Podcast
Business Daily
Hosted by BBC World Service · EN
The daily drama of money and work from the BBC.
251episodes
Episodes
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Why does Trump care about the Japanese yen?
4d ago00:19:52Summary readyIn a highly unusual move, the US has stepped in to back Japan's currency, the yen. Donald Trump calls it a "signal of friendship" but what is Washington hoping to achieve? And what does the move reveal about Japan's economy, after years of deflation and ultra-low interest rates? Rahul Tandon and Will Bain assess the intervention with the help of the BBC's "yen geek" Mariko Oi.Presenters: Rahul Tandon, Will Bain and Mariko Oi Producer: Gideon LongYou can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk(Picture: A woman walks past a stock market indicator board in Tokyo, Japan, 03 August 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)
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Founders: Ola Sars from Beats Music to the soundtrack of hospitality
5d ago00:17:29Summary readyOla Sars has spent two decades helping shape the way music is discovered, streamed and licensed. He co-founded Beats Music, the streaming service that helped lay the groundwork for Apple Music, before launching Soundtrack, a company that provides licensed music to restaurants, cafés and other hospitality businesses. After moving to the US as a child and learning English from scratch, how did he become a music-tech entrepreneur? And was selling his stake in Beats before Apple acquired the company the right decision? (Photo: Ola Sars, seen from the shoulders up, wears a black jumper and has short shaved brown hair going grey at the sides, blue eyes and stubble growth. He looks at the camera with a neutral expression. Credit: Rickard Croy)Presenter: Leanna Byrne Producer: Niamh McDermottYou can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk
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Follow the money: Europe’s air-con economy
6d ago00:22:48Summary readyWith Europe sweltering in intense heat and demand for air-conditioners soaring, who is making money from supplying them? We follow the supply chain from a factory churning out air-con units in China to retailers across Europe scrambling to secure stock as demand surges. In France, where repeated heat waves have driven sales higher, shoppers have been fighting in supermarkets to get hold of them.We also examine the cost of powering air-conditioners and the impact their growing use is having on energy prices. How much pressure is Europe's growing appetite for air-conditioning putting on electricity grids?(Photo: People cool off in the Trocadero fountain by the Eiffel Tower in Paris during a heatwave in June 2026. Credit: Yoan Valat/EPA/Shutterstock)Presenter: Sam Fenwick Producer: Gideon Long
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Sierra Leone: Tracking a drug kingpin
1w ago00:19:52Summary readyIn the second of two episodes, Ed Butler tracks the whereabouts and connections of one of Europe's most wanted drug criminals. Despite denials from the President's family, law enforcement agencies say Jos Leijdekkers is enjoying privileged status in Sierra Leone. The country's Justice Minister responds.
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Taking stock: China gains in the AI race
1w ago00:24:19Summary readyIs China rapidly catching up with the United States in the race to dominate artificial intelligence? Rahul Tandon is joined by Walter Todd in the US and Rebecca Choong Wilkins in Singapore to discuss, following a week of sharp moves in AI-related markets and growing questions over where the next wave of innovation will come from. They also explore what India's "cockroach protest" says about the growing challenge of youth unemployment around the world. (Photo: People walk past the Unix AI booth during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, China, 17 July, 2026. Credit: Go Nakamura/Reuters)You can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresenter: Rahul Tandon Producer: David Cann
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Listen again - Follow the Money: FIFA's Billions
1w ago00:18:30Summary readyThis Podcast was first published June 9th 2026With the future of football's governing body under discussion, we're giving you another chance to hear how FIFA makes most of its money from the World CupFIFA President Gianni Infantino has proposed the creation of a subsidiary body to run tournaments, which would include some outside investment.Fifa has given all 211 member associations until 19 September to say whether they agree with the plan, with a straight majority to decide whether to proceed.But there has been criticism of the plans over lack of clarity and the impact it could have on FIFA's independence. Ahead of the World Cup, Sam Fenwick looked at how the event generates billions of dollars for FIFA - where the money comes from and how it gets spent.Presenter: Sam Fenwick Producer: Matt Lines Editor: Stephen Ryan(photo: Silhouette of Gianni Infantino, FIFA President and rising stock graph are seen in this illustration taken, July 28, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration)
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Power Players: India's Gen‑Z jobs crisis
2w ago00:24:47Summary readyThis week, Will and Rahul speak to business correspondent Arunoday Mukharji in Delhi about how India's youth unemployment crisis helped force the resignation of the country's Education Minister and why it could mark a turning point for India's Gen‑Z. Exam leaks and a shortage of opportunities have sparked some of the biggest youth protests in years, raising difficult questions for the government. Nearly two-thirds of Indians are under 35, and more young people are graduating than ever before. But many can't find jobs. Can India create enough jobs for a generation with rising expectations? And what happens if it can't?Presenters: Will Bain, Rahul Tandon and Arunoday Mukharji Producer: Rebecca SmyllieYou can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk
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Founders: Leah Solivan on building and selling TaskRabbit
2w ago00:17:28Summary readyLeah Solivan, founder and former CEO of TaskRabbit, reflects on building one of the world’s most successful gig-economy platforms. She discusses the pressures of scaling a multi-million-dollar business, the stress-related illness that left her in hospital, and the decision to eventually sell TaskRabbit to IKEA. Presenter: Sarah Rogers Producer: Niamh McDermottYou can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk(Picture: Leah Solivan. Credit: Audrey Anne Photography)
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Follow the money: The antidote economy
2w ago00:17:28Summary ready**This episode of Business Daily begins with a real call to 911** There is an antidote for an opioid overdose. It costs a few dollars. The nasal spray technology means it can be administered without needles and can restart a person's breathing within minutes. So why doesn't it always reach the person on the floor? We following the money through the antidote economy. A life-saving drug that costs pennies to make sold over the counter for $52. But when drug companies were sued for their role in America's opioid crisis, some pharmaceutical companies' settlements included paying out using antidote kits valued at $125. Who profits, who pays, and what determines whether an overdose kit is ever in the room when it is needed?Presenter: Sam Fenwick Producers: Josh Martin and Matt Lines(Photo: Two naloxone nasal spray medications used for opioid overdose sit on a brown table on 11 September 2024. Credit: Peg Alexander/BBC Images)You can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk
SummarySierra Leone: The cocaine trail
2w ago00:17:28Summary readyIn the first of two episodes, Ed Butler investigates how one of Europe’s most wanted drug smugglers, Jos Leijdekkers, ended up in Sierra Leone while evading justice. He also explores reports linking Leijdekkers to the family of Sierra Leone’s president, including claims that he has married the president’s daughter.Presenter/producer: Ed Butler You can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk(Picture: Jos Leijdekkers attends a church service in Tihun, Sierra Leone. Credit: screen grab posted by First Lady Fatima Maada to Facebook/via Reuters)
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