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Ant Group: How it became a financial giant

Asia business correspondent Karishma Vaswani explains how China's Ant Group started life as part of the Alibaba colony and how it grew to establish its own empire as a financial technology giant.

Produced and edited by Christine Hah

2 November 2020

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Santiago Paredes

Whistleblower claims Boeing supplier sent faulty parts

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'They thought it was a sex shop' - The Body Shop in the '80s

Joanna Jensen

'A viral Facebook post nearly blew up our business'

Lisa Wilkinson

Will ex-Wilko boss apologise for collapsed firm's failures?

Sainsburys boss Simon Roberts

Sainsbury's boss: We are absolutely not profiteering

Josh Western

Firm's disappointment at failed space mission

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People 'queuing up' to come to UK, says Next boss

Mpumi Zikalala, CEO of Kumba Iron Ore

Mining boss: 'One person doesn't have all the answers'

Jim Allen

Hard Rock boss: The shift I'll never forget

Megan Thompson

'My company gives me time off work for my period'

Peter Hebblethwaite, boss of P&O Ferries

P&O boss 'incredibly sorry' for impact of sackings

Scotland business

Should you change your name to fit in at work? That’s what BBC reporter Noor Nanji did, and she’s not the only one.

Why I didn't use my real name at work

The CEO of P&O Ferries has told MSPs he has "no plans to resign" amid an outcry over the sacking of 800 staff.

MSP to P&O Ferries boss: 'How do you sleep at night?'

Video call for P&O Ferries staff

Moment P&O Ferries staff in Dover told of job cuts

BBC News.

Moment P&O Ferries staff in Dover told of job cuts

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Coding: How hard is it to learn?

Chris O'Shea

British Gas owner warns of high energy bills for two years

Chris Fox holding up a bed sheet covered in red wine

Eco-laundry hopes to clean up how we wash clothes

Keyframe #2Vishal Garg, chief executive of Better.com

'Your employment here is terminated'

Nan Gibson

Lidl to hike pay to retain and recruit staff

Matte pink luxury car shining under the lights

Watch: How Jaguar's shifted gears with its concept car

The company has been at the centre of a media storm as a result of its radical revamp.

Rachel Reeves

Watch: Reeves 'deeply proud' to be first female chancellor

The Chancellor has presented her first Budget in the Commons.

Twins James and John Makanjuola,

The twins cleaning London's unloved spaces

Entrepreneurs James and John run a cleaning firm, but take it to the next level in their spare time.

Paula Vennells at the Post Office inquiry

Key moments from former Post Office chief's three-day testimony

Paula Vennells faced three days of questions about her role in the wrongful prosecution of hundreds of sub-postmasters.

Paula Vennells reaching for a tissue in the Post Office inqiuiry

Ex-Post Office boss cries while giving evidence

Ex-Post Office boss Paula Vennells is speaking about the incident for the first time in ten years.

Tatti Lashes

Tatti Lashes: The school friends who built a beauty empire

Charlotte Tiplady and Elliot Barton explain how together they built up their Tatti Lashes beauty empire from Liverpool.

Ocado has added robotic arms to its newest warehouse near Luton.

Watch Ocado robots in action

Ocado has added robotic arms to its newest warehouse near Luton.

Business Headlines

BBC World News business headlines

The latest international business headlines from BBC World News.

Jo Hamilton

'I feel survivor's guilt' says Post Office victim

Former sub-postmaster Jo Hamilton told BBC Breakfast she feels "guilt" after settling with the government over the Horizon IT scandal.

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Watch: 'My biggest financial regret is...'

People in Kent share their finance stories ahead of Wednesday's Budget. Would you share yours?

Mohsin Issa

Issa brother to step back after 'fixing' Asda

Mohsin Issa, one half of the so-called "billionaire brothers" who own Asda, says he plans to hand over the running of the UK's third biggest supermarket.

Robots

'We had to adapt our robots to the AI revolution'

Sandy Enoch of Robotical explains why he had to pivot his educational robot company due to AI.

Picsart

'AI won't steal your job, but people using it may'

Hovhannes Avoyan, founder of picture and video editing app Picsart, shares his advice for our CEO Secrets series.

Raid on Co-op store

CCTV shows violent raid on Co-op store

The retailer gave the footage to the BBC as it warned of a rise in attacks on retail staff.

Sir Howard Davies

Not that difficult to buy a home, says NatWest chair

Sir Howard Davies says he believes it is not currently "that difficult" for people to get on the housing ladder.

Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes

Broadband rises must be 'clearer', says Ofcom boss

The regulator has plans to make mobile and broadband firms more upfront about mid-contract price rises.

Earring

'This earring helped me build my £4bn business'

Richard Harpin, co-founder of Homeserve, explains how an earring taught him an early business lesson.

Olivia DeRamus and BBC reporter Lora Jones

'Taking control of my abuse story'

Olivia DeRamus set up an app in the wake of her sexual assault. Now she's ready to take on Big Tech.

Virgin Atlantic flight

Watch: Take off for ground-breaking green fuel flight

It is the first transatlantic flight powered solely by alternative fuels.

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The enzyme that chews up plastic

Could this be the solution for recycling more plastic?