspondent Jamie Smyth explains the problems that have cropped up and what it means for both companies and their shareholders.&n...
For decades, Crispin Odey sat atop the UK’s hedge fund scene. Lauded by many in financial circles as a charismatic maverick and known for taking high-risk bets on the market, he seemed untouchable. Until two weeks ago. The FT published a scathing investigation detailing the accounts of more than a dozen women accusing Odey of sexual misconduct. Madison Marriage and Antonia Cundy, from the FT’s special investigations team, look at the fallout from these allegations, and explain whether they think...
Crypto is at a crossroads. As exchanges and currencies blow up, the US Securities and Exchange Commission is ready to step in. But is crypto a security, like a stock? Or a tradable item of speculation, like a Beanie Baby? Today on the show, Robert Armstrong and Ethan Wu argue about the benefits and risks of regulating crypto. Also, we go short home prices, and long … the bone trade. Subscribe to the Unhedged newsletter Follow Ethan Wu ( @ethanywu ) and Katie Martin ( @katie_mart...
Ghana was once considered a success story and a model for African development. But after suffering several economic shocks, the west African country is now struggling to pay off its debts. The FT’s west Africa correspondent Aanu Adeoye and Africa editor David Pilling explain how Ghana exemplifies the debt cycle that many African countries find themselves stuck in, and what has to change to break it. Clip from GhanaWeb TV - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For further...
We want to tell you about a new podcast coming soon! On Unhedged, Ethan Wu, Katie Martin and other markets nerds at the Financial Times explain the big ideas behind what’s happening in finance right now. Unhedged launches June 13, you can follow the show here ! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
At one time not that long ago, you could find Libor in everything: mortgages, corporate loans, credits cards and more. Now, its days are numbered. The FT’s Harriet Clarfelt and Philip Stafford take us back to the 1980s origins of the scandal-ridden benchmark rate, how its reputation came apart and why, with just weeks to go before a June 30 deadline, one part of the financial world is still racing to leave it behind. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For further rea...
This week, we’re revisiting an episode from last year. Johnson & Johnson, one of the world’s largest healthcare companies, is facing thousands of lawsuits from people alleging they got cancer from using one of their oldest products: talc-based baby powder. To manage the growing liability, J&J deployed a controversial bankruptcy manoeuvre known as the Texas two-step. The FT’s US pharmaceutical correspondent Jamie Smyth helps us explore whether J&J’s use of this m...
As cryptocurrencies have grown in popularity and people use cash less and less, central banks have been put on the defensive. Their solution to stay relevant and maintain control? A central bank digital currency. Institutions such as the European Central Bank see it as their way to leap into the digital age. But as the ECB is pushing forward with its agenda, it’s facing criticism from the very people and banks who would help keep it alive. The FT’s Martin Arnold takes a closer look at the digita...
The London Stock Exchange once held the top spot in global financial markets. In recent years, that’s changed drastically. The FT’s Harriet Agnew and Katie Martin explain how a yacht floating off the Canary Islands 30 years ago played a critical role in changing the stock market. Clips from CBS, Thames News - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For further reading: Britain’s ‘capitalism without capital’: the pension funds that shun risk ‘There are no domest...
On the final episode of BTM Night School, we're talking markets: from stocks to bonds to commodities. We're joined by the FT's Markets editor Katie Martin and Ethan Wu, a member of the FT’s Wall Street team. Katie and Ethan unpack why last year was terrible for stocks, what bonds can tell you about inflation, and which market gives us the clearest picture into the “real” economy. This series is made in collaboration with Blinkist. To hear more conversations like this, check out the Blinkist app ...
Silicon Valley legend Intel was the semiconductor chip industry’s global leader for decades. Lately it’s fallen behind, just as the US is recognising the importance of chips to economic and national security. Now, Intel is trying to turn itself round. The FT’s Richard Waters explains its plans and the many challenges it will face in order to reclaim that stature. Clip from CNN - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For further reading: Can Intel become the chip cha...
ESG has become a buzzword within public companies and among asset managers. Central banks and big asset managers such as BlackRock have been championing these standards, asking companies to consider climate change and corporate governance. But ESG is also seeing a backlash. Gillian Tett, founding editor of the Financial Times’ Moral Money newsletter, explains how it is changing the corporate boardroom and how much of an effect the pushback against ESG is having. This series is made in collaborat...
When news broke last year that EY was planning to split its businesses, it was seen as a move that could reshape the accounting industry. The bold plan was given an equally grand name, “Project Everest”. But after months of negotiations from within the firm, and despite the support of the global leadership, the plan recently fell apart. FT’s US accounting editor Stephen Foley and accountancy correspondent Michael O’Dwyer explain why that shakeup didn’t happen. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -...
From the rise of ChatGPT to job cuts at companies such as Meta and Amazon, tech has dominated the headlines in 2023. On this episode of Night School, the Financial Times’ innovation editor, John Thornhill, breaks down the biggest tech stories of the year so far. He tells US managing editor Peter Spiegel how artificial intelligence will revolutionise healthcare, who is winning in the global tech race, and what’s in store for blockchain’s future. This series is made in collaboration with Blinkist....
This week, we’re bringing you something from our fellow podcast, FT Weekend. The show travels to Miami, Florida, to drink some beers, place some bets, and discover how AI is changing the sport of horse racing. FT data journalist Oliver Roeder joins FTW host Lilah Raptopoulos to talk about how the ancient sport is being upended by anonymous computer-assisted bets. These secretive gamblers are injecting billions of dollars into the pools, and aggressively tipping the odds, and it’s putting the who...
Inflation remains stubbornly high in the US. In this week’s episode of BTM: Night School, US managing editor Peter Spiegel talks to US economics editor Colby Smith about how we got here and what the Federal Reserve can do to tamp down inflation. This series is made in collaboration with Blinkist. To hear more conversations like this, check out the Blinkist app . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Interested in pursuing a Master of Business Administration? Sign up for...
Apple has spent two decades and billions of dollars building a massive supply chain for its products. At the centre of that operation is China. But as Beijing has become more authoritarian and relations with the US sour, it has become harder for Apple to do business there. The company has been signalling recently that it will diversify away from the country, but the FT’s Patrick McGee tells Michela why cutting ties will be extremely difficult. Clips from Fox News, CGTN, Yahoo, ABC&nb...
It’s time to hit the books with Behind the Money: Night School. This series will serve as a primer to the biggest economic stories of 2023. On today’s episode, US Managing Editor Peter Spiegel talks with Derek Brower about energy policy. They discuss how the United States became almost energy independent, President Biden’s about-face on oil and gas, and why the Inflation Reduction Act might just transform America’s economy into a hub of green innovation. This series is made in collab...
There’s been a lot of big finance and economics news in 2023. Whether it's stories about rising interest rates, tech industry layoffs or bank runs, it can almost feel like you need an MBA just to make sense of it all. That’s why the Financial Times is launching a bonus series on this feed called Behind the Money: Night School. Over the next five weeks, this show will help you understand the concepts behind the biggest economic stories of this year. U.S. managing editor Peter Spiegel chats ...
This week, we’re revisiting an important episode from last year. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered a global food crisis. Months later, FT correspondents Polina Ivanova, Chris Cook and Laura Pitel found out how Russia aims to profit from this. Ivanova explains how she and her colleagues used satellite photos, transponder data and a document trail to track a Russian company’s shipment of 2,675 metric tonnes of milling wheat out of the occupied Ukrainian port of Berdya...
