Tby Today

This week we talk Saudi succession, peace in Colombia, and the littoral politics of the Caspian Sea. With special guests Paul Loomis, Han Le, Evan Pheiffer, and Liz Colavita.

This week we're joined by Ozan Özkural--finance expert, Managing Partner of Tanto Capital, and member of the Brookings Institution's Foreign Policy Leadership Council--to discuss Africa's private equity ecosystem. Also, universal basic income (UBI) redux, Trump at the G20, snowflakes from the top rope, and more. Join TBY's Leland Rice, Peter Howson, Emily Casswell, and Evan Pheiffer for our weekly dive into economic news and trends. More at www.thebusinessyear.com.

This week, with Kazakhstan currently hosting Expo 2017 in Astana, we look at the history of the event and how its evolution reflects the ever-changing global economy. Leland Rice, Peter Howson, and Evan Pheiffer are joined by Kazakhstani pundit Yerzhan Rashev to discuss the event and what it means for the country’s economic and political ambitions. We also welcome Sergio Ripollés, TBY's Country Editor in Qatar, to ask him about life under blockade. Plus, universal basic income, Chinese incentives for catching a spy, and more.

This week we're pleased to welcome Leon Isaacs, joint-CEO of Developing Market Associate and a leading authority on remittances and the money transfer industry. On the eve of the Global Forum on Remittances, Investment and Development 2017 at UN headquarters in New York, we discuss global regulations for cross-border money transfers, opportunities in diaspora investment, and some of the emerging markets most impacted by the USD 1 trillion remittances industry.

The Trump administration has claimed that the Paris Agreement would strain public finances and kill jobs. But around the world, particularly in emerging markets, countries are setting ambitious renewable energy targets precisely to rationalize public spending and create jobs. This week Leland Rice is joined by Evan Pheiffer, Emily Casswell, and Peter Howson to discuss this disconnect, explore alternative energy investment in EMs, and assess the overall global renewables industry. Plus: snail farming in Azerbaijan, Senegal's Eurobond issuance, and Barclays’ Africa exit.

Emerging markets...in spaaaaaaaace. This week, TBY's Leland Rice, Peter Howson, Emily Casswell, and Evan Pheiffer discuss the rapidly changing sphere of 21st century space exploration and the economic opportunities offered by the cosmos.

The road might be one, but the paths are many. This week, TBY’s Editor-in-Chief Leland Rice is joined by Writer/Editor Evan Pheiffer, Associate Editor Emily Casswell, and Senior Editor Peter Howson to discuss “One Belt, One Road,” China’s ever-expanding external investment drive that aims to create a new Silk Road across 60+ countries, all with a healthy dose of economic diplomacy. Some call it a 21st Century Marshall Plan. But it’s not without social, political, and economic risks for China. Plus: Colombia’s got gas, single currency ambitions in East Africa, and fox hunters vs globalist snowflakes.

Africa is the world's fastest growing beer market. And on the heels of last year's acquisition of Africa's own SABMiller by ABInbev for $103 billion--the 3rd largest takeover in history--the race is on to capture share of the continent's young, urbanizing, and thirsty population. Leland Rice, Peter Howson, Emily Casswell, and Evan Phieffer--TBY's resident pod-studio gangsters and beer dilettantes--distill Africa's drinks industry as well as take a look at key events from the week's economic news.

This week, Editor-in-Chief Leland Rice is joined by Irving Argaez and Michael Greenfield, TBY's Country Editors in the UAE representing Abu Dhabi and Dubai, respectively. We discuss the UAE's start up ecosystem, tech unicorns and their investors in the GCC, and Dubai's drive to be the smartest--and happiest--city in the world by 2021.

This week, TBY's Editor-in-Chief Leland Rice along with Senior Editor Peter Howson and Writer/Editor Evan Phiffer take a deep dive into Saudi Arabia--its charm offensive in Asia, oil giant Saudi Aramco's maiden sukuk issuance, and the Kingdom's economic reform agenda. Plus, Rex Tillerson and Kazakhstan, Mozambique's "Tuna Bond" troubles, and Theresa May's doppelgänger.

The row between Turkey and the Netherlands dominated headlines this week, but what does this mean for the intended sale of Turkey's largest fuel distributor to Rotterdam-base Vitol Group? In addition, we look at the economics of being a cabbie in major cities around the world, call our Mexico correspondent to talk about efforts to diversify trade away from the US, and talk about a tariff agreement between Azerbaijan, Russian, and Iran. All of this, along with some commentary on world-leader suit selection, pirates, and the most expensive op-ed in history.

This week's episode of TBY Today is a speculative one. The Business Year's Editor-in-Chief Leland Rice along with Associate Editor Emily Casswell and Writer/Editor Evan Phieffer postulate who Italian energy giant ENI is selling its Mozambique assets to, what a post-TTP Asia might look like, and what Zambia's forthcoming IMF package will entail. Just as we post this, details of the ENI deal were made public. We got it right, for the record. Hold us to account for the other two predictions, and join us as we each share something surprising learned from the week in economic news.

This week, TBY's Editor-in-Chief Leland Rice is joined in the Istanbul studio by Writer/Editor Evan Pheiffer, Associate Editor Emily Casswell, and Senior Editor Peter Howson to discuss Kazakhstan's hosting of the Syrian peace talks, Turkey's competitive advantages in bidding for infrastructure projects in East Africa, anti-corruption raids in Nigeria, and other stories from the week's news in emerging markets.