The Chinese Cryptoqueen

The Chinese Cryptoqueen

Between 2014 and 2017 thousands of ordinary Chinese people handed their money over to a company that promised them fabulous riches by helping them to ride the wave of the future - cryptocurrency. That vision collapsed when the shadowy figure behind it, Qian Zhimin, fled to the UK with a Bitcoin stash bought with their money.

She settled down in London, planning her comeback as the Queen of Liberland, a scrap of land on the banks of the Danube. But her downfall began when she botched an attempt to buy a north London mansion. This alerted the police, who arrested Qian and seized a stash of Bitcoin now worth billions of dollars.

Many investors put everything they had into the company. Several have now told the BBC how they were persuaded to invest, and how the company’s collapse led to personal and financial ruin.

Now, as Qian is sentenced, the question remains: will the victims get their money back?

Episoder(2000)

Me and my digital twin

Me and my digital twin

Ghislaine Boddington aspires to be interconnected with an AI digital companion that advises and supports her, keeps her healthy and represents her around the world. A twin that could live on after her...

24 Nov 202449min

The Fifth Floor: How to apologise to a king

The Fifth Floor: How to apologise to a king

After publicly criticising the Ashanti King, Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II, journalist Afia Pokua had to apologise following a strict traditional protocol. BBC Africa's Daniel Dadzie explains how royal ap...

23 Nov 202420min

BBC OS Conversations: Smog in Delhi and Lahore

BBC OS Conversations: Smog in Delhi and Lahore

Imagine waking up in the morning and going outside to discover that the air is so toxic that it makes your eyes water and can make it hard to breathe. This is happening to millions of people in South ...

23 Nov 202423min

Heart and Soul: An African missionary in France

Heart and Soul: An African missionary in France

Father Michel was brought up in a devout family in a devout country. He witnessed the horrors of the Second Congo War but when he was sent to France he was nevertheless shocked to find so much materia...

22 Nov 202426min

Amapiano: The sound of South Africa

Amapiano: The sound of South Africa

South African DJ Legendary Crisp, charts the rise of the homegrown dance music genre Amapiano. She finds out where the hypnotising, jazzy, soulful sound emerged from, what it means culturally, and how...

21 Nov 202426min

In the Studio: David Chipperfield

In the Studio: David Chipperfield

David Chipperfield is a world renowned, Pritzker prize-winning architect with major buildings in cities across the globe from Berlin to Beijing. But with a long career behind him he has changed the em...

20 Nov 202426min

Life at 50°C: Syria's water wars

Life at 50°C: Syria's water wars

The autonomous north-east region of Syria, once regarded as one of the most fertile areas in the country, is today struggling to find enough water to survive. More than a million people in Hasakah hav...

19 Nov 202426min

Assignment: Plastic recycling’s dirty secrets

Assignment: Plastic recycling’s dirty secrets

An estimated five million tonnes of plastic waste is exported each year, with the majority coming from 10 high-income countries. Malaysia has become a global hub for plastic waste imports and recyclin...

18 Nov 202426min

Populært innen Samfunn

rss-spartsklubben
giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
konspirasjonspodden
alt-fortalt
aftenpodden-usa
rss-nesten-hele-uka-med-lepperod
rss-henlagt-andy-larsgaard
popradet
wolfgang-wee-uncut
grenselos
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
synnve-og-vanessa
fladseth
frokostshowet-pa-p5
rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
min-barneoppdragelse
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem
rss-frekvens-med-anine-olsen
rss-dannet-uten-piano