German Payments Group Wirecard Says $2.1 Billion of Cash is Missing

The company was told by EY that there were indications a trustee of Wirecard bank accounts had attempted "to deceive the auditor" and that "spurious cash balances" might have been provided to EY by a third party.

Investors' enthusiasm for the company, whose aggressive expansion was masterminded by Markus Braun, its chief executive and largest shareholder, catapulted it into Germany's prestigious Dax 30 index two years ago with a market value of $27 billion. It slumped to less than $5.6 billion on Thursday as its shares plunged almost 70%