Business Daily
The daily drama of money and work from the BBC.
10
Is Poland’s “economic miracle” for real?
<p>Poland’s economy is expected to be the fastest-growing in Europe this year according to the European Union, with the spending power of its average worker on course to overtake that of Japan.</p><p>So how, three and a half decades after the fall of communism, has it become a case study of capitalism?</p><p>We hear from some of the country's biggest companies on that increased consumer power, their ambitions to take on the world with international expansion, and ask what hurdles lie in the way for what one economist calls "Europe's growth champion."</p><p>If...
The ex-ballerina betting big on prediction markets
<p>In our first edition of Meet the Founders, we meet Luana Lopes Lara, creator of Kalshi, a prediction markets startup that allows users to trade on the outcome of real-world events - from inflation and interest rates to elections and geopolitics.</p><p>Kalshi drew attention for showing Zohran Mamdani as a favourite in the NYC mayoral race, as prediction markets gain traction as political barometers. But the wider industry has also faced scrutiny: a trader on rival platform Polymarket reportedly made nearly half a million dollars betting on the capture of Venezuela’s former president Nicolás Maduro bef...
Japan's economic crossroads
<p>As Japanese people prepare to head to the polls, economic concerns are back at the centre of public life.</p><p>We explore how inflation, wages, demographics and geopolitics are shaping expectations, and whether the country can finally move beyond the "lost decades".</p><p>To get in touch with the team, send us an email to businessdaily@bbc.co.uk</p><p>Presenter: Rahul Tandon Producer: David Cann</p><p>Business Daily is the home of in-depth audio journalism devoted to the world of money and work. From small startup stories to big corporate takeovers, global economic shifts...
Spain's economic case for more migration
<p>The Spanish government has announced plans to legalise the status of half a million undocumented migrants. Many arrive with student or tourist visas but overstay and start working on the black market. </p><p>Migration is a polarising issue in western Europe, so why is Spain keen to hurry up the process of regularisation? One reason is that Spain’s economy has been outstripping its European Union partners. In 2024 the economy grew by 3.5% but in sectors that struggle to recruit enough workers, so Spain wants its migrant population to work in a legal way to keep its economic momentum go...
Gates Foundation CEO on cuts to global aid
<p>As governments cut back on how much they spend on global aid, the head of the Gates Foundation Mark Suzman speaks exclusively to Business Daily about how the world’s poorest are being affected. </p><p>He tells us world governments “should be embarrassed” that the Foundation has overtaken them to become the largest financial backer of the WHO.</p><p>When governments reduce their air spend, the organisation inevitably becomes more prominent. But is there too much reliance on the Gates Foundation globally for an institution with little democratic accountability? And are its priorities the right ones? </p><p>If y...
Can Starbucks regain its buzz?
<p>It’s probably the world’s best-known coffee chain but just over a year ago, business wasn’t doing well. Sales had slipped, customers were drifting away and the buzz had gone. </p><p>Newly-arrived CEO Brian Niccols was handed a tough task: stop the fall and make the coffee shops somewhere people wanted to return to. </p><p>In an interview with our North America business correspondent Michelle Fleury, he explains why customers are returning and seem to be giving the company another shot. </p><p>If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email addres...
The man who built Africa's largest AI firm
<p>From the deserts of Tunisia to the boardrooms of global tech giants, we meet Karim Beguir, the mathematician who turned two laptops and 2000 dollars into Africa’s biggest AI firm. </p><p>We hear how his company, Instadeep, caught the attention of Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, and how it helped to track dangerous new variants in the Covid pandemic using large language models.</p><p>If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co.uk</p><p>Presenter: Ed Butler Producers: Niamh McDermott and Hannah Mullane</p><p>Business Daily is the...
Why you buy what you buy
<p>We lift the curtain on how everyone from toothpaste brands to the United Nations is using science to influence your choices in ways you’re probably not aware of. Behavioural science has even made its way into TV drama. </p><p>How does it work? And why is it so effective?</p><p>If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co.uk</p><p>Presented and produced by Rowan Bridge</p><p>Business Daily is the home of in-depth audio journalism devoted to the world of money and work. From sm...
Copper theft: A growing economic problem
<p>Demand has been surging for copper around the world - from renewable energy projects, to AI data centres, to infrastructure networks. </p><p>Production, however, has struggled to keep pace, pushing prices close to record highs in late 2025 and early 2026.</p><p>As the value of the metal has risen, criminals have increasingly targeted copper for theft - stripping it from telephone cables, railway power lines and solar panels. The resulting damage and disruption is costing economies billions.</p><p>If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co.uk</p><...
How country music became cool
<p>Country music is in the midst of a grand renaissance. The genre - whose popularity was previously confined to the American South - is now climbing the charts, grabbing the attention of Gen Z audiences, and changing the perception of what it means to be a country listener. Streaming of the genre in the US rose by nearly 110% in the five years to 2024. And it’s taking over markets all around the world. In the UK, the genre more than doubled its share of the singles market in two years. And Australia is now the third largest country music ma...
