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Space: the next investment frontier? Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

Billionaires, scientists and start-ups are all trying to get in on the action.

And it's not all about sending rockets and satellites into space. Space-enabled technologies are informing climate forecasting and disaster planning, as well as playing a role in logistics, defence and food security.

State funded and private investment has reach an all time high.

We head to the IAC in Milan to meet some of the industry experts leading the charge.

Produced and presented by Ru Abbass

Image: An illustration of Haven 2, the proposed successor to the International Space Station. Image courtesy of Vast)

Can Manchester United be turned around? Jul 01, 2025

Show notes

In the 24/25 season the club finished in it's worst ever Premier League position.

It also failed to qualify lucrative European football.

Off the pitch, talk of worsening financial difficulties and redundancies at its Old Trafford HQ.

Can new part-owner - and Britain's wealthiest man - Sir Jim Ratcliffe turn things around?

And as the club looks to replace Old Trafford, is now really the right time to be investing in a new stadium?

Produced and presented by Matt Lines

(Image: Diogo Dalot of Manchester United looks dejected with his teammates at the end of the UEFA Europa League Final match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United 21 May 2025. Credit: Getty Images)

Twenty-five years of ‘The Bridge’ Jun 30, 2025

Show notes

The Öresund Bridge, which connects Sweden and Demark, opened exactly 25 years ago today. It is one of Europe’s most iconic bridges, carrying road and rail passengers between Copenhagen and Malmo.

We look at how it has helped boost business and tourism and find out what other cities and countries might learn from its cross-border successes and challenges.

Producer/presenter: Maddy Savage

(Image: The bridge on a calm day. Credit Getty Images)

Cashing in on cassava Jun 29, 2025

Show notes

It's one of the world’s most versatile crops and a critical source of food security - it’s also a commodity under increasing global demand.

Nigeria is the world’s largest producer of the root vegetable, cassava, but export numbers are tiny.

Currently, the country imports products that compete with the indigenous crop.

We hear from farmers, entrepreneurs and leading agronomists on plans to industrialise Nigeria’s cassava industry and realise its economic potential.

Produced and presented by Laura Heighton-Ginns Additional sound mixing by James Bradshaw

(Image: Mrs Kemi farms a five hectare smallholding in south west Nigeria. Image credit: Bassey Oluwakemi Ibilola)

How are Gulf businesses responding to the Israel-Iran conflict? Jun 26, 2025

Show notes

We're in Dubai looking back on two weeks of uncertainty and concerns the world’s busiest oil shipping channel, The Strait of Hormuz, might shut.

The UAE is a major global trading hub and home to the biggest port in the Middle East. We’ll be hearing how some countries are looking for alternatives to the Strait, such as pipelines or developing refineries.

And what could this mean for the future relationship between Gulf states like this one, and Iran?

Produced and presented by Sameer Hashmi Additional production: Lexy O'Connor

(Image: A small boat loaded with merchandise sails past a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Khasab in Oman's northern Musandam peninsula on 25 June 2025.Credit: Getty Images)

When a home DNA testing company fails... Jun 25, 2025

Show notes

What happens to our data once it's been handed over to DNA testing companies?

One such firm, 23andMe, filed for bankruptcy earlier this year.

The company was set up to help people could track their ancestry - one of a number of similar sites using DNA data to create links and matches between users.

However the company has been dogged by privacy concerns over its use of customer information and was fined for a data breach that exposed UK customers.

What lessons can be learned now the company's been bought out of bankruptcy by its co-founder?

Produced and presented by David Reid

(Image: Woman swabbing her mouth for a DNA test. Credit: Getty Images)

From pro gamer to what? Jun 24, 2025

Show notes

We look at job security and long-term options for esports players after they hang up their controllers.

The industry is worth billions of dollars and players win big prizes, but many make more money as content makers, and plan to move away from esports long-term.

We head to an esports event in Birmingham UK to speak to professional gamers about their career prospects - and to young people who idolise these players and want to enter this field themselves.

Produced and presented by Will Chalk

(Image: Esports player Archie Pickthall at the 2025 RLCS Major 1 tournament in Birmingham UK. Credit: BLAST/Michal Konkol)

Game over? Sport sponsorship and the Dutch gambling crackdown Jun 23, 2025

Show notes

From 1 July 2025 there will be complete ban on untargeted advertising of online gambling in the Netherlands.

That's a dramatic reversal in policy from just four years ago, when the market was first regulated.

The move will have a particularly significant impact in the Dutch sports world, where federations and clubs have benefited from intense sponsorship spending in the few years it has been legal.

But now that flow of money is coming to an end. What impact will the new rules have, in sport and more widely? And how will the betting operators adapt?

Produced and presented by Matthew Kenyon

(Image: Tom Koops of Orion Stars playing in the Volleyball Play-off Finals match between Orion Stars and NovaTech Lycurgus on 8 May 2025 in Doetinchem, Netherlands. One of the sponsors of Dutch men's volleyball is Bet City - seen on Tom's shirt. That won't be allowed under the new rules. Credit: Getty Images)

India’s '10-minute' delivery craze Jun 22, 2025

Show notes

Groceries delivered to your doorstep in just 10 minutes? India’s online platforms are promising this instant delivery for millions of shoppers – items at your door in between 10 and 30 mins.

But behind the convenience lies a deeper story - exhausted gig workers, struggling family-run stores, and questions about the long-term sustainability of the business model.

We look at the real cost of India’s quick commerce, or Q-commerce, industry.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

Presented and produced by Devina Gupta

(Picture: A Swiggy delivery rider and a rider for rival brand Zepto on their bikes with delivery boxes in Mumbai, India. Credit: Getty Images)

Why are Westerners moving to Thai care homes? Jun 19, 2025

Show notes

Fed up with their own inadequate and expensive care systems, many elderly Westerners are choosing to retire to Thailand, where care is cheaper and often better. Many say Thailand’s Buddhist culture and respect for the elderly means Thais are naturally caring.

It’s a booming sector, and is only likely to grow as we all live longer. But the decision to move can be complex, particularly when it involves retirees with dementia.

People have been accused of dumping their sick relatives in Thai care homes, far from family. Is this exploitation – rich Westerners taking advantage of Thailand’s low wages? And what does it mean for local health systems, as care workers are lured away to look after foreign residents?

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

Presented and produced by Gideon Long

(Picture: British retiree Liz Jackson, now living in Chiang Mai.)

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