DownloadThe Portobello Bookshop Gift Guide 2024

Moneyland

Why Thieves And Crooks Now Rule The World And How To Take It Back

Oliver Bullough author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Profile Books Ltd

Published:1st May '19

Should be back in stock very soon

Moneyland cover

In this insightful exploration, investigative journalist Oliver Bullough uncovers the hidden world of global kleptocrats, revealing how offshore banking has enabled corruption and inequality to thrive across the globe.

Moneyland by Oliver Bullough explores the intricate and often hidden world of global finance, where wealth, power, and corruption intersect. The narrative is set against a backdrop of stark contrasts, from the devastated towns on the fringes of Siberia to opulent hideaways in affluent districts like Knightsbridge and Manhattan. Bullough, an investigative journalist, delves into the emergence of offshore banking—a concept introduced in 1962 that has allowed the wealthy and unscrupulous to exploit financial systems for personal gain.

The book highlights the alarming rise of inequality and the disintegration of democratic systems, suggesting that these issues stem from the unchecked power of kleptocrats who manipulate the global economy. Bullough takes readers on a journey through the mechanisms of this new financial order, revealing how public funds are siphoned off from poorer nations and funneled into lavish lifestyles in wealthier countries. He paints a vivid picture of the individuals involved, from the criminals orchestrating these schemes to the seemingly respectable professionals who facilitate their actions.

Ultimately, Moneyland serves as both an exposé and a call to action. Bullough encourages readers to understand the complexities of wealth and poverty in today's world, emphasizing the importance of recognizing the systems that enable such disparities. By shedding light on these hidden networks, he aims to inspire a collective effort to address the challenges posed by global kleptocracy and restore integrity to financial practices.

Eye-opening and essential ... Bullough has provided a model for how to tell a gripping and comprehensible story about a complex and crucial subject. You cannot understand power, wealth and poverty without knowing about Moneyland. -- Simon Kuper * New Statesman *
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
Corruption undermines democracy, weakens institutions and erodes trust, it destroys lives and impoverishes millions. Moneyland starts from that truth and tells London's part of that story ... This important book shows clearly that foreign policy isn't about foreigners, it's about us. -- Tom Tugendhat, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee
A concise, confident book ... pacy, clever and entertaining ... if you still have any illusions about the wonders of liberated capitalism, Moneyland will probably cure you. -- Andy Beckett * Guardian *
A darkly fascinating ride. -- John Arlidge * Sunday Times *
There are few people who know the world of illicit finance and money laundering like Oliver Bullough. He takes us on a journey through the maze of complicity and criminality that will upend all your confidence in the institutions that should be protecting us. -- Bill Browder, author of Red Notice: How I became Putin's No. 1 Enemy
You cannot understand power, wealth and poverty without knowing about Moneyland. -- Simon Kuper * New Statesman *
This is meticulously researched and engagingly told, and reveals the horror and scale of dirty money flowing around the world. The central role played by the UK and jurisdictions associated with the British family mean that every person concerned about corruption and fairness in the UK should read this book - and then campaign and act. -- Margaret Hodge, MP
A great guide to a country you can't afford to visit but which is all around you. -- Richard Brooks, author of Bean Counters
Unputdownable. Funny, tragic and explains the world. I hope it helps change it, too. -- Peter Pomerantsev, author of Nothing Is True and Everything is Possible
Jaw-dropping and deeply unsettling. Oliver Bullough provides a sobering and brilliant account of how piracy on an epic-scale is alive and well in the 21st century. A must-read. Simple as that. -- Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads
Praise for Let Our Fame Be Great: With this impassioned volume [Bullough] has struck a blow for the glory of the Caucasus and helped to give a voice to the voiceless. -- Justin Marozzi * Financial Times *
Praise for The Last Man in Russia: The Last Man in Russia might be compared to Colin Thubron's Among the Russians - perhaps the last book in English to come so close to pinning down the Russianness of Russia. -- Mary Dejevsky * Independent *
The Last Man in Russia is distinguished by the excellence of its writing and its lucid, unsparing gaze. * Daily Telegraph *

  • Short-listed for Wales Book of the Year 2019
  • Long-listed for Orwell Prize 2019 (UK)

ISBN: 9781781257937

Dimensions: 194mm x 128mm x 24mm

Weight: 304g

336 pages

Main