What China Taught Me About Global Trade
China's manufacturing scale has no historical precedent. $3.8 trillion in exports in 2025. A $1.2 trillion trade surplus — the largest any country has ever recorded. China is the top import partner fo...
17 Sep 15min
What Vietnam’s Gold Shops Taught Me About Money
Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. But its currency, the Dong, devalues 3-5% per year to support its export-oriented growth. When the price of gold rises, Vietnamese people ...
30 Juli 12min
How to Fund a Hospital in a Warzone
In Northwest Syria, a critical network of hospitals faces a unique challenge: how do you pay medical staff and fund healthcare when your country is completely cut off from the global financial system?...
2 Juni 12min
Inside Africa's $16 Billion Waste Economy
Drive through cities in Africa and you’re likely to see a waste problem. In the streets, the sewage, in the waterways…540 million tons of waste goes uncollected every year across sub-Saharan Africa. I...
30 Apr 14min
I Went to Nigeria to Explore How Global Trade Really Works
In Lagos' Computer Village, Nigeria's largest electronics market, everything is imported from China. But how merchants access dollars and pay their suppliers is a challenge.Nigeria imports $20 billion...
1 Apr 15min
Why Getting Paid Costs More in Emerging Markets
If you're a freelancer or a remote worker from the global south, you likely have a harder time getting paid and participating in the global economy. Maybe a global payments company doesn't operate in ...
29 Jan 9min
Inside Argentina's $300 Billion Parallel Economy
Argentina's decades-long economic crises and hyperinflation has a major impact on how Argentine's participate in the economy.The recent story that's been told about Argentina is that people are adopti...
4 Nov 202516min
