Will Facebook's launch of its own cryptocurrency be a game changer? What will this mean for established currencies and the global banking system? Evan Davis and guests discuss.

GUESTS

Jutta Steiner, Chief Executive Officer, Parity Technologies

Dr. Catherine Mulligan, Chief Technology Officer of Gov Tech Labs and Data Net at University College, London

Barbara Mellish, Chief Executive Officer, Centre for Citizenship, Enterprise and Government

Presenter: Evan Davis

Producer: Julie Ball

How can the aviation industry marry sustainability with increasing passenger numbers? Since the deregulation of Europe's airlines in the late 1990s, more and more of us have been flying every year. Whilst this may be good news for the airline industry, it's not good news for the environment. Manufacturers are trying to make models lighter and more fuel efficient, with a pledge by IATA to cut emissions to 50% by 2050. Nevertheless, experts say we are at least fifteen years away from hybrid engine powered flight. Evan Davis and guests ask whether commercial aviation can meet its climate targets through new technology and more fuel efficient engines, whilst keeping costs down for the airlines and the customer?

GUESTS

Paul Kahn, president, Connectivity, Cobham Plc

Volodymyr Bilotkach, economist, author of The Economics of Airlines

Rob Morris, head of Global Consultancy, Ascend by Cirium

Presenter: Evan Davis

Producer: Julie Ball

Editor: Hugh Levinson

What can we learn from how one medical start-up fooled Silicon Valley and the world? Elizabeth Holmes dropped out of Stanford University at 19 to start Theranos. She promised investors and the public a revolutionary blood diagnosis machine which would be less painful, accessible and affordable than ordinary lab tests. She managed to raise $9 billion in funding. Now the company is worth nothing. Holmes and her business partner may face up to 20 years in prison for fraud. How did she manage to deceive some of the world's cleverest minds - and is there something about start-up culture and the cult of the visionary leader which encourages charlatans? Evan Davis and guests discuss.

GUESTS

Producer: Julie Ball

You trust financial professionals to grow your long term savings and pension pot. But how do you know if they are investing it wisely? The UK investment industry is awash with complicated terms and conditions, and unclear and sometimes high charges, which can eat into your monetary returns. The woes of star fund manager Neil Woodford, who has temporarily frozen one of his funds to its investors after poor performance, highlights just how complicated an industry it is. Is some clarity starting to emerge? Evan Davis and expert guests look under the bonnet of the UK investment industry.

Guests:

James Anderson, partner at Baillie Gifford, who jointly manage the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust

Producer: Lesley McAlpine

Poundland, Lidl, B&M Bargains and Primark are thriving successes on the High Street, while more mainstream retailers have seen their profits hit. Just how do the discounters keep their prices so low? Keeping the business model simple, supply chains lean and costs down are key parts of the story.

Guests:

Can a sudden change in direction save a new company? Evan Davis and his guests hear stories about the start-up's nightmare: the original product is not selling, and cash is running out. Can changing focus - with a new service or product - pluck success from the jaws of doom? Speaking to entrepreneurs and experts, he learns about how in a range of sectors, from sanitary products to event ticketing, the key is to shift while staying true to the original vision.

From Somali pirates who've turned kidnapping into a global enterprise to cybercrime and fraud - the worlds of business and wrongdoing potentially have much in common. Clever criminals build business empires and fraud is sometimes carried out by well paid workers at legitimate companies. What the two worlds can have in common is a pursuit of profit and a series of apparently rational calculations. Evan Davis and guests explore why some bright, talented people try to get rich the wrong way, while others manage to do it within the rules.

Guests

Barrister, Sara George, a partner at Sidley Austin LLP

Who wins and loses in the cut-throat exercise market? Looking good and being fit has become more important as we have become more wealthy. Yet most new gyms and fitness centres fail. Evan Davis and his guests work out the secrets of success in this growing industry, which is is worth over £5 billion in the UK.

GUESTS

Stuart Broster, CEO, Anytime Fitness UK

Tommy Matthews, Managing Director, Be Military Fit

Dawn Tuckwell,, Director and Co-founder, Action PR

PRESENTER: Evan Davis

PRODUCER: Julie Ball

The package brought to your door may have crossed the globe - but the most expensive and fiddly bit of the journey will undoubtedly be what's known as 'the last mile'. Delivery firms are constantly innovating how they do this - using electric vehicles and e cargo bikes, robots, or offering customers a click and collect option at a local store of their choice. Consumers take it for granted that they will get free delivery in many cases. But is the whole 'last mile' industry sustainable? Delivery vans add to traffic congestion and consumers are ordering more than they need and returning unwanted goods for free.

Evan Davis and guests discuss the latest trends in the logistical puzzle of 'the last mile.'

Guests

Jon Ormond Operations Director of Hubs and Depots at parcel carrier, Hermes.

Antibiotic resistance is a global problem but there have been no new drugs produced since the 1980s. So who is to blame? The public's over-consumption or the current economic model for drug research and production? Evan Davis and guests discuss.

GUESTS

Seema Patel, Medical Director, Hospital Business, Pfizer, UK, Ireland and the Nordics

Lord Jim O'Neill, Chair Anti-Microbial Resistance Review (2016), Former Chief Economist, Goldman Sachs

Professor Colin Garner, Co Founder and Director, Antibiotic Research UK