Robin Hood

The Prince of Trades

Since his meteoric rise to global notoriety in 2008 after nearly bankrupting his employer, the French banking giant Societe Generale, Jerome Kerviel has been called many things.

Rogue trader, most often. Financial genius, more rarely. Naïve, ambitious, a scapegoat.

But here's one you might not expect. Robin hood. A modern day anti-hero who steals from the rich to give to the poor.

For many in France, Kerviel is just that. They feel he took on a system which was flawed and unfair, and nearly brought about its collapse.

Never mind that it seems to have been completely unintentional.