Why Messi's Names Came in Panama Papers for Tax Evasion 

The football icon was convicted of tax fraud and sentenced to 21 months jail time. Somewhat remarkably, his Panama shell company Mega Star Enterprises has no links to Switzerland, the largest offshore haven in the world. – July 24 / «DailyO»

Is Blockchain Going Mainstream? You bet!, says Oliver Bussmann

The former CIO of Swiss bank UBS and passionate advocate of digitization in finance explains why Blockchain is the biggest disruptor in finance and other industries since the dawn of the internet. How quickly will that happen? Probably not overnight, according to Bussmann. – July 19 / «LinkedIn»

Caribbean countries caught in crossfire of U.S. crackdown on illicit money flow 

Spurred by the financial meltdown and regulatory abuses, banks have tightened controls, weeding out potentially risky customers. This “de-risking” movement has hit the Caribbean most deeply, raising concern that poor regions are being shut off from global financing, – July 12 / Reuters

How Wall Street Bro Talk Keeps Women Down 

When I was a 27-year-old bond trader at Bank of America, I went to dinner with a managing director and a high-profile client, both men, at a Brazilian all-you-can-eat meat restaurant in Manhattan. The waitress came by to see if we wanted another round of drinks. When she was out of earshot, the client said, “I’d like to bend her over the table, give her some meat.” – July 7 / New York Times

«Sugar Daddy» Career Boosters

Sexual favors for exotic trips, high-end fashion brands, or other luxury perks – that's usually the «sponsoring» model when influential businessmen meet up with willing young playthings. But there's yet another way to get ahead – a first-hand report.  July 5 / Dealbreaker

Corruption: Moving Money out of Purgatory

Aaron Bornstein arrived in Kazakhstan in February 2009 with $84m and a daunting assignment. His job was to hand out millions of dollars to impoverished families, non-governmental agencies and students who wanted to pursue secondary education. The catch was that he could not have any dealings with the Kazakh government, which was not exactly happy to see him coming. – July 5 / Financial Times

How Colony Capital CEO Tom Barrack Became a Bordeaux-Style Winemaker 

Billionaire Tom Barrack made his fortune making contrarian bets in real estate. So when it came to getting his family into the wine business, he saw no point buying a trophy property—at trophy prices—in Bordeaux or Napa, Calif. Instead, he bought a 1,300-acre ranch an hour north of Santa Barbara, Calif., and planted his own vines. – July 5 / Bloomberg