logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2022
18m 24s

Greensill: What went wrong?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Greensill Capital was a UK based finance firm and a darling of investors which made its money by lending to businesses. It went into administration in March 2021, leaving investors facing billions in losses.

What went wrong with Greensill? Why did leading politicians like former British Prime Minister David Cameron get involved?

And what does it teach us about the way modern entrepreneurs, like Australian-born Lex Greensill, try and promote themselves?

Ed Butler speaks to Duncan Mavin, a financial journalist who followed the downfall of Greensill – he’s written a book about what happened.

Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: James Graham

(Image: Lex Greensill. Credit: Shutterstock)

Up next
Yesterday
Who's afraid of the AI job-snatchers?
There's a general fear that artificial intelligence could make huge swathes of workers redundant, but are those fears unjustified? Rob Young asks what history can tell us about big technological leaps and how they changed the world of work at the time. And how much of the rate of ... Show More
17m 28s
Apr 2026
Headspace: from mindfulness app to military partner
Headspace started life as a mindfulness app. Now it's partnering with the US Navy and investing in artificial intelligence for mental health support.The company's CEO Tom Pickett speaks to us about therapy, the increasing role of technology, and tackling burnout at scale.If you'd ... Show More
17m 28s
Apr 2026
Anthropic: the $300bn AI firm at war with the White House
Anthropic’s rise from startup to one of the world’s leading players in artificial intelligence has been staggering, but so in recent weeks has been its row with the US Government.Today, we look at that journey to becoming a 380 billion dollar company, ask why Claude has become on ... Show More
17m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2021
Daily: How Britain’s Wolf of Wall Street crashed and burned
What kind of person crashes a £3.6bn business, shattering the life savings of 400,000 people? When Britain’s most famous fund manager Neil Woodford went down in flames in 2019 it was a personal humiliation for a “rock star investor” that the City thought was infallible. Owen Walk ... Show More
22m 11s
Sep 2023
Sir Philip Green: King of the high street
How did Sir Philip Green go from being a respected retail mogul to becoming the unacceptable face of capitalism? BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng find out, and then they judge him.In the podcast that uncovers how the world's 2,668 billionaires made their ... Show More
40m 15s
Mar 2023
Prof G Markets: SVB’s Collapse, the U.S. Banking System, Venture Catastrophists, and What’s Next
This week on Prof G Markets, Scott and Ed unpack what happened to Silicon Valley Bank and what its stress test means for the strength of the U.S. banking system. They also discuss how branding has played a role in the chaos, particularly as it relates to the two tiers of venture ... Show More
49m 47s
May 2023
ZestMoney, where did it go wrong?
<p>In today’s episode for 17th May 2023, we explain why a fintech startup that was once the poster child of the Buy Now Pay Later movement is in all sorts of trouble.</p> <p>Before we get to today&#39;s story. here&#39;s a quick sidenote from Team Ditto. If you&#39;re someone who ... Show More
6m 44s
Sep 2022
The Secret Sauce Behind the World's Greatest Investors
What are the characteristics of the world's greatest investors that separate them from the rest of us? David Rubenstein, co-founder of The Carlyle Group, and best-selling author, joins The Express to talk about the legends of the game and his new book, "How to Invest - Masters on ... Show More
30m 31s
Feb 2024
What Happens When it Goes Wrong? A Conversation with Andy Coulson
 Kwasi Kwarteng is stepping down as an MP at the next election. The former Chancellor was best known for his disastrous mini-budget under Liz Truss. We wanted to understand what it's like being at the centre of a media storm, how to manage it, and how crises have changed in the o ... Show More
30m 54s
Apr 2023
The Rise and Fall of 8K Miles Software aka SecureKloud
<p>In today&#39;s episode for 8th April 2023, we dive into how a company that was once the next big thing lost the plot. The arrest of two of its co-founders isn’t a good look, no? </p> 
7m 9s
May 2022
How Money Laundering Took Over London — with Oliver Bullough
Oliver Bullough, a journalist and the author of “Butler to the World: How Britain Became the Servant of Tycoons, Tax Dodgers, Kleptocrats and Criminals,” joins Scott to discuss how Britain essentially became the epicenter for money laundering and kleptocrats. Follow Oliver on Twi ... Show More
41m 32s