Cash and liquidity
Building-bonus tax credits were created without checks, and if one is fake, the buyer pays
29 September 2026, 21:46
In Trani, seizures worth €88 million: building-bonus tax credits generated several times over on the same homes, without a single job being done. The system allowed it: all it took was an online notice with no checks, and a VAT number to do the work. And when a credit turns out to be fake, even those who bought it in good faith lose it.
Japan's rice has gone from shortage to glut: stock bought out of fear is paid for twice
29 September 2026, 09:29
In two years Japan has gone from empty shelves to a rice surplus, and today growers are selling below the cost of production. It is the path of every stock built up out of fear, in business too: it is paid for once in cash, when it is bought, and a second time in the accounts, when the price falls.
The bank asks its customers for an extra confirmation. For €95 million, a WhatsApp was enough
25 September 2026, 18:14
The then chairman of Fideuram sent off €95 million after a message from a fake Carlo Messina and the cloned voice of a lawyer: €36 million is still missing. The same bank tells its customers to be wary of urgent requests.
The customer who pays after the due date is borrowing money from the supplier
25 September 2026, 08:13
In the second quarter of 2026 only 42 per cent of Italian companies paid their suppliers on time, and among large companies just over one in five. Every day of delay is money the supplier lends the customer: it can be measured customer by customer, and the law even puts a price on it.
To be let off, you must have collected the money you never collected
23 September 2026, 22:32
Bari, a curtain company: €539,956 of VAT declared and not paid, a six-month prison sentence upheld by the Court of Cassation in June. In 2024 a way out arrived for those left without money. It only applies to those who had collected the tax.
The diesel discount is paid for by the VAT on a full tank
22 September 2026, 16:06
The dearer the pump, the more VAT flows to the State. And that extra VAT comes back in the form of lower excise duty. It's called a discount.
Profit cannot be paid into the bank
20 September 2026, 17:38
A company can close the year in profit and not have the money to pay its suppliers. It is not an accounting paradox: it is a matter of timing, and it can be measured before it happens.
Your stock is your bank. But without the IBAN
Theory and practice
In a business, what seems “normal” is often what locks up liquidity. And among all the invisible blockages, there is one that keeps making itself felt without saying a word: inventory.
“I don’t need a controller. I already have an accountant”
Theory and practice
That is what a business owner told us at our first meeting. His financial statements showed a profit and his turnover was good.
Optimising cash flows: much more than “getting on with the bank”
Theory and practice
Financial statements and performance indicators help us understand the health of the company, but there is another aspect that separates those who react from those who anticipate: the management of cash flows.
When debt speaks: the indicator that reveals a business crisis
Theory and practice
In previous posts we learned how to read financial statements, but one fundamental issue remains to be addressed: knowing how to recognise the warning signs of a crisis.
Why the cash flow statement is an essential tool
Theory and practice
The balance sheet and the profit and loss account say a great deal about a company.
Company financial statements explained in simple terms - Part II
Theory and practice
Having learnt how the Balance Sheet captures the structure of the business, it’s time to set that picture in motion.
Company financial statements explained (really) in simple terms – Part I
Theory and practice
Accounting helps us tell the story of the business through numbers: now it’s time to understand where all these numbers come together.
Financial accounting explained (really) in plain words
Theory and practice
Together we will set out on a structured journey to talk about controlling but, to do so, we first need to understand where the numbers come from, so that we can then interpret them.