Sanctions Knockout: What the Blocking of Wise and Revolut Cards Means for Russians

The international payment service Wise has begun blocking cards issued to users from Russia and Belarus. The move follows the 19th package of European Union sanctions and further cuts many Russians and Belarusians off from global financial services. Customers are already receiving notifications that their cards will be disabled unless they confirm that they are citizens or legal residents of a country in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.

What has Wise changed for its users

The restrictions cover both physical and virtual Wise cards linked to accounts held by Russian or Belarusian citizens, as well as by people who live in Russia. For these users, card functionality is being switched off. They can no longer pay in shops or online with their Wise card. They cannot withdraw cash from ATMs. They also lose the option to rely on the card to top up their balance, pay for digital subscriptions or cover everyday expenses abroad.

“Education is not only about knowledge, but about creating strong personalities” — Dr. Olga Azarova

Trend: Shift from knowledge-based learning to competency-based learning.

International Education Network MINIBOSS BUSINESS SCHOOL is the world’s № 1 brand in business education for kids and teens. For more than two decades, it has pioneered a new educational model that develops entrepreneurial, emotional, creative, and leadership skills in children aged 6–17, preparing them for success in the global economy.

“Education is not only about knowledge; it is about creating strong personalities who can lead, innovate, and transform society.” — Dr. Olga Azarova, Founder of MINIBOSS Business School

Curriculum Design: From Knowledge to Competence

Unlike traditional schooling, the MINIBOSS Curriculum is intentionally designed to balance theoretical learning with practical application. A curriculum map outlines a year-long scope and sequence, ensuring both structure and incremental personality development.

Dr. Olga Azarova emphasises:

“Intentional design must always come before systematic documentation. First, we build a model that works for the child’s full potential — only then do we formalise it.”

Main Problems of General Education and How MINIBOSS Provides Solutions

1. Outdated Knowledge, Irrelevant to Real Life

• Mass Education Today: Reliance on memorisation and obsolete theory.
• Parent Demand: Future-oriented skills: financial literacy, entrepreneurship, creativity.
• MINIBOSS Solution: Curriculum based on 8Qs; courses in entrepreneurship, finance, leadership, innovation, and AI; real startup creation and market testing.

2. Lack of Soft Skills & Emotional Intelligence

• Mass Education Today: Focus only on IQ.
• Parent Demand: Development of EQ, teamwork, leadership, and communication.
• MINIBOSS Solution: Team projects, startup creation, public speaking at Startup Forums, and emotional intelligence training.

3. Absence of Entrepreneurial Thinking & Financial Education

• Mass Education Today: Students leave school without financial literacy or entrepreneurial mindset.
• Parent Demand: Financial and business literacy from early age.
• MINIBOSS Solution: Financial literacy from age 6; training in money management, investment, and startup acceleration.

4. Passive Learning, No Engagement

• Mass Education Today: Teacher-centred lectures dominate.
• Parent Demand: Active, project-based learning.
• MINIBOSS Solution: Special teacher trainings, faculty development, simulations, role-plays, gamification, and experiential learning through startup building.

5. No Global Networking or Cross-Cultural Competence

• Mass Education Today: Localised, limited exposure to global perspectives.
• Parent Demand: Global readiness.
• MINIBOSS Solution: International networking via Startup World Cup Championship and Global Business Week, fostering cross-cultural communication.

6. Lack of Career Connection

Mass Education Today: Students graduate unprepared for professional life.
Parent Demand: Early career guidance, mentorship, and real experience.
MINIBOSS Solution: Startup Incubator, mentorship, career orientation embedded in every programme, and real-world project portfolios.

How the World Economy Could Look in 2050: Asia Takes the Lead

By 2050, the economic map of the world may look very different from what we know today.

According to long-term projections by Goldman Sachs, the centre of gravity of global GDP is expected to shift decisively away from today’s developed markets and towards emerging Asia.

The Big Picture: Who Owns Global GDP in 2050?

In 2050 (in constant 2021 USD), global GDP is projected to total about $227.9 trillion. Here’s how that pie is expected to be divided:

• Asia (excluding developed markets): $90.6 trillion – 40%
• Developed Markets (DM): $82.9 trillion – 36%
• Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa (CEEMEA): $38.3 trillion – 17%
• Latin America: $16.0 trillion – 7%

The headline shift is clear:

Emerging Asia is projected to become the largest regional contributor to world GDP, with 40% of the total, edging ahead of traditional Developed Markets at 36%.

To see how dramatic this is, compare it with the year 2000. At that time, developed economies (North America, Western Europe, Japan, etc.) accounted for more than 77% of global GDP. By 2050, their share is expected to fall to just over a third.

Taiwan has become the world’s example of how an economy can boom while many people feel left behind

Silicon Island’s Boom: When the Economy Grows Faster Than Salaries
Taiwan has become the world’s clearest example of how an economy can boom while many people feel left behind. Under constant military pressure from China and amid trade tensions with the United States, the island has still been posting spectacular numbers. GDP has grown around 8% for two quarters in a row, and overall growth is expected to reach about 7.4% in 2025 – even faster than China.

The engine is obvious: high tech.
Taiwan’s factories build the chips and servers that power today’s artificial intelligence revolution. Its champion, TSMC, supplies giants like Nvidia and AMD and has lifted its own revenue forecast into the mid-30% range. Exports have exploded – up more than a third this year, with shipments to the US jumping over 60% as American tech companies race to build AI data centres. Taiwan’s stock market has surged into the world’s top ten on this wave of AI enthusiasm.
But this success story has a shadow. A rich economy, ordinary pay.

Zelensky will speak to Trump after the US presented Ukraine with a draft "peace plan"

Zelensky to speak to Trump after US proposes Russia-Ukraine peace plan

Volodymyr Zelensky will speak to Donald Trump after the US presented Ukraine with a draft "peace plan" to end the war with Russia.

The plan was reportedly drafted by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and his Russian counterpart Kirill Dmitriev, without Ukraine's involvement.

In a statement, Zelensky's office said the US believed the draft plan could "help reinvigorate diplomacy" and added that Ukraine had "agreed to work on the plan's provisions in a way that would bring about a just end to the war".

Kyiv supported "all substantive proposals capable of bringing genuine peace closer," the statement said.

The Ukrainians did not share any details of what the proposal entails, although according to sources quoted by Axios, the Financial Times and Reuters, it includes plans for Kyiv to give up areas of the Donbas in eastern Ukraine that it still controls, to cut significantly the size of its army, and to forego many of its weapons.

November 19 is Women's Entrepreneurship Day

November 19 is World Women's Entrepreneurship Day
On November 19, the world celebrates World Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, established by the UN at the initiative of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organisation (WEDO). Just ten years ago, this date did not exist in the global calendar. Today, it unites almost 150 countries and thousands of women entrepreneurs across the world.

How This Day Was Born
The initiator of World Women’s Entrepreneurship Day is American entrepreneur and philanthropist Wendy Diamond. She was inspired by a trip to Honduras and her encounters with microfinance funds supporting low-income women. After returning to the United States, she decided to create a global movement to support women entrepreneurs.

The first WED ceremony was held on 19 November 2014 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. In its very first year, Women’s Entrepreneurship Day was marked in 144 countries, and today it is observed in almost 150 countries.