logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2019
2m 27s

Introducing... The Missing Cryptoqueen

BBC Sounds
About this episode

In 2014, a businesswoman called Dr Ruja Ignatova launched a new cryptocurrency that promised to change money forever. OneCoin, she said, was similar to Bitcoin, only bigger, better and easier to use. Within two years, over 3 million people had joined the OneCoin revolution, and Dr Ruja became rich and famous. But then she suddenly disappeared and hasn’t been seen since.

For the last six months, writer and journalist Jamie Bartlett has been on the hunt to find The Missing Cryptoqueen. What he uncovers is a lot more than a missing woman. It's a story of greed, deceit and herd madness that takes him all over the world - and gets far weirder than he thought possible.

New episodes every Thursday morning, starting 19th September.

Up next
Oct 2019
6. The Überflieger
In 2009 Dr Ruja and her father bought a metallurgic factory in Southern Germany. What does this have to do with her disappearance today? Those who knew her at the time tell a strangely familiar story about the impressive businesswoman who came to save their workplace.Presenter: J ... Show More
39 m
Oct 2019
5. What Dreams May Come
'Who is to blame?'One of the world's highest-earning Multi-Level-Marketers and former OneCoin top seller agrees to speak. In his mansion on the outskirts of Amsterdam, Jamie learns the secret behind OneCoin's rapid growth and the huge amounts of money that has been made by those ... Show More
1h 1m
Oct 2019
4. Miss OneLife
Jamie and Georgia arrive in Bucharest in the hope of seeing their first OneCoin event: The Miss OneLife 2019 Beauty Pageant. Who else could be there?The Missing Cryptoqueen is an eight-part series for BBC Sounds, with new episodes every Thursday.Presenter: Jamie Bartlett Producer ... Show More
38m 4s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2023
Cryptocurrency Explained
The world of cryptocurrency can be confusing. There’s no tangible money and no clunky coins. Instead we hear about things like Ethereum, Bitcoin and Dogecoin. Crypto has been in the spotlight this month after Sam Bankman-Fried (the ‘Crypto King’) was found guilty of fraud and mon ... Show More
15m 23s
Jul 2022
Death of a Crypto Company
Born in response to the 2008 financial crisis, cryptocurrency was supposed be a form of money that eliminated the traditional gatekeepers who had overseen the tanking of the economy.But a crash in value recently has raised questions about cryptocurrency’s central promise.Guest: D ... Show More
29m 49s
Apr 2022
The Crypto King
Sara and Danny are back this week to discuss the bizarre story of Gerald Cotten that still has people searching for answers to this day. They kick things off with his early life and the founding of his crypto exchange Quadriga that quickly became the biggest cryptocurrency market ... Show More
52m 27s
Dec 2021
A Conversation With a Dogecoin Millionaire: An Update
This week, The Daily is revisiting some of our favorite episodes of the year and checking in on what has happened in the time since they first ran.This episode contains strong language.Dogecoin started out as a kind of inside joke in the world of cryptocurrency. However, earlier ... Show More
31m 52s
May 2024
The Crypto Comeback
This month, customers of FTX — Sam Bankman-Fried’s cryptocurrency exchange, which collapsed in 2022 — were told that they would get their money back, with interest.David Yaffe-Bellany, our technology reporter, explains what was behind this change in fortune and what it says about ... Show More
23m 42s
Feb 2021
Episode 42 : Le bitcoin, la crypto-monnaie qui valait plus que de l'or
C'est l'histoire d'une monnaie virtuelle dont la valeur a atteint celle du kilo d'or. A l'origine, c'est le rêve libertarien de l'obscur Satoshi Nakamoto, qui n'a jamais donné la moindre interview et dont on est presque certain aujourd'hui qu'il s'agit d'un pseudonyme. Sa créatio ... Show More
11m 35s