Which Countries Are Benefiting from Global Instability Today?

In spring 2026, it would be naïve to speak of clear “winners” from global instability in any moral or strategic sense. Wars, sanctions, shipping disruption and energy shocks are making the world economy poorer, more fragmented and more expensive to navigate. Reuters Breakingviews put it bluntly: it is delusional to think any country can emerge as a clean winner from the Iran-related energy crisis. Yet economics is rarely symmetrical. Even when the system as a whole suffers, some countries benefit temporarily through stronger commodity revenues, safe-haven flows, defence demand, rerouted trade, or strategic relevance. The real question is therefore not who is “winning” in absolute terms, but which countries are gaining relative advantages while others come under greater strain. 

The first obvious group consists of energy exporters. The World Bank said in April that energy exporters in Europe and Central Asia were likely to benefit temporarily from higher commodity prices, even as most countries in the region would face greater fiscal and current-account pressure. Reuters also reported that the IMF sees oil exporters in Latin America — especially Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela — as short-term beneficiaries of the current shock through stronger export earnings and improved public finances, even though those gains are partly offset by higher domestic fuel and food costs. 

Dr Olga Azarova: FAMILY BUSINESS RETREAT is a MINIBOSS invention for raising strong heirs

Family Business Retreats: Why Children Are the Key Participants in Your Strategy

A family business retreat is not just a holiday and not just a conference. It is a specially designed space where the family steps away from operational routine in order to align personal values with business goals.

When we speak about “strong descendants,” we mean not only heirs to capital, but well-rounded individuals with eight developed types of intelligence — from PhQ to SQ. The presence of children at such retreats is not a “burden,” but a critically important element of the educational process.

1. Immersion in Context: Education Through Osmosis

Children do not learn only from textbooks; they learn by observing the behaviour of significant adults. At a retreat, they see their parents not as “household controllers,” but as strategists, thinkers and leaders.

Mental Intelligence (IQ): By observing brainstorming sessions, children learn to structure their thoughts and analyse complex situations.

Entrepreneurial Intelligence (XQ): They begin to understand that money is the result of creative activity and strategic planning, not just numbers on a bank card.

What Is Happening to Oil, Logistics and the Cost Base of Business?

In spring 2026, oil, logistics and business costs have moved back to the centre of strategic decision-making. This is no longer a story confined to commodity traders, shipping executives or macroeconomists. It is now a live operating issue for manufacturers, retailers, airlines, food producers, construction groups, franchisors and service businesses. The reason is simple: when war disrupts energy flows and shipping routes, the effect does not stop at the price of crude. It spreads into freight, insurance, packaging, chemicals, food inputs, aviation, consumer confidence and, ultimately, margins. Reuters’ review of corporate disclosures found that since the Iran war began, 21 companies had cut or withdrawn guidance, 32 had flagged price rises, and 31 had cited expected financial damage. (Reuters)

The first layer of the shock is oil itself. Reuters reported that the closure and disruption around the Strait of Hormuz have removed about 13 million barrels per day of crude supply from the market since the war began, while the IMF’s April scenarios assumed materially weaker growth and significantly higher inflation under severe energy disruption. In practice, this means oil is once again acting not merely as a market input but as a systemic signal. When oil becomes scarce, volatile or politically threatened, it changes the price of almost everything that must be moved, heated, refined or manufactured. (Reuters)

How Wars and Sanctions Are Changing Business in Europe, Asia and the Middle East

In spring 2026, wars and sanctions have become part of the operating environment for business rather than background political noise. The war involving Iran has disrupted energy flows, freight and insurance, while the long aftershocks of the war in Ukraine continue to influence sanctions policy, trade patterns and industrial strategy across Europe. Reuters’ review of corporate disclosures found that since the Iran war began, 21 companies had withdrawn or cut forecasts, 32 had flagged price rises, and 31 had cited expected financial impacts. That is not a geopolitical side story. It is a direct business story. (Reuters)

The first and most immediate change is cost. Wars affect business first through energy, raw materials and transport. In Europe, the European Commission is preparing measures to soften what officials openly describe as a second energy crisis in four years, after gas prices rose sharply and fertiliser markets tightened because of the conflict around Hormuz. Reuters reported that urea prices had risen by 55% since the war began and that one-third of global fertiliser trade passes through the affected route. For manufacturers, agribusinesses and transport-heavy sectors, war is therefore showing up not as a headline, but as margin pressure. (Reuters)