BFM 89.9

HIGHLIGHTS 
Podcast  >  Enterprise  >  Enterprise Explores  >  Services: The Next Battleground in Geopolitics?

Services: The Next Battleground in Geopolitics?

Aparna Bharadwaj, Global Leader of the Global Advantage Practice, BCG

22-Oct-25 12:00

Services: The Next Battleground in Geopolitics?

For decades, global trade was dominated by goods like oil and cars. But a new report from BCG argues the real battleground of the future is in services. From cloud computing and fintech to streaming, services trade is projected to hit nearly $12 trillion by 2032, creating new tensions and ‘fault lines’" that will reshape the global economy.

Aparna Bharadwaj, Global Leader of the Global Advantage Practice at BCG, joins us to unpack these findings. She discusses why digital services have become geopolitical flashpoints, how governments are using non-tariff barriers like data localisation, and why businesses must now develop a ‘geopolitical muscle’.

We discuss:

  • What services trade is and why it's growing twice as fast as goods.

  • Why digital services (cloud, SaaS, fintech) are the new ‘fault lines’.

  • The rise of non-tariff barriers like data localisation and digital taxes.

  • Why businesses must build a ‘geopolitical muscle’ to survive.

For business leaders and policymakers, this is an essential guide to the new, complex, and high-stakes future of global commerce.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Produced by: Roshan Kanesan

Presented by: Roshan Kanesan


This and more than 60,000 other podcasts in your hand. Download the all new BFM mobile app.

Categories:  governmentpoliticsinternationalLaw/Activismmarkets

Tags:  service tradeglobal tradegeopoliticsnon-tariff barriers





Play / Pause

Listen now : Bar None: (REPEAT) We explore pickleball's rise in popularity and whether it's...

Today’s Shows



11:00 AM

Best of Enterprise

(REPEAT) Hann Liew, Founder and CEO of Halogen Capital, joins BFM to review a volatile 2025 and outline the outlook for 2026.

12:00 PM

Popcorn Culture

(REPEAT) In this double bill episode, we review the newly concluded Season 1 of Apple TV's Pluribus, and discuss whether it has us excited for a second season of this philosophical sci-fi mystery.

1:00 PM

Cruise Control

(REPEAT) We kick off the first episode of this year with Daniel's thoughts on the iCaur V23, an EV that, according to him, is simply awesome.

2:00 PM

Matt-Splained

(REPEAT) In a world of constant iteration cycles and incremental upgrades, we take time to salute some of the big names and services that the tech world lost in 2026.

3:00 PM

Earth Matters

(REPEAT) Fireflies in Bukit Kiara signal ecosystem health under urban pressure. We explore why they matter, and how a new intiative called The Glow Campaign is driving collective action.

4:00 PM

Bar None

(REPEAT) We explore pickleball's rise in popularity and whether it's here to stay.

5:00 PM

BBC World Service

BFM presents the BBC World Service, which provides in-depth coverage of issues from around the world.