Business Daily

We look at the multi-billion-dollar toy industry. We ask why backing the right movie, YouTube show, or social media trend can affect your bottom line. And we hear about the challenges making products based on surprise hits, and how the humble puzzle could be the in-toy for 2026.If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresenter/producer: Elizabeth Ho...

Every year, hundreds of thousands of Argentineans cross the Andes looking for bargains. We'll be finding out why, and if it's a trend that's going to last. MARKET DATA & FULL FINANCIAL REPORT The complete stock analysis, private sector data sheets, and the full investigative breakdown mentioned in this business report are now available for secure download: 👉 ACCESS FULL FINANCIAL DATA HERE: h...

We meet the creator of a dessert business whose story starts in her parents’ bakery. Vivien Wong tells us how she faced a family loss and eventually channelled that experience into building a company making mochi with a twist: taking a traditional Japanese rice cake and wrapping it around balls of ice cream. She shares how she turned a niche treat into a global brand, Little Moons. If you'd like t...

Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rate of entrepreneurship in the world, according to the World Bank, and most founders there are women. Why, then, do so many of those startups fail to grow? We look at why many female entrepreneurs struggle to access investment and ask three business leaders what might change that. If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is businessdaily@bb...

Artificial Intelligence has upended the market for entry-level jobs, but could AI be blocking graduates from getting a foot on the jobs ladder altogether? In this episode, we look at the new AI arms race in recruitment. Tech advancements have allowed graduates to apply for more jobs than ever, and hiring managers can let AI do the initial shortlisting and interviews, so why do both sides of the em...

Getting a barrel of crude oil out of the ground in Saudi Arabia costs around $25. The market price right now is around $95. So where does that $70 go - and why has the price at the pump jumped so sharply since the war in the Middle East began? We follow the money behind a tank of petrol: from the oil field, through the world's most dangerous shipping lane, through the commodity markets, through a...

Amsterdam has become the world's first capital city to ban commercials for low-cost flights, petrol and diesel cars, and burgers from its billboards, bus and metro shelters. The travel and meat industries say it's over-reach, and violates their rights. We explore whether stripping adverts from public spaces can really change what we eat and how we travel. If you'd like to get in touch with the tea...

We speak to the Emirati entrepreneur who set up a business making biodegradable cutlery made from discarded date palm trees, driven by the goal to replace single-use plastics in UAE.Lamis Al Hashimy, co-founder of Palmade, shares how a hobby project became a business producing millions of items, the early failures that nearly stopped it, and the challenges of competing with cheap plastic. How did...

The world of sport is being reshaped for the algorithm, with new formats emerging for quick, shareable moments online. From influencers managing sport teams to bite‑sized versions of traditional games like 3-a-side football, more sports are fighting for the attention of younger fans. But is this paying off? If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPr...

The price of natural gas has shot up around the world after the war began in Iran, but how is the gas price linked to electricity in some countries more so than others? We’ll be looking at how gas still sets the power prices so often. We’ll also look at Ethiopia, to see if hydropower could be a solution for other places who want renewables to bring down the cost of bills. If you'd like to get in t...

Diamonds in places like Sierra Leone have long had a tarnished association with war and corruption – blood diamonds, as they’re known. There’s now also the economic threat of synthetic, lab-grown diamonds. Can traditional mining compete? And are natural diamonds really so much worse for us, for the planet, than their new rivals, grown in a lab? To get in touch with the team, send us an email to bu...

We’re in Sierra Leone where the gems have helped to fuel war and, many would say, decades of corruption. The closure of the country’s biggest diamond mine has added to the economic uncertainty as well as the fear of further conflict. In the first of two programmes, we look at the clouds hanging over West Africa’s diamond industry. To get in touch with the team, send us an email to businessdaily@bb...

We meet Kate Kallot, the founder and CEO of Amini AI, a startup working to make farming and environmental data easier to obtain across Africa and other emerging economies. The entrepreneur set up the company with the aim of improving access to reliable information, shaped in part by her family’s experience fleeing the Central African Republic after her grandfather, an Interpol agent, was assassina...

We explore the costly and growing problem of cheating in video games. It’s an issue that frustrates many players, but what about the impact it’s having on the multi-billion-dollar industry? We reveal how cheats undermine online play, harm reputations in esports, and cost studios big money, speaking to those who’ve made the cheats, and those trying to stop them. If you'd like to get in touch with t...

Kenya is emerging as one of Africa’s leading producers of geothermal power. While it remains a niche but growing industry globally, in Kenya it has become a vital and reliable source of electricity. We explore how this energy is harnessed, why it has become so central to the country’s power supply, and the plans to build what some are calling Africa’s first geothermal‑powered city. If you'd like t...

Have you ever travelled to another city to run a marathon? Or gone away to train with your amateur tennis or hockey club? Millions of holidaymakers are opting for sport-focused breaks over sun loungers, and the trend is contributing to a sector that's experiencing rapid growth. If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresented and produced by Daniel...

In one of the most remote and unforgiving regions on the planet, the final stretch of any delivery becomes a test of endurance, ingenuity, and sheer determination. In this episode, Jane Chambers travels deep into Chilean Patagonia, where last mile delivery, or last-mile logistics, collides with hundreds of kilometres of rugged terrain, unpredictable weather, unpaved roads, and ferry routes that ca...

Isaac Larian left Iran as a 17 year-old with $750 and went on to build a successful career in the US toy industry. Today, at 72, he’s the founder and chief executive of MGA Entertainment, one of the largest privately owned toy companies in the United States. Over the years, he’s been involved in several high-profile toy launches: from Bratz in 2001 to the acquisition of Little Tikes in 2006, and m...

Professional wrestling has grown into a global entertainment industry worth billions of dollars, driven by sponsorships, new broadcasting deals, and a growing online audience. We step inside the ring, exploring how wrestling has become big business, from streaming and new sponsorships to the global fanbase willing to pay for multiple subscriptions. We also hear from the new and emerging wrestling...

Kodak was written off as a casualty of the digital age. Now, it's betting on film again. We hear from the chief executive, Jim Continenza, on rebuilding manufacturing, reviving analogue, and turning an industrial icon back around. And we learn why going backwards can be harder than going forwards. We also hear how a conversation with Hollywood director Christopher Nolan got him truly interested in...

Iran’s economy is under strain from war, long-standing sanctions and a nationwide internet shutdown. We hear from people inside the country, and ask how much damage has been done, and how recovery could begin. If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresenter: Rahul Tandon Producer: David CannBusiness Daily is the home of in-depth audio journalism d...

Today - a Dutch fishing village that could be wiped off the map to make room for a mega‑energy hub. We visit Moerdijk, to meet families, eel‑smokers and shopkeepers. What does their fight tell us about the quiet dilemmas in the global race for clean energy? If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresented and produced by Anna HolliganBusiness Daily...

We meet Alexander Rinke, the co-CEO and co-founder of Celonis, a billion-dollar company that started life as a university project between three friends. We learn how the Munich-based company raised capital like a Silicon Valley startup without ever having to go to Silicon Valley. And we hear how its pioneering "process intelligence" idea, which he likens to "x-raying" a business, is used by some o...

Conflict in the Middle East has sent shockwaves through the global food system. Even with signs of a ceasefire, the impact may not be over. Disruption to fertiliser supplies, combined with rising energy and shipping costs, is pushing up the price of growing food around the world. Farmers are facing tough choices over how much to plant and how much to spend, while global markets aren’t always keepi...

Anthropic’s rise from startup to one of the world’s leading players in artificial intelligence has been staggering, but so in recent weeks has been its row with the US Government. Today, we look at that journey to becoming a 380 billion dollar company, ask why Claude has become one of the hottest names in AI, and question whether its fall out with the Pentagon over how its software is used in war...