FT Big Read

By Financial Times

What's FT Big Read about?

An audio version of the best of the Financial Times's Big Reads — in-depth reporting from FT correspondents around the world. Listen to longform stories that explore and explain key themes in world news, science and business. Produced by Anna Dedhar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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FT Big Read episodes:

01.25.2019
Putin's pivot to Africa
As Russia’s relations with the west deteriorate Moscow is seeking fresh alliances across Africa say Henry Foy, Nastassia Astrasheuskaya and David Pilling. With Moscow often sidestepping demands for reform or protection of human rights, this is starting to raise concern...
01.16.2019
Wells Fargo: repairing a damaged brand
Wells Fargo has lurched from one scandal to another but customers have stayed loyal, say Robert Armstrong and Laura Noonan. Can the bank once seen as the best managed in America recover its premium valuation? Produced by Caroline Grady Hosted...
01.10.2019
Data brokers: regulators tackle the 'privacy deathstars'
Data brokers face heightened scrutiny in Europe as public opinion shifts on questions of privacy and businesses face tougher data protection legislation, say Aliya Ram and Madhumita Murgia. Will recent operational changes at data brokers be enough to convince regulators?...
12.21.2018
Person of the Year 2018: George Soros
The Financial Times has chosen George Soros as its Person of the Year and here editor Lionel Barber and deputy editor Roula Khalaf explain why the billionaire philanthropist and liberal standard bearer merits the title, particularly in 2018. Presented by Robert...
12.14.2018
The university challenge
The November sentencing of British academic Matthew Hedges to life in prison for spying caused a rare public spat between the UK and UAE and although he was subsequently pardoned it has led UK and US institutions to reassess their...
12.05.2018
The end of the games console?
Nintendo, Sony’s Playstation, and Microsoft’s Xbox dominate the cut-throat computer game business. But, says Leo Lewis, these console makers look under threat in the era of streaming. Will the cloud win, or can consoles, with higher quality, more complex games,...
11.29.2018
Who will replace Merkel as head of the CDU?
In October, Angela Merkel announced she would be stepping down as leader of the Christian Democratic Union, the party she has headed for nearly two decades. The race to succeed her is now well underway, says Guy Chazan. Three candidates...
11.22.2018
The battle between Modi and India's central bank
The Reserve Bank of India is embroiled in an intense political battle with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, say Simon Mundy and Henny Sender. The government has long pressured the RBI to do more to boost growth, but a possible economic...
11.13.2018
Why sanctions are failing to isolate Russia
After Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, the west imposed sanctions to isolate the country economically. But, says Henry Foy, the reality has not matched the rhetoric. Moscow has pivoted towards China and Saudi Arabia and its energy ties with the...
11.08.2018
The threat of Chinese ‘military-civil fusion’
Western governments have a new nightmare coming from China, which has decreed that new private sector technologies, such as robotics and AI, must be shared with the military, say Kathrin Hille and Richard Waters. Washington fears Beijing is gaining an...
10.31.2018
The Irish backstop: Brexit's biggest hurdle
Since Britain voted to leave the EU, the Irish “backstop” has become the primary obstacle in the way of a Brexit deal, say Alex Barker and Arthur Beesley. The plan is the result of intense diplomacy by Dublin, but Theresa...
10.25.2018
How Khashoggi's death threatens Saudi Arabia's economy
Under the stewardship of its young crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia has sought to turn around its oil-dependent economy, say Andrew England and Simeon Kerr. Yet the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi has made the task of reshaping...
10.17.2018
Trump's divided America goes to the polls
Next month’s US midterm elections will be some of the most important in a generation, says Demetri Sevastopulo. Should the Democratic party regain a majority in the House of Representatives, they could make life very difficult for President Donald Trump....
10.10.2018
Artificial intelligence: can humans and robots work together?
The nightmare of robots controlling the human race will not come true, says Richard Waters. The future of AI will see semi-autonomous systems rely on close cooperation with people, uniting machine learning and human judgement. But there are dangers in...
10.03.2018
Unraveling Danske's €200bn 'dirty money' scandal
Since Howard Wilkinson, Danske Bank’s then head of markets in Estonia, blew the whistle on money laundering in 2013, the enormous scale of wrongdoing has emerged, report Richard Milne and Caroline Binham. It has cost chief executive Thomas Borgen...
09.27.2018
The scramble for business in Africa
Emerging economic powerhouses like China, India, and Turkey are jockeying for opportunities and influence in sub-Saharan Africa. While many of the continent's leaders see this as a great opportunity to boost growth, others warn of the dangers of increasing foreign...
09.18.2018
Ronaldo: Juventus bets big on the Portuguese striker
The Italian football club will pay some €340m over four seasons for Cristiano Ronaldo, gambling that he will lure fans and deals with sponsors and kitmakers, says Murad Ahmed. But it is a risky strategy. Can it pay off? Hosted...
09.12.2018
The opioid marketing machine
Purdue Pharma faces more than 1,000 lawsuits claiming it ignited and fuelled the US opioid crisis, reports David Crow. Prosecutors say the company exaggerated the benefits of its painkiller OxyContin, but through their ownership of Rhodes Pharma, Purdue’s owners also have...
09.05.2018
Genoa bridge collapse: the battle over privatisation
On August 14, the Morandi bridge in Genoa collapsed, killing at least 43 people. Since then, many Italian politicians have blamed the tragic event on a lack of maintenance, says Hannah Roberts, and linked it to crony capitalism and policies...
08.29.2018
Auditing: how to restore faith in the ‘Big Four’
PwC’s mechanical interpretation of the rules failed to produce results representative of Bank of Ireland’s dangerous position leading up to the financial crisis. This, say Jonathan Ford and Madison Marriage, raises questions about auditing judgment, and who the ‘Big Four’...
08.22.2018
Cobalt: the crisis facing electric vehicles
Electric cars are the future, and so are the batteries that power them. Yet, these batteries are dependent on cobalt, which has linked the electric vehicle industry to one of the most unstable countries in the world, and to practices...
08.14.2018
The price of being a star YouTuber
YouTube video bloggers broadcast their lives on the Google-owned platform in the hope of attracting followers, fame, and money, say Hannah Kuchler and Emma Jacobs. They are overwhelmingly young and can build multimillion dollar businesses, but stars are few and...
08.07.2018
Post-Dieselgate: The new car emissions lab test loopholes
Three years ago Volkswagen was caught cheating with emission tests, but they were not the only carmaker manipulating the data. Brussels is introducing a more robust regime but the manufacturers are already finding ways of undermining it, says Patrick McGee...
08.02.2018
China's debt threat: How bad is the problem?
The country saw a huge surge in investment after the global financial crisis but this has brought huge domestic debt and slower growth. Tom O'Sullivan, the FT's deputy analysis editor, asks Shanghai bureau chief Gabriel Wildau and global China editor...
07.26.2018
Searching for a solution to digital addiction
Digital distraction lurks everywhere. Google and Apple have taken steps to address smartphone addiction, but critics say the big tech groups have not regulated enough to cure hardcore addicts, say Tim Bradshaw and Hannah Kuchler. What's the solution to Silicon...
07.21.2018
India could be Netflix's untapped market
India has a quickly growing gross domestic product and emerging middle class that is reaping rewards on foreign companies. Netflix entered India in a blaze of promotion and with a bag full of cash. The streaming service thinks the country...
07.13.2018
Figuring out America's policy on Russia
Donald Trump’s relationship with Vladimir Putin has prompted scrutiny and caused controversy, as have US sanctions against Moscow and a Forbes list of Russian oligarchs republished by the US Treasury. However, the US president’s policies on Russia may become clearer...
07.05.2018
America's anxiety over Chinese tech investment
Beijing's ‘Made in China 2025’ industrial initiative has made government officials in America worried. The underlying motivation of the Trump administration’s protectionist mood and trade war with China is American anxiety about China’s rapidly growing technological prowess, says Shawn Donnan....
06.28.2018
Figuring out Theresa May's Brexit plan
Theresa May’s moment of truth is coming. In the two years since the Brexit vote, the British cabinet is still negotiating with itself and the EU. With the impending release of a white paper and an important cabinet summit at...
06.22.2018
Erdogan's precarious push for power
Recep Tayyip Erdogan appears simultaneously powerful and vulnerable ahead of the upcoming June 24 snap elections. The long-time leader of Turkey has used a mixture of both hope and fear to energise voters at a time of great economic uncertainty...
06.14.2018
López Obrador’s mission: to transform Mexico
The former mayor of Mexico is set to win the country's presidential election on July 1. The politician is pledging to eradicate corruption. But while his supporters think he is a man of integrity and honour, his critics fear he...
06.06.2018
Corbyn’s challenge: to win back bedrock voters
The mines have closed, the jobs have gone and Mansfield in Britain’s East Midlands has turned Conservative. But to have a chance of power Labour’s leader needs the backing of the party’s traditional supporters, says Joshua Chaffin Hosted on Acast....
05.30.2018
World Cup: Morocco's challenge to the US
Fifa will decide in June who will host the 2026 football tournament, with a US-led bid the favourite to win. But resentment against Donald Trump is helping Morocco gain support, says Murad Ahmed Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...
05.25.2018
Who owns Antarctica?
Antarctica contains vast untapped natural resources. But it is governed only by a treaty system that faces growing geopolitical challenges, say Leslie Hook and Benedict Mander. Many interested parties would like to exploit its riches. How can the continent be...
05.18.2018
Qatar struggles on despite embargo
Almost a year after four Arab states imposed a blockade on Qatar, the Gulf nation is spending hundreds of billions on infrastructure to boost its economy. From Doha, the FT’s Simeon Kerr reports on Qatar’s economic struggles and whether the...
05.11.2018
Can Modicare cure India's healthcare woes?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a plan to extend national health insurance to roughly half a billion of his country's poorest citizens. But critics say the plan will overwhelm the healthcare system and drive costs out of control. The FT's...
05.04.2018
China and the US fight for AI supremacy
In the race to develop artificial intelligence technology, American engineers have long had an edge but access to vast amounts of data may prove to be China's secret weapon. Louise Lucas and Richard Waters report on the contest for supremacy...
04.27.2018
What's next for South Africa?
Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa's new president, faces a slew of challenges from corruption to education and the economy. The FT's David Pilling and Alec Russell are joined by Mmusi Maimane, leader of South Africa's leading opposition party, to discuss the...
04.20.2018
Venezuela's mounting refugee crisis
Thousands of Venezuelans are fleeing disease, violence and economic collapse — creating the worst refugee crisis in recent Latin American history. The FT's Gideon Long and Andres Schipani report from Colombia and Brazil, where communities and humanitarian groups are struggling...
04.13.2018
Top lawyers reap rewards
Superstar partners are drawing salaries akin to those of top bankers and sports stars, as upstart firms challenge the traditional seniority-based compensation system. James Fontanella-Khan, Sujeet Indap, and Barney Thompson report. Produced by Joshua Oliver. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...
04.06.2018
The other Facebook scandal
South-east Asia is one of Facebook's fastest growing markets, but the social media company is under fire over the spread of false news and incitements to violence in the region. The FT's John Reed and Hannah Kuchler report. Hosted on...
03.29.2018
Lagos: Nigeria's economic success story
A major centre for the oil industry, the west-African city is on track to become the world's third largest metropolis within decades. The FT's David Pilling reports on what the rest of Nigeria might learn from Lagos' economic success. Produced...
03.23.2018
Cyber insurance: risks and rewards
With cyber attacks against businesses on the rise, Oliver Ralph reports on how wary insurance firms are approaching a field that could be a billion dollar growth opportunity or a hundred billion dollar liability. Produced by Joshua Oliver Hosted on...
03.16.2018
Daimler deal riles Germans over Chinese investment
Geely's acquisition of close to 10 per cent of one of Germany's best-known firms has provoked a fierce backlash. Berlin bureau chief Guy Chazan and former Beijing bureau chief James Kynge join Big Read's editor Geoff Dyer to discuss the...
03.09.2018
A second Arab Spring?
Middle East observers say the region's social and economic tensions are creating the conditions for another wave of popular uprisings. Andrew England and Heba Saleh report on governments struggling to retain control in the face of falling oil revenues, rising...
03.02.2018
Black power smashes the box office
Black Panther's success has demonstrated the commercial potential for movies with more diverse casts and stories. With Sunday's Oscars putting the focus on Hollywood, Shannon Bond and Matthew Garrahan report on a film that has shattered box office records and...
02.23.2018
Battle of the billionaires
The dispute between Europe's media barons Silvio Berlusconi and Vincent Bolloré sees their groups Mediaset and Vivendi battle it out in court next week just days before Italy's crucial election. Rachel Sanderson and Harriet Agnew trace the story of how their...
02.08.2018
Seoul's gamble on Olympic unity
President Moon Jae-in's move to promote reconciliation with the North has angered young South Koreans and risks creating a rift with the US over how to deal with Pyongyang. Bryan Harris reports from Seoul Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...
02.01.2018
The resurrection of 'Saint' Silvio
The former premier has returned from political oblivion to recast himself as both an elder statesman and an alternative to the populist Five Star Movement. He is likely to play a crucial role after next month’s elections, but for how...
01.26.2018
China bulls beat the short sellers — for now
Hedge funds who placed big bets on the collapse of the country’s indebted economy have largely failed in their strategy. Did the investors misread the signs or were they just too early? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's FT Big Read about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

FT Big Read episodes:

Putin's pivot to Africa

Wells Fargo: repairing a damaged brand

Data brokers: regulators tackle the 'privacy deathstars'

Person of the Year 2018: George Soros

The university challenge

The end of the games console?

Who will replace Merkel as head of the CDU?

The battle between Modi and India's central bank

Why sanctions are failing to isolate Russia

The threat of Chinese ‘military-civil fusion’

The Irish backstop: Brexit's biggest hurdle

How Khashoggi's death threatens Saudi Arabia's economy

Trump's divided America goes to the polls

Artificial intelligence: can humans and robots work together?

Unraveling Danske's €200bn 'dirty money' scandal

The scramble for business in Africa

Ronaldo: Juventus bets big on the Portuguese striker

The opioid marketing machine

Genoa bridge collapse: the battle over privatisation

Auditing: how to restore faith in the ‘Big Four’

Cobalt: the crisis facing electric vehicles

The price of being a star YouTuber

Post-Dieselgate: The new car emissions lab test loopholes

China's debt threat: How bad is the problem?

Searching for a solution to digital addiction

India could be Netflix's untapped market

Figuring out America's policy on Russia

America's anxiety over Chinese tech investment

Figuring out Theresa May's Brexit plan

Erdogan's precarious push for power

López Obrador’s mission: to transform Mexico

Corbyn’s challenge: to win back bedrock voters

World Cup: Morocco's challenge to the US

Who owns Antarctica?

Qatar struggles on despite embargo

Can Modicare cure India's healthcare woes?

China and the US fight for AI supremacy

What's next for South Africa?

Venezuela's mounting refugee crisis

Top lawyers reap rewards

The other Facebook scandal

Lagos: Nigeria's economic success story

Cyber insurance: risks and rewards

Daimler deal riles Germans over Chinese investment

A second Arab Spring?

Black power smashes the box office

Battle of the billionaires

Seoul's gamble on Olympic unity

The resurrection of 'Saint' Silvio

China bulls beat the short sellers — for now