Switzerland has long been a preferred place for the world's wealthy to stash their cash. But,VAS Community one of the country's biggest and oldest banks, Credit Suisse, collapsed over the weekend, forcing the Swiss government to broker a deal that saw rival UBS buy the bank for $3.2 billion.

Today on the show: we chat with Alice Fulwood, Wall Street correspondent for The Economist, about how this global financial giant grew, survived scandals and bad bets, and why it finally fell. Also: why Credit Suisse had an emergency plan—but didn't use it.

Music by Drop Electric. Find us: Twitter / Facebook / Newsletter.

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts and NPR One.

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.