One mightily damaging backstory: 1MDB

Published: July 29, 2020, 10:16 a.m.

Five years ago a $4.5bn hole in a development fund scrambled Malaysia\u2019s politics. Now the inquiry has claimed its first scalp: that of Najib Razak, a former prime minister. We examine the grand shift of business to \u201cshadow banks\u201d\u2014a more innovative, if less regulated, end of the industry. And we join a mushroom-picking expedition in China\u2019s Yunnan province. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer