Business Daily

How easy is it to open a bank account in your country? Around the world, 1.4 billion people can’t get a bank account, and two-thirds of them are in low and middle income countries. People from migrant communities also struggle to access formal banking services. We hear from 19 year-old Josue Calderon. Originally from El Salvador, he arrived in the United States when he was 16. He tells Sam Fenwick about the challenges of only being able to use cash when he first arrived in the US. Sam also speaks to BBC World Service listeners about their experiences of opening a bank account. (Picture: The hand of a woman about to take money out of her purse. Credit: Getty Images)Produced and presented by Sam Fenwick Additional production by Barbara George

The use of these endlessly flexible 3D images is increasing rapidly. Not just in entertainment, but in medicine, education, design, defence and more.Holograms trick the brain into seeing something in 3D when it’s really just a projection, allowing us to feel immersed in something – whether it’s an atom, or a cityscape. We talk to companies developing this fast advancing technology and ask – will we be living in a holographic future?Produced and presented by Matthew Kenyon(Image: A citizen watches a hologram of the artwork 'A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains' during a digital art exhibition at an art museum on March 11, 2023 in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province of China. Credit: Getty Images)

Alastair Leithead and his wife Ana moved to Portugal during the Covid pandemic. They live off-grid, meaning they have no access to mains electricity or water supplies. They also have to manage their own waste water and sewage.Now the former BBC correspondent is embarking on an ambitious project to build and run a hotel, meaning their solar powered utilities will not only have to work for them, but also paying guests. Produced and presented by Alastair Leithead.(Image: Alastair and Ana at their property. Credit: Alastair Leithead)

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 supply.Former BBC correspondent Alastair Leithead is one of them - he has moved there with his wife, and is trying to build and run a hotel. He travels around the region and speaks to his neighbours about their experiences.Plus - what do local people think of this influx of foreigners coming to live off-grid? Presented and produced by Alastair Leithead.(Image: The sun setting over solar panels in Portugal. Alastair Leithead)

Pakistan's first female architect came out of retirement to help rebuild her country after the 2005 earthquake.Now she's helping communities devastated by the 2022 floods.Dr Lari talks about her experience starting out in a male-dominated field, the changing focus of her career, and her mission to build a million flood-resilient homes in Pakistan by 2024.Produced and presented by Emb Hashmi.(Image: Dr Yasmeen Lari. Credit: Getty Images)

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 minister and central bank governor to lead the charge. Despite the president’s strong opposition to using higher interest rates to cool rising prices, he’s allowed rates to rise in each of the last six months. While that’s helped bring about an economic turnaround, it’s put added pressure on households who have for years been reliant on low borrowing costs. Will the president’s patience with economic orthodoxy last, or are these early policy changes a sign of long-lasting change?Presenter Victoria Craig Produced by Victoria Craig and Ceren Iskit(Image: Eren and Ümit Karaduman and their children. Credit: Victoria Craig)

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 production process which can be extremely dangerous.Plus we hear how the business of Brazil nuts is helping stop deforestation in the Amazon.Presenter: Jane Chambers Producers: Jane Chambers and Helen Thomas(Image: A worker unloading Brazil nuts from the Pando region at a nut processing plant in Riberalta, Bolivia. Credit: Bob Howard)

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, or initial public offering. Analysts watch such public listings to gauge the health of an economy. In 2021, IPOs were booming, but in 2023 there's been a big drop in activity - with a record low number of companies choosing to offer their shares publicly on stock exchanges in the US, UK and Europe. What's going on, and why does it matter when IPOs don't do well?(Picture: The hand of a man holding a phone, monitoring trading data on his phone, tablet, and computer. Credit: Getty Images)Produced and presented by Frey Lindsay

Shoplifting has long been a concern for small and large retailers worldwide, but many believe the issue has recently increased - including incidents of retail violence. Sam Gruet speaks to some of these retailers in New Zealand, India, Pakistan and the UK, to explore the possible reasons behind the rise in retail crime and what measures they’re introducing to respond to the escalating issue. These include covert security, body cameras and stab-proof vests. He also asks if advances in technology can act as a powerful deterrent to potential shoplifters, and if it could be the solution to minimise retail loss.(Picture: Security camera. Credit: Getty Images)Presenter: Sam Gruet Producer: Amber Mehmood

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 50 years ago by his parents, and now, Niccolo, and his brother Filippo, run the family business; supplying high-end luxury attire to clients all around the world. It's a brand that counts heads of state and business magnates among its patrons.In an era of casual fashion, this is a rarefied world where discretion is the name of the game. Presenter: Leanna Byrne(Photo: Niccolo Ricci. Credit: Getty Images)

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 coal companies? Sam Fenwick talks to two companies who sent representatives to COP 28; the Norwegian energy giant Equinor and the Middle East's oldest private energy company, Cresent Petroleum. Do they plan to ever abandon fossil fuels entirely?And she finds out what the leader of COP28’s Greenpeace delegation makes of the agreement.Presenter: Sam Fenwick Producer: Lexy O'Connor(Photo: Offshore drilling platform during sunrise with work vessel. Credit: Getty Images)

One month before pivotal elections in Taiwan, Ed Butler meets ordinary citizens getting ready just in case growing threats of a Chinese invasion do come to pass. First-aid and weapons training are top of the list. But why isn’t the government doing more to get people ready?Presented and produced by Ed Butler(Image: A first aid training exercise)

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 it’s low wages and property prices that are preying on their minds. Are politicians listening?We also explore Taiwan's low birth rate - is it a financial decision for young couples not to have children and get a pet instead?Produced and presented by Ed Butler.(Image: A young couple take a selfie on the city MRT train. Credit: Getty Images)

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 China, they're a breakaway province, and it wants them back, by force if necessary. As tensions rise, Ed Butler visits Kinmen to discover how this most exposed population feels about Beijing's claim - and hear about plans to build a bridge to connect the islands with the Chinese mainland.Produced and presented by Ed Butler.(Image: A beach on Kinmen Island, with sea defences)

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 successful start-up. In the early days, the twin co-founders from the Netherlands were releasing batches of products they weren't really keen on, but now they think they've found a winning formula for premium mixers. They've won awards for their drinks, and now stock several premium bars and supermarkets.In this edition of Business Daily, we hear how Joyce and Raissa turned a passion project into a business, why they believe they're shaking up the drinks industry, and what it's like to run a start-up with your identical twin.(Picture: Joyce and Raissa de Hass)Presented and produced by Dougal Shaw

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, the original toys have now become highly sought after - some fetching a few hundred thousand dollars. We head to the largest toy fair in Europe dedicated to buying and selling Star Wars figures. We look at how much the toys are now worth and speak to some of the super fans now buying them - and explore how big the market for the vintage figures is.Presenter/producer: Rowan Bridge(Photo: Someone dressed in The Mandalorian costume at a Star Wars toy fair, with fans in the background)

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 tops and kits actually are for women’s sport in terms of fandom, participation and of course money. We ask what female sports fans and participants actually want to wear and whether they're being adequately catered for.Dr Katie Lebel is Professor at the University of Guelph in Canada and researches gender equity in sports branding and consumer behaviour. She tells us there is a distinct lack of data in this area and as a result sports wear firms are definitely missing out on revenue.Dana Brookman is founder of the Canadian girl's baseball league and tells us her biggest challenge has been sourcing suitable uniform for her teams, and Sam Fenwick visits sport wear manufacturer Kukri to see what they have available for women and how they're working to improve their offer.We’re going to explore what’s available and whether half the population is being properly cate

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. And even though rice is grown in about 40 out of 54 countries in Africa, the production only covers about 60% of the demand. This results in 14 to 15 million tonnes of rice being imported each year costing over $6bn.To remedy this, a new rice variety was developed in co-operation with South Korea: ISRIZ-7 and ISRIZ-8. These high yield rice varieties were bred from the very rice that is credited with bringing self-sufficiency in rice to South Korea in the '70s. Earlier this year 10 African nations launched the ‘Korean Rice Belt’ project to improve rice yields in participating countries.David Cann looks into the rice co-operation between South Korea and African countries, speaking to the South Korean agricultural minister and farmers in Senegal and The Gambia.Presenter/producer: David Cann(Photo: A handful of ISRIZ rice seeds. Credit: Rural Development Administr

After the catastrophic financial crisis, early signs of stability are returning to Sri Lanka. But there’s arguably a more entrenched economic dilemma in the country that had the world’s first female prime minister - the lack of women in work.With first-hand testimony of harassment and social exclusion, this programme examines the barriers holding women back.Presenter Laura Heighton-Ginns also visits a women-only employer, successful restaurant chain Hela Bojun, and speaks to presidential advisor Priyanee Wijesekera about the path to cultural change.Presented and produced by Laura Heighton-Ginns(Image: A woman working in a government back scheme. Credit: Sri Lanka Department of Agriculture)

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 make fashion more sustainable. There will be a ban on the incineration of unsold goods and each product will need a digital passport so it can be tracked and its lifetime monitored. Hannah Mullane speaks to businesses across Europe about whether they think the industry is ready for these kind of changes.We also head to Ghana, to the Kantamanto market - the biggest second-hand market in the world, to understand the impact the fashion worlds unsold garments can have.Presented and produced by Hannah Mullane (Picture credit: A pair of shoes hang over power lines at the Kantamanto market in Accra, November 2022. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko)