Business Daily

Living off-grid in Portugal

01 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the first of a two part series, we're in the Alentejo region where people are buying land and empty properties in an area without power or water su...

Business Daily Meets: Dr Yasmeen Lari

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Pakistan's first female architect came out of retirement to help rebuild her country after the 2005 earthquake.Now she's helping communities devastate...

Turkey adjusts to ‘bitter medicine’ of high rates

21 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan heard Turkish voters back in May when they said they wanted change in the economy. So, he appointed a new finance minis...

Battling snakes to gather Brazil nuts

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Despite the name, Bolivia is actually the world's biggest exporter of Brazil nuts.We travel to the hot and humid north of the country to look at the p...

Was 2023 a bad year for IPOs?

19 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When private companies around the world want to raise cash, they can do so by starting a process to list on a stock exchange. This is known as an IPO,...

Has shoplifting become a global problem?

18 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Shoplifting has long been a concern for small and large retailers worldwide, but many believe the issue has recently increased - including incidents o...

Business Daily meets: Niccolo Ricci

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Niccolo Ricci is the CEO of Stefano Ricci, a luxury clothing brand whose suits are worn by the rich and powerful. The firm was established more than 5...

Putting the 'F' word into climate talks

14 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The COP 28 climate talks in Dubai have closed with a deal to "transition away" from fossil fuels.So what does this mean for the future of oil, gas and...

Taiwan: Prepping for war

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

One month before pivotal elections in Taiwan, Ed Butler meets ordinary citizens getting ready just in case growing threats of a Chinese invasion do co...

Taiwan: The political mood

12 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The military threat from China, which claims Taiwan as its own, has dominated global headlines of late. But ahead of elections, most voters here say i...

Kinmen: The Taiwanese islands next to China

11 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sitting just a few kilometres away from mainland China, the tiny Kinmen islands are in an unusual situation.Beijing says they and Taiwan are a part of...

Business Daily meets: Joyce and Raissa de Haas

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Joyce and Raissa de Hass used to make tonic waters and mixers for their friends. That passion became a university project, which then turned into a su...

Star Wars: The empire strikes cash

07 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When Star Wars launched, it helped usher in the era of the blockbuster. In the wake of the film, came the figures. Forty years on from their launch, t...

Women, sport and business: Merchandise

06 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Business Daily, the latest in our series on women, sport and business, it's all about the merch.We'll explore how important replica...

The K-rice belt: Seeds for self-sufficiency?

06 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Could Africa reduce its dependency on imported rice with the help of South Korea?The continent's appetite for rice is growing fast at over 6% per year...

What’s holding women back from work in Sri Lanka?

05 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After the catastrophic financial crisis, early signs of stability are returning to Sri Lanka. But there’s arguably a more entrenched economic dilemm...

How to solve fashion’s waste problem

04 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

More than a quarter of all clothes made are never actually sold - where do they go?We look into new legislation being finalised by the EU, to try and ...

Business Daily meets: Konrad Bergstrom

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Konrad Bergstrom comes from a family of seafarers. And as a business leader, he wants to make navigating the seas environmentally friendly. His busine...

Is the corporate world too close to COP?

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Greenhouse gas levels have never been higher. If we're to limit global warming, businesses have a crucial role to play because they operate in sectors...

Can China stop its love affair with coal?

29 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the world’s largest user of coal fired energy, and the biggest polluter. However, China is also the world’s biggest producer of green energ...

Asia's air pollution problem

28 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the week of the Climate Change Conference or COP28, and as leaders from around the world meet in the UAE to talk about how to tackle global war...

Why is Spain betting on green hydrogen?

27 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Spain is trying to position itself as the centre of renewable energy production in Europe, particularly in green hydrogen. The country already boasts ...

Who is Sultan Al-Jaber?

24 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We find out why he's a controversial appointment for the COP28 presidency.Sultan Al Jaber’s appointment has been widely questioned because he’s al...

The world's longest subsea power cable

23 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

They are the cables that run along the sea bed to move power where it’s needed for a cheaper price. Business Daily’s Rick Kelsey goes to the site ...

Kimchi: Korean food goes global

22 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kimchi, the tangy fermented vegetable dish, is now being made and sold around the world.South Korea’s kimchi export value has risen dramatically in ...

How to spot a diamond

21 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When is a diamond really a diamond? When it’s been formed miles underground a billion years ago, or when has it been created in a laboratory, under ...

Disruption in the diamond sector

20 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A few years ago you could have assumed all diamonds had been dug out of the ground – but now it’s true that some of them have been created, at unb...

Business Daily meets: Cycling boss Doug Ryder

17 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The South African former pro rider set up his cycling team in 2007. As MTN Qhubeka they became the first-ever African registered team to ride the Tour...

Argentina goes to the polls

16 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There are two candidates: one is the current economy minister who has a wealth of experience in power; the other is a maverick libertarian economist w...

Biden and Xi to meet in San Francisco

15 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re looking ahead to the meeting between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in San Francisco – the first time the two leaders will have met in ...

The classic cars going electric

14 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Some owners are converting their vehicles into EVs. The idea is to boost the performance of these cars and make them ready for a green future. The pro...

How has war changed the lives of Ukraine’s working women?

13 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 saw millions of Ukrainian women and children flee to safety; causing massive upheaval and hitting the...

Business Daily meets: Silvina Moschini

10 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Argentinian-American tech entrepreneur moved to the US in 1997 and carved out a career in the corporate world before breaking free and setting out...

Last orders for the Irish pub?

09 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Fears are growing for the future of the country's bars - especially in rural areas.In less than 20 years almost a quarter of Irish pubs have closed, m...

Caste bias in corporate America

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There is a growing debate in the US about the caste system - an ancient social ranking system where the community you are born into determines what ki...

The Chinese migrants trying to get into the US

07 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We travel to South America to meet the Chinese migrants who are making their way to the United States using an unexpected route - the established migr...

Saudi Arabia's multi-billion dollar football powerhouse bet

06 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Saudi Pro League has attracted some of the top players from around the world - with transfer fees and salaries amounting to millions of dollars.We...

Why is the French wine industry struggling?

02 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The region of Bordeaux in the south-west of France is perhaps the most famous wine-producing area in the world. But it’s struggling. While the prest...

Business Daily meets: Babbel CEO Arne Schepker

02 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Have you tried learning a language online? We explore the growth of language learning platforms with Babbel CEO Arne Schepker, and how the Covid pande...

The Crypto King and the journalist

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sam Bankman-Fried, the American crypto entrepreneur who went from billionaire to bankrupt, is on trial in New York for fraud. The 31-year-old who foun...

Spook-onomics: the global boost of Halloween

31 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trick or treat and other traditions are now at the centre of a global multi-billion business. The ancient Celtic and Pagan festival, which started tho...

The electric car race

30 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Countries around the world are racing to achieve targets on the ban of new petrol and diesel cars - but they are hitting stumbling blocks, meaning som...

Elon Musk's X: The Twitter takeover a year on

26 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After many months of news headlines about whether Elon Musk was going to buy Twitter, he eventually completed the purchase on 27 October 2022. Since t...

Business Daily meets: Akinwumi Adesina

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2015, Akinwumi Adesina was elected President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), and since then he's become a symbol of optimism across the con...

Short Stories: The amateur trader

23 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Short selling has gone mainstream. Inspired by the noisy success of activist short sellers, amateur investors are now trying this highly risky strateg...

Short Stories: The CEO

23 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What’s it like to be on the wrong side of a big short? Former CEO Paul Pittman's company was shorted by an anonymous short seller who made false all...

Short Stories: The activist short seller

22 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Short selling – the trade where you hope a stock’s value will fall rather than rise. If it does, the trader can win. Big.That’s led to the growt...

Business Daily meets: Andre Schwammlein

19 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Andre Schwammlein once wanted to be a pilot – but ended up behind the wheel of a bus and train company instead.The chief executive and co-founder of...

What makes a stadium special?

18 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The development of new sports stadiums and facilities can bring regeneration to deprived areas. They hold a special place in the hearts of sports and ...

Why is the US building electric car battery factories?

17 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re in Kentucky, where an area which had long ago been abandoned as an industrial site is once again coming to life.US manufacturer Ascend Element...

Bottles or balsa: What should wind turbine blades be made from?

17 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For years, balsa wood has been a key component in the giant rotor blades on the top of wind turbines. Most of it comes from the rain forests of South ...

The impact of India's rice export ban

16 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In an effort to insulate domestic prices, India has banned exports of non basmati white rice - its largest rice category.We ask what the impact of thi...

Business Daily meets: Durreen Shahnaz

13 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From Bangladesh to Wall Street and back again, the founder and CEO of Impact Investment Exchange talks to Devina Gupta.Durreen Shahnaz explains how he...

Dumb Money: Unpicking the GameStop saga

12 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Shares in GameStop, the video game store, experienced a dramatic rise in early in 2021. The stock had captured the imagination of many individual inve...

The rising price of fuel in Nigeria

11 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In May this year, Nigerian president Bola Tinubu took office – and announced an end to fuel subsidies. He said the move would free up money for inve...

Fire-proofing California’s wine industry

10 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2020, Napa Valley experienced its most destructive wildfire ever. Vineyards burned, leaving not only direct damage, but more long lasting impact w...

The Commonwealth Games in crisis?

09 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The event is facing its biggest financing challenge in its 93-year history.There is no host city for the next edition in 2026, and the Commonwealth Ga...

Fashion: Becoming a designer

06 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We speak to Greek designer Dimitra Petsa - founder of Di Petsa - a brand which has been worn by celebrities around the world.She graduated from fashi...

Fashion: Paying less for the wedding dress?

05 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the UK, brides spend an average of £1,400 on a dress for the big day.But inflation and the rising cost of living means that's starting to change. ...

Fashion: Doing business in Paris

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Paris is the most visited city in the world and one of the things it’s known for, is fashion. But what is it about the City of Light that makes it a...

Fashion: Dupe culture

03 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Duplicate products, or dupes, are flooding social media. Dupes are clothes, beauty products, homeware that are cheaper than the recognisable brand, bu...

Fashion: The rise of sports brands

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Twenty-five years ago Puma became the first big sports brand to collaborate with a fashion house. Since then all of the big players have been collabor...

Is green methanol the future of shipping?

29 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The shipping industry is looking for solutions to it's emissions problem.Shipping giant Maersk has just unveiled the world’s first container ship to...

Where next for China’s Belt and Road?

28 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Xi Jinping announced a massive building project along the ‘New Silk Road’ to very little fanfare in Kazakhstan 10 years ago this month. Infrastruc...

The industry that saved an animal from extinction

27 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You may not be familiar with the vicuna, but in Peru, where it's the national animal, the smallest relative of the llama is revered - particularly for...

The growth of tattoo removal

26 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What used to be a fairly niche industry is now on the increase, with companies setting up removal clinics around the world. And no surprise – as mor...

Meet the 'Finfluencers'

25 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Where do you go to get financial advice? More and more people are turning to Instagram, YouTube and TikTok for money matters. David Harper meets the...

Business Daily meets the Queen of Biscuits

22 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How do you make an artisan product at scale? We head to the UK factory of Biscuiteers, where millions of biscuits are hand-iced every year, from treat...

Is India ready for Tesla?

21 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been a long wait for tech billionaire Elon Musk to push into India’s EV market. High import duties have kept Tesla out of India so far. Mr Mu...

The cost of migration: Europe's response

20 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the third and final programme of this series on the economics of irregular migration across the Mediterranean, the BBC’s Frey Lindsay sits down w...

The cost of migration: The rescue boats

19 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the second of three programmes, we’ll hear about the increasing running costs facing charities involved in running search-and-rescue operations i...

The cost of migration: The journey

18 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the first of three programmes, the BBC’s Frey Lindsay accompanies the charity rescue vessel the Ocean Viking to explore the myriad costs involved...

Business Daily meets: Mohit Lad

15 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From losing his job in the 2008 financial crash, to a billion dollar idea.We speak to Mohit Lad, who teamed up with his old college friend Ricardo to ...

Syria's broken economy

14 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We hear from people protesting in the government-controlled city of Sweida.Criticism of President Bashar al-Assad has been growing in Sweida since dem...

K-Pop: Going green?

13 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

K-Pop, short for Korean Popular music, has become a global phenomenon with millions of fans worldwide.It’s a multi-billion dollar industry with 80 m...

Business Daily meets: Desmond Shum

12 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We meet the Chinese property tycoon and multi-millionaire who, along with his then-wife, once moved in the highest echelons of power in Beijing.But th...

Guyana: The world’s fastest-growing economy

10 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The former British colony in South America boasts the world’s fastest-growing economy at the moment – it expanded by 62 per cent last year, accord...

Business and Science: Communicating science

08 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Science is all around us but a lot of it can be difficult to understand.Gareth Mitchell speaks to people building careers around helping make science ...

Business and science: Quantum computing around the world

07 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's a rapidly emerging technology that has the potential to solve problems at an incredible pace. At the moment its uses are limited but that hasn’...

Business and science: What is quantum computing?

06 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We travel to a facility in the south of England to see one of the super-fast computers in action.We’ll find out what quantum computing has the poten...

Business and science: How risky is SynBio?

05 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For all the exciting developments in the synthetic biology industry, there are also concerns. People can edit genes in their garages these days, so wh...

Business and science: What you need to know about SynBio

04 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this week’s series focusing on business and science, we start things off by looking at the world of synthetic biology.The industry is estimated t...

Cutting waste in the beauty industry

01 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many of us have drawers and boxes full of beauty products that we never end up finishing. We meet the Nordic start-ups who are trying to cut some of t...

The row over Uruguay's pulp mills

31 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Does the paper industry use too much water? As concern about plastic waste grows, many companies have switched from plastic packaging to paper, but ho...

The importance of sleep

30 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How does sleep relate to your job, your income, or your socio-economic status? We look at the impact of a good, and bad night’s rest. We discuss th...

The UNESCO effect

29 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Delegates will soon descend on Saudi Arabia for perhaps the most consequential meeting in UNESCO’s history. With an extended agenda after last year’...

Ireland's data centre boom

28 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

These tech powerhouses bring in money and jobs but can be environmentally problematic and in Ireland data centres account for almost a fifth of the el...

Swiftonomics

25 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor Swift's Eras tour is predicted to make a record $1 billion - but how?As countries around the world grapple with high inflation, how has Taylor ...

The end of the office?

24 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many of us started working from home in the coronavirus pandemic - and never went back. Now, office space in many cities around the world is standing ...

The return of the wine cork

23 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The humble wine cork, once the main way to stop a bottle of wine, had its market share decimated in the 1990’s when screw caps were favoured. Howeve...

What should I eat on a night shift?

22 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Working irregular hours, including overnight, means meal times can be disrupted. So what impact does this have on the body and overall health?We hear ...

Is Bangladesh ready for digital only banks?

21 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The government in Bangladesh is trying to modernise its economy and has announced a policy to create digital only banks. The idea is to move away from...

Picture perfect cakes and cafes

18 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dive into a world of amazing cakes and cafes, where look and taste combine in the hope of tempting customers to part with their cash for sweet treats....

Giving cash directly - the future of aid?

17 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What’s the best way to help people in need? In the past, humanitarian aid has focused on providing shelter and food, but there’s a growing move to...

Business daily meets: Ida Tin

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ida Tin coined the term Femtech after she founded the period tracking app, Clue, which has since been downloaded more than 100 million times. We hear ...

China's rising youth unemployment: Part 2

15 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The country is not just facing record-high levels of youth unemployment - more than 20% of 16-24 year olds in urban areas at the latest count. It is a...

China's rising youth unemployment: Part 1

14 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Is trouble brewing for the world’s second largest economy? China’s exports are down, the property market’s creaking, and millions of young peopl...

Business Daily meets: The rum distillers

11 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Paul and Jacine Rutasikwa tell us how they turned a side hustle into a full-time business.In 2017 they moved their family from London to Scotland to s...

Business Daily meets: Mattel's CEO

10 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ynon Kreiz explains how they transformed Barbie, the well-loved and sometimes controversial doll, into a movie.The boss of one of the world's biggest ...

Business Daily meets: Sir Robin Millar

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We meet one of the UKs most successful record producers, who was behind hits such as Smooth Operator.He talks to Dougal Shaw about his career so far, ...