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)

Heart and Soul: I became a Muslim after the Taliban kept me hostage

Heart and Soul: I became a Muslim after the Taliban kept me hostage

Bara’atu Ibrahim speaks to Jibra’il Omar, formerly Timothy Weeks; an Australian educator who was held captive for three years in Afghanistan by the Taliban. However, Jibra’il Omar made news six years ...

20 Sep 202426min

Stories from the New Silk Road: Space

Stories from the New Silk Road: Space

China's Belt and Road Initiative stretches physically with infrastructure projects across the globe, but there is one initiative that is the most ambitious yet - The Space Silk Road. The space race is...

19 Sep 202426min

BBC Trending: Woman, life, surveillance

BBC Trending: Woman, life, surveillance

The Iranian government is not coy about its silence tactics. Since Iran's Woman Life Freedom Movement began on 16 September 2022, unlawful executions, imprisonment, physical and sexual abuse has domin...

18 Sep 202421min

The great dolphin release

The great dolphin release

Johnny, Rocky and Rambo were performers in the world’s last travelling dolphin circus and inside a Bali hotel swimming pool. This is the story of the fight to shut the circus down and the long journey...

18 Sep 202426min

Assignment: Ageing without a safety net in Malaysia

Assignment: Ageing without a safety net in Malaysia

Industrialisation, modern cityscapes and strong economic growth promote an image of a youthful, vigorous Malaysia. But the country is now ageing rapidly, and this sudden transformation seems to have c...

17 Sep 202426min

In the Studio: Lenin Tamayo and Q-pop

In the Studio: Lenin Tamayo and Q-pop

Peruvian singer Lenin Tamayo has been dubbed the founder of ‘Q-pop’. He combines traditional Andean folk music with K-pop inspired instrumentation and dance. His songs mix Quechua – one of Peru’s indi...

16 Sep 202426min

Solutions Journalism: The African 'Babelfish'

Solutions Journalism: The African 'Babelfish'

Africa is home to around one-third of the world's languages, but only a smattering of them are available online and in translation software. So when young Beninese computer scientist Bonaventure Dosso...

15 Sep 202423min

The Fifth Floor: Exam nightmares

The Fifth Floor: Exam nightmares

Why are exams so stressful? Chinese journalists Wanqing Zhang and Eric Junzhe share personal memories about the infamous Gaokao exam in China, which this year reached a record of 13.42 million applica...

14 Sep 202426min

Populært innen Samfunn

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