The Syndicate

David Bowie turned heads with his 1997 sale of bonds backed by his vast song catalogue. The deal, which traced its roots back to the early 1970s, promised to completely revolutionise the music industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How the sleepy financial market of Stockholm gave birth to one of the biggest innovations in 21st century finance – and helped channel hundreds of billions of dollars to saving the planet.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When the World Bank turned to IBM with a novel bit of financial engineering that would help it save vital projects in the developing world, it inadvertently kickstarted a market that a generation later would bring the global economy close to collapse.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A plucky group of visionaries persuaded an Italian motorway operator to take a gamble on a new idea in 1963. In the process they helped create a market that today is worth around $30trn.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 1987 stock market crash came at the worst possible time for some of the world’s biggest banks – just as they were on the hook for the largest share sale ever seen. The UK government faced an impossible dilemma: pull the deal or let banks go under.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.