Historically, there has been little international demand for Russia’s ruble. But a stablecoin pegged to the country's currency is having a moment – and becoming a prominent fixture at conferences outside the Western sphere of influence. Although Russia is one of the world’s largest energy exporters, accounting for over 10% of the global oil supply, most of that trade is settled in dollars, euros, or, increasingly, China’s renminbi. The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) does not list any ruble curre ...

For more on this story and the tensions with Venezuela, let's bring in Michelle Cruer, CEO of MCC Global Enterprises, CBC contributor, former anchor of such shows as this one. Uh Michelle, this is escalating >> for sure. >> Probably no surprise.I would say it's fair to say that the the financial sanctions that were put on these countries a couple years ago that were lightly enforced, if at all, uh this is the next step. This is a a designed step to kill the cash flow I assume from Maduro and others. >> Yes, ...

Geopolitical Implications - The US has lifted financial sanctions on former Paraguayan leader Horacio Cartes [1] - Paraguay's conservative government is fostering closer ties with the Trump administration [1]