Hot Money: Agent of Chaos

Here’s a preview of a new audiobook, Global Tech Wars: China’s Race to Dominate. For decades, China’s economic rise has been symbolized by its unstoppable force of low-cost manufacturing. Now, it’s the leading country in cutting-edge industries like artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, surveillance technology, and more. In Global Tech Wars, Financial Times’ veteran journalist James Kynge analyzes China’s rapid technological ascent and what it means for the future. If you like what you hear, find the full audiobook at pushkin.fm/audiobooks, Audible, Spotify, or wherever you get your audiobooks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 25 August 2025

We're sharing a special episode from SpyCast, the official podcast of the International Spy Museum, featuring Hot Money's Sam Jones. SpyCast host Sasha Ingber sits down with Sam to learn how Jan Marsalek came to be one of the most wanted men in the world. Sam speaks to how the Financial Times first uncovered fraud at the fintech company, Wirecard, where Jan was the COO, who Jan was before his involvement with Russian spy networks, and how Sam found himself in the middle of an investigation into Jan's secret life. For more stories of how spies and secret agents reach our everyday lives, find SpyCast wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 11 August 2025

In our season finale, Sam discovers a different narrative about Marsalek’s life in Russia. And a tip from long ago resurfaces. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 29 July 2025

A Marsalek-backed ring of operatives goes on trial in the UK for espionage. A treasure trove of text messages reveals their inner workings. Get ad-free access to the entire season of Hot Money: Agent of Chaos by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Access ad-free episodes, exclusive binges, full audiobooks, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows with Pushkin+. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 22 July 2025

Back in Vienna, Sam investigates another Marsalek plot. One that nearly toppled Austria’s intelligence agency. Get ad-free access to the entire season of Hot Money: Agent of Chaos by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Access ad-free episodes, exclusive binges, full audiobooks, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows with Pushkin+. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 15 July 2025

How does one become a spy? Sam speaks with a former Russian intelligence officer about how Marsalek might have been recruited. And to what ends. Get ad-free access to the entire season of Hot Money: Agent of Chaos by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Access ad-free episodes, exclusive binges, full audiobooks, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows with Pushkin+. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 1 July 2025

On the ground in Austria and Germany, Sam digs deep into Marsalek’s past. His odd habits. His strange house. The hypnotic effect he had on former colleagues. And how he is remembered by childhood friends. CORRECTION: In this episode, we reported Marsalek left home just before taking his final school exams at age 17. We’ve since learned he was 18 when he left home. Get ad-free access to the entire season of Hot Money: Agent of Chaos by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Access ad-free episodes, exclusive binges, full audiobooks, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows with Pushkin+. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 24 June 2025

Sam tracks down an old contact in Tunisia.  A former UN official living off grid. He reveals how he ended up involved in one of Jan Marsalek’s wildest schemes. CORRECTION: In this episode, we reported that Marsalek told Killian Kleinschmidt that he arrived in Syria in a Mig 8. That was an error. Killian only recalls Marsalek saying that he arrived in Syria in a helicopter, not specifically a Mig 8.  Get ad-free access to the entire season of Hot Money: Agent of Chaos by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Access ad-free episodes, exclusive binges, full audiobooks, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows with Pushkin+. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 17 June 2025

As Sam arrives in Vienna, a political bomb explodes. A secretly recorded video exposes ties between the far right and Russia, plunging the Austrian government into crisis and revealing a world where people like Jan Marsalek can thrive. Get ad-free access to the entire season of Hot Money: Agent of Chaos by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Access ad-free episodes, exclusive binges, full audiobooks, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows with Pushkin+. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 10 June 2025

A series of clandestine lunch meetings leads Sam’s editor to send him off to Vienna, in search of one man. Get ad-free access to the entire season of Hot Money: Agent of Chaos by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Access ad-free episodes, exclusive binges, full audiobooks, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows with Pushkin+. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 10 June 2025

When reporter Sam Jones asks questions about disgraced financial executive Jan Marsalek, he discovers a world of warlords, espionage, and disinformation. Coming June 10 from Pushkin Industries and The Financial Times Get ad-free access to the entire season of Hot Money: Agent of Chaos by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Access ad-free episodes, exclusive binges, full audiobooks, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows with Pushkin+. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 3 June 2025

Law enforcement cuts off the Kinahan cartel, and a little red notebook in the back of a car might finally reveal who killed the electrician in Almere. For more from the FT, sign up for the FT Edit App. To listen to Hot Money ad free, subscribe to Pushkin+.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 26 December 2023

Daniel Kinahan is more influential than ever, but law enforcement may finally be catching up.  For more from the FT, sign up for the FT Edit App. To listen to Hot Money ad free, subscribe to Pushkin+.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 21 December 2023

An undercover operation in New York reveals a connection with Tehran. For more from the FT, sign up for the FT Edit App. To listen to Hot Money ad free, subscribe to Pushkin+.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 19 December 2023

Back in the Netherlands, the high-tech unit of the Dutch police works to crack the murder case. For more from the FT, sign up for the FT Edit App. To listen to Hot Money ad free, subscribe to Pushkin+.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 14 December 2023

No longer safe in Europe, the cartel bosses move to a city that is attracting criminals from around the globe. For more from the FT, sign up for the FT Edit App. To listen to Hot Money ad free, subscribe to Pushkin+.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 12 December 2023

International law enforcement is after the Kinahan cartel, revealing just how big the operation has grown. For more from the FT, sign up for the FT Edit App. To listen to Hot Money ad free, subscribe to Pushkin+.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 7 December 2023

An enterprising Dublin drug dealer makes the most of a revolution sweeping across Europe’s criminal economy. For more from the FT, sign up for the FT Edit App. To listen to Hot Money ad free, subscribe to Pushkin+.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 5 December 2023

When a Dutch crime reporter makes an unbelievable discovery, a small-town murder case begins to look like an international assassination plot. For more from the FT, sign up for the FT Edit App. To listen to Hot Money ad free, subscribe to Pushkin+.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 5 December 2023

Hot Money is back with a new season that begins with a mysterious murder in a small town and leads to a cocaine super cartel and a secret proxy war between democracies and dictatorships.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 21 November 2023

In the season finale, Alex and Patricia discover how Visa and MasterCard became the reluctant rulers of porn. And they figure out what being ruled by credit card companies means for the porn industry today. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to subscribe to our email list.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 19 July 2022

Alex and Patricia track down the family behind OnlyFans, the site that has transformed online porn by shifting power back to performers. But there is a whole other side to the OnlyFans story.  If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to sign up for our email list at Pushkin.fm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 12 July 2022

One of the biggest porn companies in the world was forced to radically change its practices. But another porn giant changed almost nothing. Patricia travels to the company's Prague headquarters to understand why.  If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to sign up for our email list at Pushkin.fm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 5 July 2022

A billionaire hedge fund manager reads a scathing column about a popular porn site. He sends an angry text to the CEO of MasterCard. Almost overnight, the biggest porn company in the world changes dramatically. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to sign up for our email list at Pushkin.fm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 28 June 2022

How is it legal for porn sites to host millions of videos uploaded by users? The answer is in the story of an Ohio family in the early 1990s. In this episode: a family IT business, an FBI raid and a court case that set the precedent for porn – and for tech giants like Facebook and Twitter.  If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to sign up for our email list at Pushkin.fm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 21 June 2022

When Fabian Thylmann ran into trouble with the law, a former Goldman Sachs banker swooped in to buy his porn sites. But nobody knew who he was. He managed to keep his identity a secret for years --- until Patricia rumbled his game.  If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to sign up for our email list at Pushkin.fm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 14 June 2022

A decade ago, a computer programmer named Fabian Thylmann began to build one of the biggest porn empires in the world. How did Fabian do it? He was good with money in a business that was starved of finance. He convinced Wall Street to bankroll his vision to take control of the industry. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to sign up for our email list at Pushkin.fm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 7 June 2022

Stoya is a porn star who saw first-hand how a firehose of free porn online transformed the adult industry. She sends hosts Alex Barker and Patricia Nilsson a quest: Find out who is in charge, and get to the bottom of how the business of porn really works. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to sign up for our email list at Pushkin.fm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 6 June 2022

When Financial Times reporter Patricia Nilsson started digging into the porn industry, she made a shocking discovery: Nobody knew who controlled the biggest porn company in the world. Now, Nilsson and her editor, Alex Barker, have figured out who the guy was, and much more. Their reporting reveals a shadowy power structure that includes billionaires, tech geniuses and the most powerful finance companies in the world. Coming June 7th. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 25 May 2022