Business Abroad: Iberian Croesus

He has been called "the last pirate of the Mediterranean," "a soul of the Middle Ages," and "the Rockefeller of Spain." None of these titles quite fits the fantastic career and character of Juan Alberto March y Ordinas, a stooped, eagle-beaked Spaniard who in his ninth decade is perhaps the world's most mysterious and powerful billionaire. Shrewd and ruthless, the shadowy figure of Juan March has floated across the face of Europe for more than half a century, bringing public officials low, underwriting dictators, helping to finance two world wars (on both...