What\u2019s Moneyland? That\u2019s what the first half of this \u201cThe Missing Cryptoqueen\u201d episode is about. The second part is about Frankfurt, the city where Jamie and Georgia think that Dr. Ruja might be hiding. In any case, Moneyland is that mythical place where the money that millionaires and corporate entities want to disappear goes. The concept comes from british journalist Oliver Bullough, who \u201chas spent many years investigating the ways illicit money flows around the world, including in Eastern Europe.\u201d He\u2019s this episode\u2019s star guest.<\/p>\n
The Frankfurt part, however, is the most exciting segment of the whole podcast so far. The production team really stepped up their investigative game and got closer to Dr. Ruja than any police department ever will. We know our summaries are phenomenal, but we recommend that everyone listens to that second part at least.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Remember, you can download episodes directly from the BBC<\/a>, or listen to \u201cThe Missing Cryptoqueen\u201d through Apple<\/a>, Spotify<\/a>, or iVoox<\/a>.<\/p>\n In any case, let\u2019s go to Moneyland!<\/p>\n Is Dr. Ruja alive? Before even mentioning Moneyland, producer Georgia Catt confirms a possible Dr. Ruja sighting to presenter Jamie Bartlett. The staff of an Athens restaurant remembers someone with Dr. Ruja\u2019s characteristics as part of a party of six. What they\u2019re not sure about is exactly *when* did this happen. Interesting. The possibility of a Dr. Ruja running around Europe might\u2019ve been the catalyst for the Frankfurt part of the episode. But first, let\u2019s get to Moneyland.<\/p>\n After hearing the basic facts of the OneCoin case, journalist Oliver Bullough tells Jamie that once upon a time \u201cAlbania descended into anarchy because of a pyramid scheme.\u201d As the crypto world has confirmed lately, these scams can be dangerous. Then, Bullough explains what Moneyland is. Rich and smart people can construct their \u201cassets in such a way that they become invisible.\u201d They can still use them to \u201cbuy political influence and nice houses and yachts.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n When it comes to other people trying to find those assets, though, they turn invisible. So, \u201cthat\u2019s what Moneyland is, Moneyland is the place where these assets go.\u201d This breaks Jamie, who asks if there\u2019s zero chance of finding them. Bullough tries to cheer him up by saying \u201cIt\u2019s not zero chance. It\u2019s, yeah. I mean, it\u2019s been very well hidden, right?\u201d And that\u2019s not the most depressing part of the episode. After that, they inform us that the UK has stopped their investigation into OneCoin. They just gave up.<\/p>\n\n FTT price chart for 11\/18\/2022 on FTX | Source: FTT\/USD on TradingView.com<\/a><\/p>\n When things look darker, \u201cThe Missing Cryptoqueen\u2019s\u201d production team gets into high gear. They turn their investigating arm up a few notches and focus on the Internet. \u201cWe put so much online now, and that information can betray us. And that\u2019s what took us to somewhere we think Dr. Ruja might be.\u201c That somewhere is Frankfurt. Our heroes determine that Dr. Ruja\u2019s ex-husband and her hidden daughter live in the city. Plus, her best friend seems to have visited Frankfurt recently.<\/p>\n They get there and they find nothing, not a single trace. This part is excruciating. However, it leads Jamie and Georgia to a high-luxury neighborhood that feels like the place Dr. Ruja would live. This is where Monelyland leads to. In there, they find a charismatic but annoying postman that might remember the name Ignatova. They leave that storyline open and \u201cThe Missing Cryptoqueen\u201d returns to England.\u00a0<\/p>\n To finish the episode off, Jamie has a very interesting discussion with Cameron, \u201ca UK-based OneCoin promoter.\u201d Is he a true believer or is he just defending an extremely lucrative business? Cameron goes all in and carries the OneCoin party line to the very end. Wow. This might be the most surprising part of the whole episode.\u00a0<\/p>\n Oliver Bullough, explaining how money can disappear:<\/p>\n \u201cIf you are rich enough and well advised enough or clever enough, you construct your assets in such a way that they become invisible. They still exist, you can still use them to buy things, you can still use them to buy political influence and nice houses and yachts. But when it comes from someone trying to find them, whether that\u2019s a journalist or a police officer, the assets are invisible. And so that\u2019s what Moneyland is, Moneyland is the place where these assets go.\u201d<\/p>\n Jamie Barlett on what led them to Frankfurt:<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s one place we haven\u2019t looked, not really looked. And it\u2019s probably the most obvious place of all, the Internet. We put so much online now, and that information can betray us. And that\u2019s what took us to somewhere we think Dr. Ruja might be. Not Athens, Frankfurt. It took weeks of extremely boring internet research and painstakingly going back through everything we\u2019ve learned so far.\u201d<\/p>\n In The Guardian\u2019s review<\/a> of Oliver Bullough\u2019s \u201cMoneyland,\u201d they quote a metaphorical definition of the novel term:<\/p>\n \u201cHe conceives of it as a secret, parallel world, almost like something from a fairytale: \u201cThe very wealthiest people \u2026 have tunnelled into this new land that lies beneath all our nation states, where borders have vanished. They move their money \u2026 and themselves wherever they wish, picking and choosing which countries\u2019 laws they wish to live by.\u201d<\/p>\n The Guardian also says:<\/p>\n \u201cHe is surprisingly successful at getting some of the architects of the offshore world to open up, and is sensitive to the fact that some of its users have good reason to avoid governments, such as rich dissidents fearing the politically motivated confiscation of their assets. He also accepts an argument frequently put to him in notorious tax havens: that wealthier, less criticised countries such as Britain have been equally involved in building and maintaining Moneyland.\u201d<\/p>\n Presenter: Jamie Bartlett Ep. 01 \u2013 https:\/\/www.newsbtc.com\/news\/bitcoin\/ep01-dr-ruja-companion-guide-for-bbcs-the-missing-cryptoqueen-podcast\/<\/a><\/p>\n Ep. 02 \u2013 https:\/\/www.newsbtc.com\/news\/bitcoin\/ep02-btc-killer-companion-guide-for-bbcs-the-missing-cryptoqueen-podcast\/<\/a><\/p>\n Ep. 03 \u2013 https:\/\/www.newsbtc.com\/altcoin\/ep03-onecoin-companion-guide-for-bbcs-the-missing-cryptoqueen-podcast\/<\/a><\/p>\n Ep. 04 \u2013 https:\/\/www.newsbtc.com\/scams-and-fraud\/ep04-onelife-companion-guide-for-bbcs-the-missing-cryptoqueen-podcast\/<\/a><\/p>\n Ep. 05 \u2013 https:\/\/www.newsbtc.com\/scams-and-fraud\/ep05-mlm-companion-guide-for-bbcs-the-missing-cryptoqueen-podcast\/<\/a><\/p>\n Ep. 06 \u2013 https:\/\/www.newsbtc.com\/scams-and-fraud\/ep06-dealshaker-companion-guide-for-bbcs-the-missing-cryptoqueen-podcast\/<\/a><\/p>\n Featured Image: The Missing Cryptoqueen’s logo, from the BBC<\/a> | Charts by TradingView<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" <\/p>\n What\u2019s Moneyland? That\u2019s what the first half of this \u201cThe Missing Cryptoqueen\u201d episode is about. The second part is about Frankfurt, the city where Jamie and Georgia think that Dr. Ruja might be hiding. In any case, Moneyland is that mythical place where the money that millionaires and corporate entities want to disappear goes. The concept comes from british journalist Oliver Bullough, who \u201chas spent many years investigating the ways illicit money flows around the world, including in Eastern Europe.\u201d He\u2019s this episode\u2019s star guest.<\/p>\n The Frankfurt part, however, is the most exciting segment of the whole podcast so far. The production team really stepped up their investigative game and got closer to Dr. Ruja than any police department ever will. We know our summaries are phenomenal, but we recommend that everyone listens to that second part at least.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Remember, you can download episodes directly from the BBC<\/a>, or listen to \u201cThe Missing Cryptoqueen\u201d through Apple<\/a>, Spotify<\/a>, or iVoox<\/a>.<\/p>\n In any case, let\u2019s go to Moneyland!<\/p>\n Is Dr. Ruja alive? Before even mentioning Moneyland, producer Georgia Catt confirms a possible Dr. Ruja sighting to presenter Jamie Bartlett. The staff of an Athens restaurant remembers someone with Dr. Ruja\u2019s characteristics as part of a party of six. What they\u2019re not sure about is exactly *when* did this happen. Interesting. The possibility of a Dr. Ruja running around Europe might\u2019ve been the catalyst for the Frankfurt part of the episode. But first, let\u2019s get to Moneyland.<\/p>\n After hearing the basic facts of the OneCoin case, journalist Oliver Bullough tells Jamie that once upon a time \u201cAlbania descended into anarchy because of a pyramid scheme.\u201d As the crypto world has confirmed lately, these scams can be dangerous. Then, Bullough explains what Moneyland is. Rich and smart people can construct their \u201cassets in such a way that they become invisible.\u201d They can still use them to \u201cbuy political influence and nice houses and yachts.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n When it comes to other people trying to find those assets, though, they turn invisible. So, \u201cthat\u2019s what Moneyland is, Moneyland is the place where these assets go.\u201d This breaks Jamie, who asks if there\u2019s zero chance of finding them. Bullough tries to cheer him up by saying \u201cIt\u2019s not zero chance. It\u2019s, yeah. I mean, it\u2019s been very well hidden, right?\u201d And that\u2019s not the most depressing part of the episode. After that, they inform us that the UK has stopped their investigation into OneCoin. They just gave up.<\/p>\n FTT price chart for 11\/18\/2022 on FTX | Source: FTT\/USD on TradingView.com<\/a><\/p>\n When things look darker, \u201cThe Missing Cryptoqueen\u2019s\u201d production team gets into high gear. They turn their investigating arm up a few notches and focus on the Internet. \u201cWe put so much online now, and that information can betray us. And that\u2019s what took us to somewhere we think Dr. Ruja might be.\u201c That somewhere is Frankfurt. Our heroes determine that Dr. Ruja\u2019s ex-husband and her hidden daughter live in the city. Plus, her best friend seems to have visited Frankfurt recently.<\/p>\n They get there and they find nothing, not a single trace. This part is excruciating. However, it leads Jamie and Georgia to a high-luxury neighborhood that feels like the place Dr. Ruja would live. This is where Monelyland leads to. In there, they find a charismatic but annoying postman that might remember the name Ignatova. They leave that storyline open and \u201cThe Missing Cryptoqueen\u201d returns to England.\u00a0<\/p>\n To finish the episode off, Jamie has a very interesting discussion with Cameron, \u201ca UK-based OneCoin promoter.\u201d Is he a true believer or is he just defending an extremely lucrative business? Cameron goes all in and carries the OneCoin party line to the very end. Wow. This might be the most surprising part of the whole episode.\u00a0<\/p>\n Oliver Bullough, explaining how money can disappear:<\/p>\n \u201cIf you are rich enough and well advised enough or clever enough, you construct your assets in such a way that they become invisible. They still exist, you can still use them to buy things, you can still use them to buy political influence and nice houses and yachts. But when it comes from someone trying to find them, whether that\u2019s a journalist or a police officer, the assets are invisible. And so that\u2019s what Moneyland is, Moneyland is the place where these assets go.\u201d<\/p>\n Jamie Barlett on what led them to Frankfurt:<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s one place we haven\u2019t looked, not really looked. And it\u2019s probably the most obvious place of all, the Internet. We put so much online now, and that information can betray us. And that\u2019s what took us to somewhere we think Dr. Ruja might be. Not Athens, Frankfurt. It took weeks of extremely boring internet research and painstakingly going back through everything we\u2019ve learned so far.\u201d<\/p>\n In The Guardian\u2019s review<\/a> of Oliver Bullough\u2019s \u201cMoneyland,\u201d they quote a metaphorical definition of the novel term:<\/p>\n \u201cHe conceives of it as a secret, parallel world, almost like something from a fairytale: \u201cThe very wealthiest people \u2026 have tunnelled into this new land that lies beneath all our nation states, where borders have vanished. They move their money \u2026 and themselves wherever they wish, picking and choosing which countries\u2019 laws they wish to live by.\u201d<\/p>\n The Guardian also says:<\/p>\n \u201cHe is surprisingly successful at getting some of the architects of the offshore world to open up, and is sensitive to the fact that some of its users have good reason to avoid governments, such as rich dissidents fearing the politically motivated confiscation of their assets. He also accepts an argument frequently put to him in notorious tax havens: that wealthier, less criticised countries such as Britain have been equally involved in building and maintaining Moneyland.\u201d<\/p>\n Presenter: Jamie Bartlett Ep. 01 \u2013 https:\/\/www.newsbtc.com\/news\/bitcoin\/ep01-dr-ruja-companion-guide-for-bbcs-the-missing-cryptoqueen-podcast\/<\/a><\/p>\n Ep. 02 \u2013 https:\/\/www.newsbtc.com\/news\/bitcoin\/ep02-btc-killer-companion-guide-for-bbcs-the-missing-cryptoqueen-podcast\/<\/a><\/p>\n Ep. 03 \u2013 https:\/\/www.newsbtc.com\/altcoin\/ep03-onecoin-companion-guide-for-bbcs-the-missing-cryptoqueen-podcast\/<\/a><\/p>\n Ep. 04 \u2013 https:\/\/www.newsbtc.com\/scams-and-fraud\/ep04-onelife-companion-guide-for-bbcs-the-missing-cryptoqueen-podcast\/<\/a><\/p>\n Ep. 05 \u2013 https:\/\/www.newsbtc.com\/scams-and-fraud\/ep05-mlm-companion-guide-for-bbcs-the-missing-cryptoqueen-podcast\/<\/a><\/p>\n Ep. 06 \u2013 https:\/\/www.newsbtc.com\/scams-and-fraud\/ep06-dealshaker-companion-guide-for-bbcs-the-missing-cryptoqueen-podcast\/<\/a><\/p>\n Featured Image: The Missing Cryptoqueen’s logo, from the BBC<\/a> | Charts by TradingView<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_layout":"default_layout","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blockchain"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/cryptocornercafe.com\/cafe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/cryptocornercafe.com\/cafe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/cryptocornercafe.com\/cafe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/cryptocornercafe.com\/cafe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12251"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/cryptocornercafe.com\/cafe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12251\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/cryptocornercafe.com\/cafe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/cryptocornercafe.com\/cafe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/cryptocornercafe.com\/cafe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}About \u201cThe Missing Cryptoqueen,\u201d Episode Seven \u2013 \u201cIn Plain Sight\u201d<\/h2>\n
Moneyland Leads To Frankfurt<\/h2>\n
Quotes From Episode Seven of \u201cThe Missing Cryptoqueen\u201d:<\/h2>\n
Extra Material, about \u201cMoneyland\u201d:\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Episode Credits<\/h2>\n
\nProducer: Georgia Catt
\nStory consultant: Chris Berube
\nEditor: Philip Sellars
\nOriginal music and sound design: Phil Channell
\nOriginal music and vocals: Dessislava Stefanova and the London Bulgarian Choir<\/p>\nPrevious Companion Guides For BBC\u2019s \u201cThe Missing Cryptoqueen\u201d Podcast:<\/h2>\n
About \u201cThe Missing Cryptoqueen,\u201d Episode Seven \u2013 \u201cIn Plain Sight\u201d<\/h2>\n
Moneyland Leads To Frankfurt<\/h2>\n
Quotes From Episode Seven of \u201cThe Missing Cryptoqueen\u201d:<\/h2>\n
Extra Material, about \u201cMoneyland\u201d:\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Episode Credits<\/h2>\n
\nProducer: Georgia Catt
\nStory consultant: Chris Berube
\nEditor: Philip Sellars
\nOriginal music and sound design: Phil Channell
\nOriginal music and vocals: Dessislava Stefanova and the London Bulgarian Choir<\/p>\nPrevious Companion Guides For BBC\u2019s \u201cThe Missing Cryptoqueen\u201d Podcast:<\/h2>\n