The government in Bangladesh is trying to modernise its economy and has announced a policy to create digital only banks. The idea is to move away from traditional bricks and mortar banks and provide more financial services to people in remote areas.

For fintech companies that operate digital wallets – this is a gamechanger. However, many people in the country don’t have access to smartphones or the internet, so how will these banks work for them and for Bangladesh’s economy?

Presenter / producer: Devina Gupta Image: Money exchange; Credit: Getty Images

Dive into a world of amazing cakes and cafes, where look and taste combine in the hope of tempting customers to part with their cash for sweet treats.

Explore how our tastes and habits are changing when it comes to buying and eating cakes and puddings – and find out why social media is now crucial to the baking and dessert café industry.

Presenter / producer: Emb Hashmi Image: Forever Rose cafe; Credit: Ebraheem Al Samadi

What’s the best way to help people in need?

In the past, humanitarian aid has focused on providing shelter and food, but there’s a growing move towards direct cash payments.

We'll take you to Syria, Egypt and Kenya to find out how it works and why it's being embraced.

We speak to Rory Stewart, president of the US charity Give Directly, which is based entirely on direct cash payments. And hear from two women who’ve used some of that money to develop their own small businesses in Kenya.

Elias Abu Ata explains how the International Rescue Committee used cash in the wake of the earthquake in Syria earlier this year, and Rasha Batarseh, UNHCR cash programme officer for Egypt tells us how it’s being used to help refugees fleeing the conflict in Sudan.

Finally, is cash assistance more vulnerable to fraud? Oliver May, former head of counter fraud at Oxfam, gives his view.

Producer/presenter James Graham Additional production support from Chrystal Onkeo

(Image: Rory Stewart from Give Directly visiting a project in Malawi. Credit: Give Directly.)

Ida Tin coined the term Femtech after she founded the period tracking app, Clue, which has since been downloaded more than 100 million times.

We hear how she managed to turn her idea into a business, how she went about funding it over her 10 year stint as CEO and how she sees it evolving as technology becomes more advanced.

Producer/Presenter: Hannah Mullane Photo: Ida Tin Credit: Ida Tin

The country is not just facing record-high levels of youth unemployment - more than 20% of 16-24 year olds in urban areas at the latest count.

It is also facing growing discontent among many young people about the type of work they can find, often involving long hours, no overtime pay, and insecure contracts.

It is prompting some to opt out of the rat race altogether. And many experts think the current problems aren't just prompted by the global slowdown. They're structural.

Even the government's economic advisors think it may be time for a new economic plan if China is to avoid years of stagnation.

That change could slow and painful though. Will Xi Jinping and the country's other Communist Party leaders go for it?

Produced and presented by Ed Butler.

(Image: College students choose jobs at a job fair for 2023 graduates in Huai 'an City, East China's Jiangsu Province. 01/07/23. Photo credit: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Image)

Is trouble brewing for the world’s second largest economy?

China’s exports are down, the property market’s creaking, and millions of young people - more than one in five - are officially classed as unemployed.

It's not just the lack of jobs, it's the quality of employment that's now on offer - much of it informal in sectors like hospitality or food delivery.

In the first of two programmes assessing the economic challenges, Ed Butler asks, what's gone wrong?

Produced and presented by Ed Butler.

(Image: A job-seeker look for employment at a job fair for college graduates in Nanjing in east China's Jiangsu province in Feb 2023. Credit: ZHONG NAN / Feature China/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Paul and Jacine Rutasikwa tell us how they turned a side hustle into a full-time business.

In 2017 they moved their family from London to Scotland to set up their distillery, creating an African-Scottish business.

Presenter/producer Dougal Shaw.

(Image: Paul and Jacine Rutasikwa. Credit: BBC)

Ynon Kreiz explains how they transformed Barbie, the well-loved and sometimes controversial doll, into a movie.

The boss of one of the world's biggest toy companies also talks about the need to bring more diversity into the Barbie brand, and expand products beyond the toy aisles.

Presenter/producer: Dougal Shaw

(Image: Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken in a still from the movie. Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

We meet one of the UKs most successful record producers, who was behind hits such as Smooth Operator.

He talks to Dougal Shaw about his career so far, his record label, and the future of music.

Sir Robin Millar is blind - his sight had totally gone by his mid-thirties - and he talks about the impact that has had on him.

And he talks about AI in music.

Producer/presenter: Dougal Shaw

We meet one of the world's leading interior designers.

Kelly Hoppen finds design solutions for celebrities including the Beckhams, but also works with luxury brands and businesses too.

And she is enthusiastic about people achieving good design on a budget. She talks about growing up in South Africa, and explains how music inspires her work.

Producer/presenter Dougal Shaw.

(Image: Kelly Hoppen. Credit: BBC)

Iain Griffin and Dirk Stewart formed their company after a mutual need for more leg room inspired a brainwave.

They created the Seatfrog app for train travel, which is disrupting the industry.

Dougal Shaw meets them (on a train), and finds out why their business changed from air travel to trains, and moved from Sydney to London.

Presenter/producer: Dougal Shaw

(Image: Iain Griffin and Dirk Stewart. Credit: BBC)

We look into Mexico’s drive to get historical artefacts returned. Find out more about a famous quetzal feather crown believed to have been worn by the great Aztec emperor Moctezuma, it is currently in Austria and we hear from those who want to keep it there, and those campaigning for its return.

Presenter / producer: Beth Timmins Image: Moctezuma's headdress; Getty Images