Transworld wins five-way auction for McCrum's Wirecard scandal story

Transworld has won a five-way auction for the inside story of the Wirecard scandal by award-winning Financial Times journalist Dan McCrum.

Editorial director Alex Christofi bought UK and Commonwealth rights to House of Wirecard from Matilda Forbes-Watson at WME. 

The publisher said: “Over the course of six years of reporting for the Financial Times, McCrum helped bring to light a $2bn accounting hole in one of Europe’s biggest tech darlings, once valued at over $20bn. The company is now the subject of a parliamentary inquiry in Germany. The book will tell the full story of Wirecard for the first time, in a riveting business narrative that will appeal to lovers of Bad Blood and The Billion Dollar Whale.”

McCrum’s reporting on Wirecard has since been recognised with the Impact Award for distinguished financial journalism from the New York Financial Writers' Association, as well as the Ludwig Erhard Prize for economic journalism, a Reporters Forum Reporterpreis and a special award by the Helmut Schmidt Prize jury for investigative journalism. He has this week been named Journalist of the Year at the British Journalism Awards. 

Christofi said: “I can’t think of anyone better to write the story of Wirecard. Not only has Dan been investigating this story for years – he has done so in the face of considerable resistance and attacks on his character. The full story of what happened is so much stranger than I could have guessed, and a book is the only way to do it justice.”

A publication date has not yet been finalised.

McCrum added: “Wirecard is an astounding tale of fraud, greed and deception packed with characters and revelations that will surprise and amaze. I'm delighted to partner with Alex and the team at Transworld, who share my vision to bring to life this story for the ages.”