Episode 1: The Bribe | FT Podcasts

A series of clandestine lunch meetings leads Sam’s editor to send him off to Vienna in search of one man. #wirecard #bribe #investigation #espionage #janmarsalek #undercover #austria #vienna #fintech #russianspy #warlord #disinformation #europe #us #investigativejournalism Hot Money, the award-winning podcast series from the Financial Times and Pushkin Industries, is back with a third season. In 2020, the Financial Times exposed a €2bn fraud at Wirecard, a high-flying German fintech. Many thought that was the end of the story.  But for FT reporter Sam Jones, it was just the beginning. This season on Hot Money: Agent of Chaos, Sam investigates Wirecard’s chief operating officer who vanished just as Wirecard collapsed — and who turned out to also be a Russian spy.  From an Ibizan sting operation to an attempted takeover of the Austrian intelligence service, his reporting spirals into a world of warlords, espionage and disinformation.  All in an attempt to answer two questions: who is the real Jan Marsalek? And what does his secret life reveal about the powerful forces he serves? New episodes of the eight-part season will drop every Tuesday. ► Enjoying FT content? Get a daily slice of the very best FT journalism with FT Edit. Free for 30 days then just £4.99 a month See if you get the FT for free as a student (http://ft.com/schoolsarefree) or start a £1 trial: https://subs.ft.com/spa3_trial?segmentId=3d4ba81b-96bb-cef0-9ece-29efd6ef2132. ► Check out our Community tab for more stories: https://www.youtube.com/@FinancialTimes/community ► Listen to our podcasts: https://www.ft.com/podcasts ► Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/financialtimes ► Follow us on Instagram: https://www.tiktok.com/@financialtimes