Synopsis
The daily drama of money and work from the BBC.
Episodes
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Cashing in on cassava
29/06/2025 Duration: 17minIt's one of the world’s most versatile crops and a critical source of food security - it’s also a commodity under increasing global demand.Nigeria is the world’s largest producer of the root vegetable, cassava, but export numbers are tiny.Currently, the country imports products that compete with the indigenous crop.We hear from farmers, entrepreneurs and leading agronomists on plans to industrialise Nigeria’s cassava industry and realise its economic potential.Produced and presented by Laura Heighton-Ginns Additional sound mixing by James Bradshaw(Image: Mrs Kemi farms a five hectare smallholding in south west Nigeria. Image credit: Bassey Oluwakemi Ibilola)
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How are Gulf businesses responding to the Israel-Iran conflict?
26/06/2025 Duration: 17minWe're in Dubai looking back on two weeks of uncertainty and concerns the world’s busiest oil shipping channel, The Strait of Hormuz, might shut. The UAE is a major global trading hub and home to the biggest port in the Middle East. We’ll be hearing how some countries are looking for alternatives to the Strait, such as pipelines or developing refineries. And what could this mean for the future relationship between Gulf states like this one, and Iran? Produced and presented by Sameer Hashmi Additional production: Lexy O'Connor(Image: A small boat loaded with merchandise sails past a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Khasab in Oman's northern Musandam peninsula on 25 June 2025.Credit: Getty Images)
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When a home DNA testing company fails...
25/06/2025 Duration: 17minWhat happens to our data once it's been handed over to DNA testing companies? One such firm, 23andMe, filed for bankruptcy earlier this year. The company was set up to help people could track their ancestry - one of a number of similar sites using DNA data to create links and matches between users.However the company has been dogged by privacy concerns over its use of customer information and was fined for a data breach that exposed UK customers. What lessons can be learned now the company's been bought out of bankruptcy by its co-founder?Produced and presented by David Reid(Image: Woman swabbing her mouth for a DNA test. Credit: Getty Images)
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From pro gamer to what?
24/06/2025 Duration: 19minWe look at job security and long-term options for esports players after they hang up their controllers.The industry is worth billions of dollars and players win big prizes, but many make more money as content makers, and plan to move away from esports long-term.We head to an esports event in Birmingham UK to speak to professional gamers about their career prospects - and to young people who idolise these players and want to enter this field themselves.Produced and presented by Will Chalk(Image: Esports player Archie Pickthall at the 2025 RLCS Major 1 tournament in Birmingham UK. Credit: BLAST/Michal Konkol)
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Game over? Sport sponsorship and the Dutch gambling crackdown
23/06/2025 Duration: 17minFrom 1 July 2025 there will be complete ban on untargeted advertising of online gambling in the Netherlands. That's a dramatic reversal in policy from just four years ago, when the market was first regulated. The move will have a particularly significant impact in the Dutch sports world, where federations and clubs have benefited from intense sponsorship spending in the few years it has been legal. But now that flow of money is coming to an end. What impact will the new rules have, in sport and more widely? And how will the betting operators adapt?Produced and presented by Matthew Kenyon(Image: Tom Koops of Orion Stars playing in the Volleyball Play-off Finals match between Orion Stars and NovaTech Lycurgus on 8 May 2025 in Doetinchem, Netherlands. One of the sponsors of Dutch men's volleyball is Bet City - seen on Tom's shirt. That won't be allowed under the new rules. Credit: Getty Images)
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India’s '10-minute' delivery craze
22/06/2025 Duration: 17minGroceries delivered to your doorstep in just 10 minutes? India’s online platforms are promising this instant delivery for millions of shoppers – items at your door in between 10 and 30 mins. But behind the convenience lies a deeper story - exhausted gig workers, struggling family-run stores, and questions about the long-term sustainability of the business model. We look at the real cost of India’s quick commerce, or Q-commerce, industry.If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresented and produced by Devina Gupta(Picture: A Swiggy delivery rider and a rider for rival brand Zepto on their bikes with delivery boxes in Mumbai, India. Credit: Getty Images)
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Why are Westerners moving to Thai care homes?
19/06/2025 Duration: 17minFed up with their own inadequate and expensive care systems, many elderly Westerners are choosing to retire to Thailand, where care is cheaper and often better. Many say Thailand’s Buddhist culture and respect for the elderly means Thais are naturally caring. It’s a booming sector, and is only likely to grow as we all live longer. But the decision to move can be complex, particularly when it involves retirees with dementia. People have been accused of dumping their sick relatives in Thai care homes, far from family. Is this exploitation – rich Westerners taking advantage of Thailand’s low wages? And what does it mean for local health systems, as care workers are lured away to look after foreign residents?If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresented and produced by Gideon Long(Picture: British retiree Liz Jackson, now living in Chiang Mai.)
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Thailand's casino gamble
18/06/2025 Duration: 19minThailand’s government has long been wary of opening up the country to gambling, imposing major restrictions on betting.Small-scale, illicit gambling is widespread in the country but now politicians want to liberalise the industry and allow casinos to set up shop.The goal is to promote tourism, but opponents argue that the gambling business is incompatible with Thai culture, which is largely rooted in Buddhist values that frown upon betting.If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresented and produced by Ed Butler(Picture: Protesters in Chaing Mai, Thailand, in April 2025, seen holding placards during a demonstration to protest the government's draft entertainment complex bill at The Phae Gate. On 13 January 2025, the Thai Cabinet approved a draft bill, setting the stage for the legalisation of casino gambling in entertainment complexes across the country. Credit: Getty Images)
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Thailand’s battle against e-waste
17/06/2025 Duration: 17minThe Southeast Asian country has witnessed a huge influx of electrical and electronic waste in recent years. Old mobile phones, computers, circuit boards and fridges are being shipped to the country and processed, often in unlicensed industrial sites. We explore why this has happened, who is behind it, and find out what the Thai government is doing about it. We join the Thai industry ministry on a raid of an unlicensed Chinese-owned recycling plant, and talk to a Thai farmer who says his cassava crop has been blighted by pollutants from an unlicensed smelter. We also hear from Thais about their own electronics recycling habits. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresented and produced by Gideon Long Additional reporting and translation by Wilawan Watcharasakwej in Bangkok (Image: Officials look at a mound of e-waste at a site near Bangkok, Thailand.)Since this programme was first broadcast, the Chinese embassy in Thailand has responded to the BBC request for
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Thailand and Malaysia: Growth under pressure
16/06/2025 Duration: 19minThailand and Malaysia both depend on exports to countries like China and the US for economic growth. The Southeast Asian nations are now potentially facing some of US President Donald Trump’s most punishing tariff rates. We look at some of their key industries, like rubber and manufacturing, that are threatened by the situation. Will both countries have to reinvent their economies? If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.ukProducer/presenter: Ed Butler(Photo: Duang Chai, a rubber farmer in Chonburi, eastern Thailand)
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Thailand: An economy on hold?
15/06/2025 Duration: 18minFrom rice to rubber, manufacturing to tourism, Thailand is one of Southeast Asia’s most important export-driven economies. And its trading partners include China and the US. But the country's been struggling to bounce back from the effects of the Covid pandemic. Ever since US President Donald Trump first introduced tariffs against China in 2018, Thailand's also found itself having to tread carefully between the demands of the two economic superpowers. We hear from food producers, exporters and ordinary working people, about the choices ahead. Will Thailand now have to decide between Washington and Beijing if it is to survive a global trade war? If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresented and produced by Ed Butler(Image: Bangkok's Chinatown. A neighbourhood packed with market stalls, gold shops, and restaurants. Credit: Getty Images)
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Business Daily meets: Activist investor David Webb
12/06/2025 Duration: 17minDavid Webb has spent decades campaigning for the rights of ordinary investors in Hong Kong. Since arriving in the city from the UK as a young investment banker 30 years ago, he’s taken on tycoons, exposed corporate wrongdoing, and pushed for transparency in one of the world’s most complex financial hubs. Now, as the activist investor’s life comes to an end following a terminal cancer diagnosis in 2020, he's been reflecting on his life in the corporate world. He's spoken to the BBC's Martin Yip.If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresenter: Martin Yip Producer: Niamh McDermott (Image: David Webb, activist investor and founder of Webb-site.com, speaks during a farewell event at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Hong Kong on 12 May 2025. Credit: Getty Images)
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Has sports arena advertising gone too far?
11/06/2025 Duration: 17minPitchside advertising signs in stadiums are getting bigger and brighter, using advanced, digital technology to create new opportunities for marketing to fans in the stadium and those watching sports at home. But could the LED boards around the stadium distract from the action on the field? We hear from fans, marketing execs, and how one sport league is using advertising as a form of entertainment during matches.If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresented and produced by Russell Padmore(Picture: Football/soccer stadium from the players zone. Credit: Getty Images)
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The craft brewers and tariffs
10/06/2025 Duration: 17minUS President Donald Trump’s announcements on tariffs have had businesses around the world analysing their supply chains and reassessing their bottom lines. We take a snapshot of one industry and the beating heart of a popular American product - craft beer – speaking to brewers in Canada, Mexico and the US.If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresenter: Devina Gupta Producer: Hannah Bewley(Image: Robin Ridesic of Exchange Brewery in Ontario, Canada; Justin Cox of Atlas Brewing, Washington DC, USA; and Luis Osuna of Buqui Bichi in Sonora, Mexico)
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The cost of a can of beer in the US
09/06/2025 Duration: 17minA Pilsner, an American Pale Ale, American IPA or cold lager. However you like your beer – it's part of life in the US and usually comes out on top as the most popular drink in the country. In this programme, we look at how President Donald Trump’s tariffs policy is impacting the product; tracing the elements of a can of beer in the United States - from the hops to the bar.Could this all-American experience be affected by a desire to Make America Great Again? Or will US businesses involved in beer manufacturing and packaging benefit? If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresented and produced by Hannah Bewley(Picture: Young woman working in the production line in a beer factory. Credit: Getty Images)
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Could categorising heatwaves help businesses?
08/06/2025 Duration: 17minHeatwaves don’t have names unlike storms or hurricanes - which are categorised. But extreme heat can have a huge impact on people’s lives, on overall public health, and the local economy. We look at a pilot project that took place in the Spanish city of Seville called ProMETEO, aimed at naming heatwaves in order to raise public awareness, and better prepare local economies in extreme heat conditions.And we speak to businesses that are having to plan for hotter weather and ask them whether categorising heatwaves could make them more resilient. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresented and produced by Ashish Sharma(Picture: A waitress tries to cool down with a fan at a restaurant in Seville on 23 July, 2024, as temperatures rose across southern Europe during a heatwave last summer. July 21, 2024 was the hottest day ever registered globally, according to preliminary data published by the EU's climate monitor. Credit: Getty Images)
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The economics of Hajj
05/06/2025 Duration: 17minFor more than 1,400 years, Saudi Arabia has hosted pilgrims from across the world who travel to this sacred patch of desert to fulfil a religious obligation.Beyond the eternal moral duty, the economic potential of hosting both Hajj, and Umrah - a shorter pilgrimage - is vast. The kingdom is aiming to welcome 30 million pilgrims every year by 2030. As more Muslims gain the financial means to undertake this journey, we look at the scale of the opportunity—for Saudi Arabia, and the global travel industry.If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresented and produced by Sameer Hashmi(Picture: Muslim worshippers gather for prayers at the Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Mecca on June 2, 2025 ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Credit: Getty Images)
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The business of not dying
04/06/2025 Duration: 17minIs longevity the next growth industry? We look at why billionaires are betting on 'rejuvenation' tech and whether any of this could help more of us live beyond 100. We meet the entrepreneurs selling 'superfoods', personalised health plans, and longevity consulting, hoping to cash in on a longer life. Their methods are unproven and sometimes extreme, but could the billionaires be on to something? If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk Presented and produced by Thomas Mason (Picture: A silhouette of a man stargazing under a clear, starry night sky with the Milky Way visible. Artistic composite. Credit: Getty Images)
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Ice hockey: back from the b-rink?
03/06/2025 Duration: 17minIce hockey was hit hard by the pandemic, with empty arenas and financial losses threatening the sport's future. Now in 2025, North America's National Hockey League (NHL) has come roaring back. We'll look at that journey and how the sport is about to enjoy a record-breaking season with predicted revenues of $6.6bn.If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresenter: Sam Gruet Producer: Megan Lawton(Anton Lundell of the Florida Panthers scores a goal against Joseph Woll of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the first period of Game Seven of the Second Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Scotiabank Arena on May 18, 2025 in Toronto, Canada. Credit: Getty Images)
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Paraguay: South America's Silicon Valley?
03/06/2025 Duration: 17minThe small country has big ambitions to become a tech and innovation hub. It has a reliable source of renewable energy, thanks to the Itaipu Dam - a huge hydroelectric dam on the Paraguay-Brazil border.We hear from government ministers and business leaders about how they believe they can make it happen - and the benefits it could bring, particularly to young people in Paraguay.Produced and presented by Jane Chambers(Image: The Itaipu Dam - a hydroelectric dam on the Paraguay-Brazi border. Credit: Getty Images)