因陷入假账丑闻，德国金融科技新贵Wirecard股价狂跌67%
陷入假账丑闻的德国支付公司Wirecard AG第四次推迟公布年度财务业绩，原因是审计方未能找到该公司账户上存有价值19亿欧元现金的证据。受此影响，Wirecard股价应声暴跌。
Wirecard周四发表声明称，安永未能在公司特定信托账户上找到19亿欧元现金余额的证据，有证据表明受托人提供了“虚假的余额确认单”。该公司称，该数额约为其合并资产负债表总额的四分之一。
Wirecard首席执行官马库斯•布劳恩表示，“目前尚不清楚是否发生过致使Wirecard AG利益受损的欺诈交易。如有发生，Wirecard AG将会对相关人员提前诉讼。”
周四，该公司的股价在法兰克福股市重挫67%，至35.85欧元，创下历史最大跌幅。该跌幅也是德国DAX 30指数成分股迄今为止最大的跌幅之一。Wirecard债券同样遭遇了创纪录的跌幅。
市值大幅缩水
2018年9月，Wirecard市值一度达到246亿欧元，挤掉德国商业银行晋身DAX 30指数成分股行列，与大众、西门子、德国银行等巨头并肩。周四大幅蒸发过后，该公司的市值只剩下67亿欧元左右。
“Wirecard的市值可能将无法收复失地。”券商Mirabaud Securities分析师内尔•坎普林指出。
Wirecard在另一份声明中表示，安永告知Wirecard，由于为Wirecard管理托管账户的两家未具名银行未能找到存有约19亿欧元的账户，需要再进行额外的审计。该公司称，该笔资金原计划用于风险管理。
该德国公司上个月说，最近一次推迟公布财报是因为安永需要更多时间完成审计，该审计机构在其工作范围内没有任何实质性的发现。与此同时，针对《金融时报》刊发的一系列文章所提出的会计违规指控，Wirecard联合毕马威会计事务所展开调查。
随着财报再度推迟公布，布劳恩身上的压力进一步加大。他自2002年以来一直领到Wirecard，面对有关公司财务管理不善的指控，他一直在努力驳斥澄清情况。积极投资者TCI Fund Management要求其下台，但布劳恩予以拒绝，并承诺将重新赢得投资者的信赖，改善公司的合规性，加强内部管控。
5月，德国检方上门搜查Wirecard的总部，这是对该公司高层的调查的一部分。
毕马威还没有找到理由来让Wirecard重申其财务数据，但它也指出，它还没有获得所需的所有信息，当中有很多都掌握在第三方手里。
2月，Wirecard称，公司全年实现营收28亿欧元，同比增长约38%；息税折旧摊销前利润为7.85亿欧元，同比增长40%。（财富中文网）
译者：万志文
去年，Wirecard AG首席执行官兼第一大股东马库斯•布劳恩出席在德国法兰克福举行的一个银行业大会。该公司称有第三方提供了“虚假的余额确认单”，令其财务数据存疑。受此影响，Wirecard股价周四应声暴跌。图片版权：Alex Kraus/Bloomberg/Getty Images
陷入假账丑闻的德国支付公司Wirecard AG第四次推迟公布年度财务业绩，原因是审计方未能找到该公司账户上存有价值19亿欧元现金的证据。受此影响，Wirecard股价应声暴跌。
Wirecard周四发表声明称，安永未能在公司特定信托账户上找到19亿欧元现金余额的证据，有证据表明受托人提供了“虚假的余额确认单”。该公司称，该数额约为其合并资产负债表总额的四分之一。
Wirecard首席执行官马库斯•布劳恩表示，“目前尚不清楚是否发生过致使Wirecard AG利益受损的欺诈交易。如有发生，Wirecard AG将会对相关人员提前诉讼。”
周四，该公司的股价在法兰克福股市重挫67%，至35.85欧元，创下历史最大跌幅。该跌幅也是德国DAX 30指数成分股迄今为止最大的跌幅之一。Wirecard债券同样遭遇了创纪录的跌幅。
市值大幅缩水
2018年9月，Wirecard市值一度达到246亿欧元，挤掉德国商业银行晋身DAX 30指数成分股行列，与大众、西门子、德国银行等巨头并肩。周四大幅蒸发过后，该公司的市值只剩下67亿欧元左右。
“Wirecard的市值可能将无法收复失地。”券商Mirabaud Securities分析师内尔•坎普林指出。
Wirecard在另一份声明中表示，安永告知Wirecard，由于为Wirecard管理托管账户的两家未具名银行未能找到存有约19亿欧元的账户，需要再进行额外的审计。该公司称，该笔资金原计划用于风险管理。
该德国公司上个月说，最近一次推迟公布财报是因为安永需要更多时间完成审计，该审计机构在其工作范围内没有任何实质性的发现。与此同时，针对《金融时报》刊发的一系列文章所提出的会计违规指控，Wirecard联合毕马威会计事务所展开调查。
随着财报再度推迟公布，布劳恩身上的压力进一步加大。他自2002年以来一直领到Wirecard，面对有关公司财务管理不善的指控，他一直在努力驳斥澄清情况。积极投资者TCI Fund Management要求其下台，但布劳恩予以拒绝，并承诺将重新赢得投资者的信赖，改善公司的合规性，加强内部管控。
5月，德国检方上门搜查Wirecard的总部，这是对该公司高层的调查的一部分。
毕马威还没有找到理由来让Wirecard重申其财务数据，但它也指出，它还没有获得所需的所有信息，当中有很多都掌握在第三方手里。
2月，Wirecard称，公司全年实现营收28亿欧元，同比增长约38%；息税折旧摊销前利润为7.85亿欧元，同比增长40%。（财富中文网）
译者：万志文
Wirecard AG, the German payments firm that’s fending off allegations about its accounting, delayed the publication of its annual financial results for the fourth time after auditors were unable to find about 1.9 billion euros ($2.1 billion) in cash. The shares collapsed.
Ernst & Young was unable to confirm the location of the cash balances in certain trust accounts, and there was evidence that “spurious balance confirmations” had been provided, Wirecard said in a statement on Thursday. That’s about a quarter of the consolidated balance sheet total, Wirecard said.
“It is currently unclear whether fraudulent transactions to the detriment of Wirecard AG have occurred,” said Wirecard’s Chief Executive Officer Markus Braun. “Wirecard AG will file a complaint against unknown persons.”
The stock dropped as much as 67% to 35.85 euros in Frankfurt on Thursday, the biggest fall on record and one of the largest for a member of Germany’s prestigious 30-company DAX stock index. Wirecard’s bonds also suffered a record plunge.
Crash in value
In September 2018, Wirecard reached a market valuation of 24.6 billion euros, replacing Commerzbank AG in the DAX alongside titans such as Volkswagen AG, Siemens AG, and Deutsche Bank AG. Following Thursday’s collapse, the company is valued at around 6.7 billion euros.
“Wirecard’s retreat could be terminal,” said Neil Campling, an analyst at Mirabaud Securities.
EY told Wirecard that their results will require additional audits after two unnamed Asian banks that have been managing the company’s escrow were unable to find accounts with about 1.9 billion euros in funds, Wirecard said in an additional statement. Those funds had been set aside for risk management, the company said.
Wirecard said last month that the latest delay in publishing results was due to Ernst & Young needing more time to finish its review, and that the auditor hadn’t found anything material within the scope of its work. Wirecard had postponed the results while it was working with KPMG on a probe into allegations about accounting irregularities brought forward by a series of articles in the Financial Times.
The latest delay will increase the pressure on Braun, who’s led the company since 2002 and has aggressively fought back against allegations that the company’s financials have been mismanaged. Braun has also resisted calls from activist investors TCI Fund Management Ltd. to step down, promising to regain investor confidence and improve compliance and control.
Wirecard headquarters were searched in May by German prosecutors as part of a probe involving the company’s senior management.
While KPMG found no reason for Wirecard to restate its results, the firm said it didn’t get access to all of the information it needed, much of which was in the hands of third parties.
Wirecard said in February that full-year revenue rose about 38% to 2.8 billion euros while earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization jumped 40% to 785 million euros.
