Business Daily

From Hollywood adverts fronted by Idris Elba to glittering skylines and global events, Gulf countries have spent decades pitching themselves as stable hubs for international investment.
But as conflict spreads across the Middle East, investors are watching the region more closely.
In this edition of Business Daily, Sam Fenwick investigates whether the Gulf’s carefully built reputation for stability can hold — and what rising geopolitical tensions could mean for foreign investment, business confidence and the region’s economic ambitions.
If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is [email protected]
Presenter: Sam Fenwick
Producers: Sarah Rogers, Gideon Long, David Cann and Rebecca Smylie
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 to trends in technology, we look at the key figures, ideas and events shaping business.
Each episode is a 17-minute, daily deep dive into a single topic, featuring expert analysis and the people at the heart of the story.
Recent episodes explore the AI boom, why bond markets are so powerful, China's property bubble, and Gen Z's experience of the current job market.
We also feature in-depth interviews with company founders and some of the world's most prominent CEOs. These include Google's Sundar Pichai, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, CEO of Canva Melanie Perkins, and the CEO of Starbucks, Brian Niccol.
(Picture: A green motorway sign points the way to Dubai as smoke rises in the background. Credit: Getty Images)

In the final episode of our series on the weight-loss drug boom, we explore how the global surge in demand for obesity medications could be reshaping the business landscape. From established companies rethinking their business models, to start-ups seeking to capitalise on shifting consumer habits, the ripple effects are already being felt across several industries.
We also examine what the future may hold for the weight-loss market and the wider economy, as this sector continues to grow and evolve.
If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is [email protected]
Producer/presenter: Hannah Mullane
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 to trends in technology, we look at the key figures, ideas and events shaping business.
Each episode is a 17-minute, daily deep dive into a single topic, featuring expert analysis and the people at the heart of the story.
Recent episodes explore the AI boom, why bond markets are so powerful, China's property bubble, and Gen Z's experience of the current job market.
We also feature in-depth interviews with company founders and some of the world's most prominent CEOs. These include Google's Sundar Pichai, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, CEO of Canva Melanie Perkins, and the CEO of Starbucks, Brian Niccol.
(Photo: Close-up of a woman's hand shopping for yoghurt along the dairy aisle in supermarket, reading the nutrition label on the pot. Credit: Getty Images)

GLP-1 weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound are reshaping the treatment of obesity around the world. But even when these medicines are judged “cost-effective”, access often depends on who can afford to pay.

In the second episode of our Business Daily series on the global weight-loss economy, Sam Fenwick examines how different countries are funding — or rationing — access to these high-priced injections.

In England, the state's National Health System says the drugs offer good value for money, and yet rollout is being phased in slowly because of cost and capacity pressures. In the United Arab Emirates, most patients rely on private insurance or pay out of their own pockets. And in India, where obesity is rising fast, affordability remains a major barrier, although lower-cost generics may soon change that.

If these medicines can prevent diabetes, heart attacks and strokes, they might save health systems money in the long run. But right now, governments, insurers and patients are grappling with the same question: Can we afford the weight-loss revolution?
Produced and presented by Sam Fenwick
If you’d like to get in touch with the team, our email address is [email protected]
Business Daily is the home of in-depth audio journalism devoted to the world of money and work. From small start-up stories to big corporate takeovers, global economic shifts to trends in technology, we look at the key figures, ideas and events shaping business.
Each episode is a 17-minute deep dive into a single topic, featuring expert analysis and the people at the heart of the story.
Recent episodes explore the growth in AI, the cost of living, why bond markets are so powerful, China's property bubble, and Gen Z's experience of the current job market.
We also feature in-depth interviews with company founders and some of the world's most prominent CEOs. These include Google's Sundar Pichai, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, CEO of Canva Melanie Perkins, and the CEO of Starbucks, Brian Niccol.
(Photo: A man gets his waist measured. Credit: Getty Images)

GLP-1 weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound and Mounjaro are reshaping the treatment of obesity — and transforming the global pharmaceutical market.
Originally developed to treat type-2 diabetes, these injectable medicines — including semaglutide and tirzepatide — are now widely prescribed for weight loss, with growing evidence they can also reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
But in the United States, access to GLP-1 drugs often depends on insurance coverage — and on who can afford to pay.
In this first episode of a three-part Business Daily series on the global weight-loss economy, Sam Fenwick examines the real cost of obesity drugs in the U.S. healthcare system.
How much do GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound and Mounjaro actually cost? Are they cost-effective in the long term? And can insurers and employers afford to provide them to millions of Americans living with obesity?
If you’d like to get in touch with the team, our email address is [email protected]
Produced and presented by Sam Fenwick
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 to trends in technology, we look at the key figures, ideas and events shaping business.
Each episode is a 17-minute deep dive into a single topic, featuring expert analysis and the people at the heart of the story.
Recent episodes explore the weight-loss drug revolution, the growth in AI, the cost of living, why bond markets are so powerful, China's property bubble, and Gen Z's experience of the current job market.
We also feature in-depth interviews with company founders and some of the world's most prominent CEOs.These include Google's Sundar Pichai, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, CEO of Canva Melanie Perkins, and the CEO of Starbucks, Brian Niccol.
(Picture: Person standing on weighing scales. Credit: Press Association)

Today - from a teenage DIY invention, to US national TV, to changing legislation, and now global sales. What started as a way to protect a friend who’d been drugged at a college bar became a product made from an old hair scrunchie and her mum’s stockings.
Shirah Benarde tells us how she set up NightCap, a business that’s grown from a bedroom prototype, to securing investment on the Shark Tank show in the US, to a global safety brand in just a few years.
If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is [email protected]
Presenter: Sam Fenwick
Producer: Ahmed Adan
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 to trends in technology, we look at the key figures, ideas and events shaping business.
Each episode is a 17-minute, daily deep dive into a single topic, featuring expert analysis and the people at the heart of the story.
Recent episodes explore the weight-loss drug revolution, the AI boom, why bond markets are so powerful, China's property bubble, and Gen Z's experience of the current job market.
We also feature in-depth interviews with company founders and some of the world's most prominent CEOs. These include Google's Sundar Pichai, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, and the CEO of Starbucks, Brian Niccol.
(Picture: Founder of NightCap, Shirah Benarde. Credit: Shirah Benarde)