Fresh troubles for SoftBank's Masayoshi Son as Wirecard drama unfolds

Wirecard won't force SoftBank to write down any assets - because the tech conglomerate never put money into Wirecard itself.

What’s more perplexing, a firm that can’t seem to avoid due diligence failures, or one that throws its name behind a controversial partner without putting in a dime? Investors in SoftBank Group may have seen a bit of both. Now, its entanglement with Wirecard AG leaves shareholders wondering exactly what kind of business they’ve been sinking their money into.
 

Over the past year, SoftBank’s $80 billion start-up splurge has quickly unraveled, as WeWork imploded and the initial public offering of Uber fell flat. But unlike WeWork, Wirecard won’t force SoftBank to write down any assets — because the tech conglomerate