One man controlled two-thirds of the world's matches, then it was all a fraud

Ivar Kreuger built a global match monopoly by lending cash-strapped European governments money in exchange for exclusive match rights, raising the funds by selling securities to investors worldwide. When he died in 1932, auditors found forged Italian bonds and years of fabricated profits propping up the empire. It remains one of the largest corporate frauds ever uncovered.

— Frank Partnoy, The Match King: Ivar Kreuger and the Financial Scandal of the Century — 2009
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