Moneyland

The Inside Story of the Crooks and Kleptocrats Who Rule the World

By: Oliver Bullough

Narrated by: Oliver Bullough

This program is read by the author.

"If you want to know why international crooks and their eminently respectable financial advisors walk tall and only the little people pay taxes, this is the ideal book for you. Every politician and moneyman on the planet should read it, but they won't because it's actually about them." (John le Carré, author of A Legacy of Spies)

An investigative journalist's deep dive into the corrupt workings of the world's kleptocrats.

From ruined towns on the edge of Siberia to Bond-villain lairs in London and Manhattan, something has gone wrong. Kleptocracies, governments run by corrupt leaders who prosper at the expense of their people, are on the rise.

Once upon a time, if an official stole money, there wasn't much he could do with it. He could buy himself a new car or build himself a nice house or give it to his friends and family, but that was about it. If he kept stealing, the money would just pile up in his house until he had no rooms left to put it in, or it was eaten by mice.

And then some bankers had a bright idea.

Join the investigative journalist Oliver Bullough on a journey into Moneyland - the secret country of the lawless, stateless super-rich.

Learn how the institutions of Europe and the US have become money-laundering operations, attacking the foundations of many of the world's most stable countries. Meet the kleptocrats. Meet their awful children. And find out how heroic activists around the world are fighting back.

This is the story of wealth and power in the 21st century. It isn't too late to change it.

©2019 Oliver Bullough (P)2019 W.F. Howes Ltd.

A true crime book.

Learn about an upside down world where the true criminals are punished with yachts, luxury penthouses and exclusive experiences most of us didn't even know existed.

Fascinating read!

I took a chance on this book not knowing much about the topic and really glad I did! It expanded my understanding and shocked me — I see world news with a very different lens now. Some chapters are easier to read than others (some got a bit complicated), but (as a beginner to economics/globalization topics) I enjoyed being challenged.

Excellent book handicapped by poor narration

Fascinating report about: 1) how some of the world's wealthiest people steal, hide and spend their money; 2) how some clever, greedy but less wealthy professionals and bureaucrats help them hide their money; 3) and how some clever, less wealthy but scrupulous professionals, bureaucrats, and elected officials try to expose and police their crimes. Many astonishing anecdotes, some of them amusing, all of them eye-opening. Excellent writing. Excellent organization. Strongly recommend this book for all the reasons above.

Too bad the audio book is compromised by the author's poor narration: He reads too fast and his diction is terrible. He swallows consonants in nearly every sentence. Maybe this is the fault of the director? The producer? I dunno. All I know is, I had to listen to the narration at 7/10's speed to make out what he's saying. Often I had to replay 30-60 seconds of his narration to confirm I heard him correctly. But his subject is so compelling and his writing is so good, it was worth my extra effort.

Worrying!

When we globally organize and share our intelligence to reduce this corruption. a shared graphed-knowledge structure is required. Method and mechanisms are now available to enable humans to operate with a wholly shared global knowledge network and operations-lifecycle repository.

interesting book, difficult problem

the book provided a comprehensive overview of how we got to where we are - to where offshore money has infiltrated our politics, markets and the prices of goods. lots of interesting stories of individuals and events that provide context and color to the problem. Not too much in the way of hope going forward, but that might be, unfortunately, the most realistic assessment.

Excellent narration of complex issues.

I would ALMOST say this one would be better to read in print as the economic content is a bit complicated for the average person, but Oliver Bullough’s narration was SO good that I’m glad I chose the audio version. I think that, due to his intimate knowledge as author, he is able to enhance listener understanding through his vocal expression. The information is really mind-blowing.

What a Great Book

Really enjoyed this work. Told as a series of parables to make specific points supporting the main point that value flows across boundaries with ease across the legal structures created globally. Worth the credit.

Solid Investigatory Journalism

Well researched and explained work. The author lays out that he phenomenon of money laundering worldwide and gives an interesting perspective on its origins.

Probably not enough emphasis on the vast intelligence and law enforcement agencies directed at battling the “Moneyland”. One not knowledgeable of the field would think governments and banks are just hapless victims unable to stop. The conclusion of a world regulatory regime and currency is highly problematic at best.

Otherwise it’s a very solid piece that is certainly worth a listen.

Important subject

It’s not a page turner but it is a subject we need to know about. The author seems to have put a great deal of effort into the book. Perhaps this is a topic that it would be difficult to make more interesting.

The book is great, the narration, pretty bad.

The narrator spoke so fast that I don’t know when he had time to take a breath. I tried the speed at 75% but that was just too slow so unfortunately I listened to this extremely interesting and timely book at the speaker’s annoyingly breakneck pace. Hopefully if he puts out another audio book and narrates it he will speak a bit slower.