Jamie Bartlett

I juni 2016 stod Ruja Ignatova, jurist och ekonom med en Oxfordexamen, inför extatiska åhörare på Wembley Arena i London och utlovade en kryptofinansiell revolution. Bitcoin skulle förpassas till historiens sophög av den nya kryptovaluta som Ignatova och hennes medhjälpare – bland dem svensken Sebastian Greenwood – hade utvecklat, onecoin. Onecoin skulle inte bara göra alla som investerade i den sanslöst förmögna, den skulle också förändra världen i grunden. Knappt ett år senare, i mars 2017, hade människor världen över köpt onecoin för sammanlagt fyra miljarder dollar. Men banker i olika länder hade under samma period blivit betänksamma och börjat varna för riskerna med den nya kryptovalutan. I oktober 2017 försvann så Ignatova spårlöst. Det blev tidskriften "Fortune" som kom att formulera den rimliga frågan: Är onecoin historiens största bedrägeri? I "Kryptodrottningen som försvann" låter oss journalisten Jamie Bartlett ta del av den lätt osannolika historien om onecoin och dess färgstarka och samvetslösa galjonsfigur. Han skildrar de intriger, den hype och den masspsykos som gjorde onecoin-svindeln möjligt att genomföra. Det var helt enkelt ett gigantiskt pyramidspel, där människorna i pyramidens topp tjänade miljontals dollar och de i dess botten förlorade allt de ägde. Men Bartlett är också intresserad av miljardsvindelns mänskliga och psykologiska förutsättningar, vår villighet att låta oss förföras.

'An astonishing read, plunging you into a toxic world of Insta-wealth, betrayal and ruthless ambition... A con that made Theranos look like small fry' - The Telegraph'The largest financial scam ever' - Fortune'The bizarre case of OneCoin illustrates how easily a classic scam could be reinvented for the digital age' - Financial Times'The story of OneCoin stands out even among the outlandish capers of the cryptocurrency era' - Wall Street Journal____________________________________________________Hundreds of Countries.Billions of Dollars.One Lie.In 2014 a brilliant Oxford graduate called Dr Ruja Ignatova promised to revolutionise money and make people rich in the process. The future, she said, belonged to cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. And the self-styled cryptoqueen vowed that she had invented the Bitcoin Killer. She launched OneCoin, an exciting new cryptocurrency that she promised would not only earn its investors untold fortunes, it would change the world. OneCoin swept the globe - becoming one of the fastest companies to make $1 billion in revenue.By 2017, billions of dollars had been invested in OneCoin in hundreds of countries, from the USA to Pakistan, Hong Kong to Yemen, and the UK to Uganda. But by the end of the year Ruja Ignatova had disappeared, along with the money, and it slowly became clear that her revolutionary cryptocurrency was not all it seemed.The Missing Cryptoqueen tells the unbelievable story of the rise, disappearance and fall of Dr Ruja Ignatova. It is a modern tale of intrigue, techno-hype and herd madness that reveals how OneCoin became the biggest scam of the 21st Century.

In 2016, on stage at Wembley Arena in front of thousands of adoring fans, Dr Ruja Ignatova promised her followers a financial revolution. The future, she said, belonged to cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. And the Oxford-educated, self-styled cryptoqueen vowed that she had invented the Bitcoin Killer. OneCoin would not only earn its investors untold fortunes, it would change the world.By March 2017 more than $4 billion had been invested in OneCoin in dozens of countries, from the USA to Pakistan, Hong Kong to Yemen, and the UK to Brazil. But by October 2017, Ruja Ignatova had disappeared, and it slowly became clear that her revolutionary cryptocurrency was not all it seemed.In The Missing Cryptoqueen, Jamie Bartlett tells the unbelievable story of the rise, disappearance and fall of Dr Ruja Ignatova, setting out on a globe-crossing investigation into the criminal underworlds, corrupt governments and the super-rich. Along the way, he reveals a very modern tale of intrigue, techno-hype and herd madness that allowed OneCoin to become a million person pyramid scheme - where, at the top, investors were making millions and, at the bottom, people were putting their livelihoods at risk. It's the inside story of the smartest and biggest scam of the 21st Century - and the genius behind it, who is still on the run.

175 countries, four billion dollars, one scam: the thrilling rise and fall of the biggest cryptocurrency con in history and the woman behind it all In 2016, on stage at Wembley Arena in front of thousands of adoring fans, Dr. Ruja Ignatova promised her followers a financial revolution. The future, she said, belonged to cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. And the Oxford-educated, self-styled cryptoqueen vowed that she had invented the Bitcoin Killer. OneCoin would not only earn its investors untold fortunes; it would change the world. By March 2017, more than $4 billion had been invested in OneCoin in countries all around the world. But by October 2017, Ruja Ignatova had disappeared, and it slowly became clear that her revolutionary cryptocurrency was not all it seemed. Fortune was left asking, "Is OneCoin the biggest financial fraud in history?" In The Missing Cryptoqueen, acclaimed tech journalist Jamie Bartlett tells the story he began in his smash hit BBC podcast, entering the murky worlds of little-regulated cryptocurrencies and multilevel marketing schemes. Through a globe-crossing investigation into the criminal underworlds, corrupt governments, and the super-rich, he reveals a very modern tale of intrigue, techno-hype and herd madness that allowed OneCoin to become a million-person pyramid scheme--where, at the top, investors were making millions and, at the bottom, people were putting their livelihoods at risk. It's the inside story of the smartest and biggest scam of the 21st Century--and the genius behind it, who is still on the run.

**Winner of the 2019 Transmission Prize****Longlisted for the 2019 Orwell Prize for Political Writing**â??A superb book by one of the worldâ??s leading experts on the digital revolutionâ?? David Patrikarakos, Literary Reviewâ??This book could not have come at a better moment...

What was once considered extreme is now the mainstream. But what is life like on the political fringes? What is the real power of radicals? This book takes you in the worlds of the innovators, disruptors, idealists and extremists who think society is broken, and believe they know how to fix it.

"It's the hubris of every generation to think that they have arrived at the best way of living. But all the things we now take for granted, all the modern wisdoms we hold to be self-evident, were once derided as dangerous or foolish radical thinking." -- From the Prologue In Radicals Chasing Utopia, Jamie Bartlett, one of the world's leading thinkers on radical politics and technology, takes readers inside the strange and exciting worlds of the innovators, disrupters, idealists, and extremists who think we can do better-and believe they know how. Bartlett introduces us to some of the most influential movements today: techno-futurists questing for immortality, far-right groups seeking to close borders, militant environmentalists striving to save the planet by any means necessary, and psychedelic pioneers attempting to heal society with the help of powerful hallucinogens. The success of democratic societies hinges on our ability to listen to-and in some cases learn from-the radical movements in our midst. Their methods may be extreme, but in chasing utopia, these groups are challenging what is possible and previewing the world to come.

An Independent and New Statesman Book of the Year Beyond the familiar online world that most of us inhabit--a world of Google, Facebook, and Twitter--lies a vast and often hidden network of sites, communities, and cultures where freedom is pushed to its limits, and where people can be anyone, or do anything, they want. This is the world of Bitcoin and Silk Road, of radicalism and pornography. This is the Dark Net. In this important and revealing book, Jamie Bartlett takes us deep into the digital underworld and presents an extraordinary look at the internet we don't know. Beginning with the rise of the internet and the conflicts and battles that defined its early years, Bartlett reports on trolls, pornographers, drug dealers, hackers, political extremists, Bitcoin programmers, and vigilantes--and puts a human face on those who have many reasons to stay anonymous. Rich with historical research and revelatory reporting, The Dark Net is an unprecedented, eye-opening look at a world that doesn't want to be known.

A world that is much closer than you think. The Dark Net is a revelatory examination of the internet today, and of its most innovative and dangerous subcultures, stretching from secret Facebook groups to the encrypted and hidden Tor network.