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Talks near the Belarus-Ukraine between Ukrainian and Russian officials yesterday ended inconclusively and were overshadowed by intensifying fighting in Ukraine. We’ve woken up to news that more than 70 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in Okhtyrka, a city between Kharkiv and Kyiv, after a Russian strike on a military base.
As western nations imposed wider sanctions on Russia, Mastercard said last night that it had blocked several financial institutions from its payment network. The New York-based firm said it would continue to work with regulators in coming days, and pledged to contribute $2m for humanitarian relief for Ukraine.
Visa made a similar donation, and said in a statement that it was taking action to ensure compliance with sanctions.
Expectations are growing that Russia could turn to crypto currencies after being shut out of the Swift international payment system and with sanctions imposed on its banks. Bitcoin, the world’s…
