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Digital assets and currencies

Understand assets, networks and trading mechanics with sources you can check.

Trading basics

1973 oil crisis

In October 1973, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) announced that it was implementing a total oil embargo against countries that had supported Israel at any point during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, which began after Egypt and Syria launched a large-scale surprise attack in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to recover the territories that they had lost to Israel

Trading basics

Agreement on 5% NATO defence spending by 2035

At the 2025 The Hague NATO summit, member states pledged to increase defence spending to five percent of GDP in what is called The Hague Investment Plan.

Trading basics

Artificial demand

Artificial demand or manufactured demand constitutes demand for something that, in the absence of exposure to the vehicle of creating demand, would not exist. It has controversial applications in microeconomics (pump and dump strategy) and advertising.

Finance

Asset Recovery Interagency Network Asia Pacific

Asset Recovery Interagency Network - Asia Pacific (ARIN-AP) is an informal network of experts and practitioners in the field of asset tracing, freezing and confiscation which intends to serve as a cooperative group in all aspects of tackling the proceeds of crime in the Asia-Pacific region.

Trading basics

Belt and Road Initiative

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI or B&R), also known as One Belt One Road (Chinese: 一带一路; pinyin: Yīdài Yīlù) and sometimes called the New Silk Road, is a global infrastructure and economic development strategy pursued by the government of China since 2013. It includes projects in more than 150 countries spanning ports, railways, highways, power stations, aviation, and telecommunication

Trading basics

Black budget

A black budget or covert appropriation is a government budget that is allocated for classified or other secret operations of a state. The black budget is an account of expenses and spending related to military research and covert operations. The black budget is mostly classified because of security reasons.

Trading basics

Brunei dollar

The Brunei dollar (Malay: Dolar Brunei, formerly Ringgit Brunei; sign: B$; currency code: BND), is the currency of Brunei Darussalam since 1967. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively B$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies. The currency is divided into 100 cents (sen) and is issued by the Brunei Darussalam Central Bank.

Finance

Budget Committee (Germany)

In the Federal Republic of Germany, the federal parliament (Bundestag) and all state parliaments (Landtage) have established Budget Committees (Haushaltsausschuss), standing parliamentary committees generally responsible for deliberations on the budget act and for parliamentary oversight of budget execution.

Banking

C. Hoare & Co

C. Hoare & Co., also known as Hoares, is a British private bank, founded in 1672 by Sir Richard Hoare. A twelfth-generation family business, it is owned by eight of Sir Richard's direct descendants. It is the oldest privately owned bank in the United Kingdom and reputedly the fourth-oldest in continuous operation globally. It is also the second oldest family owned bank in the world after

Finance

Capital Market Authority (Saudi Arabia)

The Capital Market Authority (CMA; Arabic: هيئة السوق المالية) is the Saudi government's financial regulatory authority responsible for capital markets in Saudi Arabia. The CMA is a government organization applying full financial, legal, and administrative independence, and has direct links with the Prime Minister. Its responsibilities include setting and policing financial rules and r

Securities & exchanges

Castor Maritime

Castor Maritime Inc. is a maritime transport global shipping company that operates and manages tanker ship vessels and cargo bulk carriers. The company was founded by Petros Panagiotidis and Dionysios Makris in early September 2017. The company headquarters is located in Cyprus.

Banking

Central bank independence

Central bank independence refers to the degree of autonomy and freedom a central bank has in conducting its monetary policy and managing the financial system and inflation targeting. The purpose of central bank independence is to maintain price stability, enhance the effectiveness of monetary policy, and ensure the stability of the financial system. Independent central banks have more cr

Finance

Central Intelligence Cell

The Central Intelligence Cell (Bengali: কেন্দ্রীয় গোয়েন্দা সেল; abbreviated as CIC) is a specialized intelligence and investigative unit of the National Board of Revenue under the Government of Bangladesh, responsible for intelligence gathering, analysis, and investigation related to customs, taxation, and revenue-related offenses.

Finance

China and the World Bank

China originally joined the World Bank Group (WBG) on December 27, 1945. However, after the Chinese Civil War, the World Bank recognized the Republic of China as its member, until the relationship ended in 1980, when the membership was replaced by the People's Republic of China. The People's Republic of China (PRC) did not become involved with the World Bank group until 1980, when it fir

Trading basics

Civil Servants Pension Fund

Civil Servants Pension Fund (CSPF) is an Iranian independent legal entity under the governance of the Ministry of Welfare and Social Security, and run as an insurance company. This organization is responsible for the affairs related to the retirement of Iran's civil servants. The regular military, law enforcement agencies, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran's second major mi

Trading basics

Clericis laicos

Clericis laicos was a papal bull issued on February 5, 1296, by Pope Boniface VIII in an attempt to prevent the secular states of Europe—in particular France and England—from appropriating church revenues without the express prior permission of the pope. The two expansionist monarchies had come to blows, and the precedents for taxation of the clergy for a "just war" if it was declared a

Trading basics

Competitive advantage

In business, a competitive advantage is an attribute that allows an organization to outperform its competitors.

Finance

Corporate Enforcement Authority

The Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA) is the competent authority in Ireland for the general promotion of compliance with the Companies Acts, the investigation of breaches of the Companies Acts and the taking of any necessary enforcement actions to ensure continued compliance.

Finance

Cost of living

The cost of living is the cost of maintaining a certain standard of living for an individual or a household. Cost-of-living calculations are also used to compare the cost of maintaining a given standard of living across different geographic areas. Differences in the cost of living between locations can be measured using purchasing power parity rates.

Trading basics

Cracker Barrel

CBOCS Properties, Inc., doing business as Cracker Barrel, is an American chain of restaurant and gift stores with a Southern country theme. The company's headquarters are in Lebanon, Tennessee, where Cracker Barrel was founded by Dan Evins and Tommy Lowe in 1969. The chain's early locations were positioned near Interstate Highway exits in the Southeastern and Midwestern United States, bu

Trading basics

Cubic Corporation

Cubic Corporation is an American multinational defense and public transportation equipment manufacturer. The company was founded by Walter J. Zable in 1949 and was a publicly traded company from 1951 to 2021. It operates two business segments: Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) and Cubic Mission and Performance Solutions (CMPS).

Finance

Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate

Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (Bengali: কাস্টমস গোয়েন্দা ও তদন্ত অধিদপ্তর) is a specialized intelligence agency of the government of Bangladesh under the National Board of Revenue responsible for investigating tax evasion and customs fraud. Syed Mushfequr Rahman is the Director General of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate. VAT Audit, Intelligenc

Trading basics

Discounts and allowances

Discounts are reductions applied to the basic sale price of goods or services. Allowances against price may have a similar effect.

Banking

Dumbell's Bank

Dumbell's Bank was a bank in the Isle of Man. The bank's insolvency in 1900, known as Black Saturday and referred to in the Isle of Man as the Dumbell's Bank Crash, resulted in a run on the bank with many individuals losing their life savings and the ruin of numerous local businesses causing poverty, depression and bankruptcy. The effects were profound and lasted for a considerable numbe

Finance

Economic Intelligence Council

The Economic Intelligence Council is the apex forum overseeing government agencies responsible for economic intelligence and combating economic offences in India. The council is also the apex of 18 regional economic intelligence committees, and is part of the Union Ministry of Finance. It was formed in 1990.

Finance

Enforcement Directorate

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is a law enforcement and economic intelligence agency of the Government of India. Established on 1 May 1956, it is responsible for enforcing economic laws and combating financial crimes. The ED operates under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, with its headquarters in New Delhi.

Banking

Engwall family

The Engwall family (Swedish pronunciation: [ɛːŋːvˈǎll] ) is a prominent Swedish family descended from Jonas Engwall, an inventor and engineer. The Engwalls are noted as merchants, industrialists, scholars, bankers, politicians, activists, bureaucrats, military officials, philanthropists, economists, and diplomats.

Trading basics

Export Bonus Scheme

The Export Bonus Scheme (EBS) was a dual exchange rate system implemented by the government of Ayub Khan from 1959 to 1972. It was introduced to address foreign exchange shortages and support industrialization. In practice, it amounted to an effective devaluation of the Pakistani rupee for selected sectors. Although the EBS increased manufactured exports, it was later criticized for crea

Assets

Financial cryptography

Financial cryptography is the use of cryptography in applications in which financial loss could result from subversion of the message system. Financial cryptography is distinguished from traditional cryptography in that for most of recorded history, cryptography has been used almost entirely for military and diplomatic purposes.

Finance

Financial Intelligence Unit—India

Financial Intelligence Unit—India (FIU-IND) is an organisation under the Department of Revenue, Government of India which collects financial intelligence about offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. It was set up in November 2004 and reports directly to the Economic Intelligence Council (EIC) headed by the Finance Minister.

Finance

Financial Monitoring Unit

The Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU; Urdu: مالیاتی نگرانی اکائی) is the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of Pakistan established under the provisions of Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010 (Previously Anti-Money Laundering Ordinance, 2007). It is an independent intelligence service department of the Government of Pakistan and primarily responsible for analyzing transactions, money laundering

Trading basics

Fixed-price contract

A fixed-price contract is a type of contract for the supply of goods or services, such that the agreed payment amount will not subsequently be adjusted to reflect the resources used, costs incurred or time expended by the contractor. This contract type may be contrasted with a cost-plus contract, which is intended to cover the costs incurred by the contractor plus an additional amount fo

Banking

Forbes Bank

Forbes Bank was a bank in the British Crown dependency of the Isle of Man, providing private and business banking services to the local population. The bank operated from 1826 until it crashed spectacularly in 1843 resulting in hardship, unemployment, bankruptcy and destitution for many of the inhabitants of the Island.

Trading basics

Georges Doriot

Georges Frédéric Doriot (English: dor-EE-oh, French: [ʒɔʁʒ fʁedeʁik dɔʁjo]; 24 September 1899 – 2 June 1987) was a French-born American professor, military officer and venture capitalist.

Payments & settlement

GovPay

GovPay is a digital payment platform launched by the Government of Sri Lanka to streamline and modernise payment processes for government services. Officially introduced on 7 February 2025, under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, GovPay represents a significant step toward the digitalization of public services in Sri Lanka. This is a joint initiative of the Ministry of

Trading basics

Growth–share matrix

The growth–share matrix (also known as the product portfolio matrix, Boston Box, BCG-matrix, Boston matrix, Boston Consulting Group portfolio analysis and portfolio diagram) is a matrix used to help corporations to analyze their business units, that is, their product lines.

Banking

Holmes' Bank

Holmes' Bank was a bank in the British Crown dependency of the Isle of Man, providing private and business banking services to the local population. Holmes' Bank crashed spectacularly in 1853 resulting in hardship, unemployment, bankruptcy and destitution for many of the inhabitants of the Island.

Banking

Ijarah

Ijarah, (Arabic: الإجارة, al-Ijārah, "to give something on rent" or "providing services and goods temporarily for a wage" (a noun, not a verb)), is a term of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and product in Islamic banking and finance.

Trading basics

Jimmy John's

Jimmy John's Franchise, LLC, commonly referred to as Jimmy John's, is an American multinational sandwich chain, headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. The business was founded by Jimmy John Liautaud in 1983. After Liautaud graduated from high school, his father gave him a choice to either join the military or start a business. Liautaud decided to start a hot dog business, which changed to

Payments & settlement

King's shilling

The King's shilling, sometimes called the Queen's shilling when the sovereign is female, is a historical slang term referring to the earnest payment of one shilling given to recruits to the armed forces of the United Kingdom in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, although the practice dates back to the end of the English Civil War. To "take the King's shilling" was to agree to serve as a

Payments & settlement

LankaQR

LankaQR, stylised in all caps as LANKAQR, is a national QR code payment system in Sri Lanka, initiated by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) in collaboration with LankaClear (Pvt) Ltd and licensed financial institutions. The standard was introduced on 12 October 2018 and formally launched on 11 March 2019, aiming to promote a cashless society, enhance financial inclusion, and reduce re

Securities & exchanges

Market abuse

In economics and finance, market abuse may arise in circumstances in which investors in a financial market have been unreasonably disadvantaged, directly or indirectly, by others who:

Trading basics

Marketing warfare strategies

Marketing warfare strategies represent a type of strategy, used in commerce and marketing, that tries to draw parallels between business and warfare and then applies the principles of military strategy to business situations, with competing firms considered as analogous to sides in a military conflict, and market share considered as analogous to territory in dispute.

Trading basics

Mascot

A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fictional, representative spokespeople for consumer products.

Finance

Mauritius Leaks

The Mauritius Leaks were the report of a datajournalistic investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) in 2019 about how the former British colony Mauritius has transformed itself into a thriving financial centre and tax haven.

Finance

Military budget of Russia

The military budget of Russia is the portion of the overall budget of Russia that is allocated for the funding of the Russian Armed Forces. This military budget finances employee salaries and training costs, the maintenance of equipment and facilities, support of new or ongoing operations, and development and procurement of new weapons, equipment, and vehicles. According to estimates for

Trading basics

Military grade

"Military grade" (alternatively "military-grade" or "mil-spec") is a buzzword commonly used in marketing and advertising for consumer goods. It is generally used to describe an item or product that satisfies a United States Military Standard, usually MIL-STD-810 for stress testing; however, it is often used as a marketing ploy to describe a product that satisfies any military standard re

Payments & settlement

Military payment certificate

Military payment certificates, or MPC, was a form of currency used to pay United States (US) military personnel in certain foreign countries in the mid and late twentieth century. They were used in one area or another from a few months after the end of World War II until a few months after the end of U.S. participation in the Vietnam War – from 1946 until 1973. The certificates were made

Trading basics

Military surplus

Military surplus is goods, usually materiel, that are sold or otherwise disposed of when held in excess or are no longer needed by the military. Entrepreneurs often buy these goods and resell them at surplus stores. Usually the goods sold by the military are clothing, equipment, and tools of a nature that is generally useful to the civilian population, as well as embroidered patches, nam

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Belarus)

The Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Belarus (Belarusian: Міністэрства фінансаў Рэспублікі Беларусь, romanized: Ministerstva finansaŭ Respubliki Bielaruś; Russian: Министерство финансов Республики Беларусь) is the Belarusian government ministry which coordinates state financial policy and oversees the regulation of securities in Belarus.

Finance

Ministry of Finance (China)

The Ministry of Finance of the People's Republic of China is the constituent department of the State Council of the People's Republic of China which administers macroeconomic policies and the annual budget. It also handles fiscal policy, economic regulations and government expenditure for the state. The ministry also records and publishes annual macroeconomic data on China's economy. T

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Egypt)

The Ministry of Finance of Egypt is part of the Cabinet of Egypt. It is responsible for increasing the rate of economic growth and job creation, thus contributing to raising the standard of living of the individual and society as a whole. The minister was Mohamed Maait. It is located in the Government District of The New Capital.

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Soviet Union)

The Ministry of Finance of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) (Russian: Министерство финансов СССР), formed on 15 March 1946, was one of the most important government offices in the Soviet Union. Until 1946 it was known as the People's Commissariat for Finance (Russian: Народный комиссариат финансов – Narodnyi komissariat finansov, or "Narkomfin"). Narkomfin, at the all-Union

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Vietnam)

The Ministry of Finance (MOF, Vietnamese: Bộ Tài chính) is the government ministry responsible for the finances of Vietnam, including managing the national budget, tax revenue, state assets, national financial reserves and the finances of state corporations. The Ministry manages the work of national accounting, state borrowing, the activities of stock markets, and the Department of Custo

Finance

Ministry of Finance of Tajikistan

The Ministry of Finance (Tajik: Вазорати молияи Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон) is the Tajikistani government ministry which oversees the public finances of Tajikistan.

Trading basics

Ministry of Planning (India)

The Ministry of Planning is a ministry of the Government of India, with the Prime Minister of India serving as its minister. The ministry's functions are carried out through the central agency, NITI Aayog.

Finance

Ministry of Revenue (Imperial China)

The Ministry or Board of Revenue was one of the Six Ministries under the Department of State Affairs in imperial China.

Finance

National Board of Revenue

The National Board of Revenue (NBR; Bengali: জাতীয় রাজস্ব বোর্ড) is the central authority for tax administration in Bangladesh. It is a statutory authority attached with the Internal Resources Division of the Ministry of Finance. The NBR collects almost 97% of tax revenue and almost 85% of total revenue for the Bangladesh government.

Banking

New Kabul Bank

New Kabul Bank is a bank in Afghanistan that has its main branch in the capital city of Kabul. It was established in 2004 as the Kabul Bank, the first private bank in Afghanistan. After corruption and scandals it was re-established in 2011 as the New Kabul Bank.

Finance

Palais Brongniart

The Palais Brongniart (French pronunciation: [palɛ bʁɔ̃ɲaʁ]; English: Brongniart Palace) is a building in Paris that was built at the direction of Napoleon in the early 19th century to house the Paris stock exchange (French: Bourse de Paris). It is located at the Place de la Bourse, in the 2nd arrondissement in central Paris. It was named after its initial architect, Alexandre-Théodore B

Trading basics

Pelican Products

Pelican Products is an American multinational company that designs and manufactures portable lighting systems, temperature controlled packaging and protective cases. Their products are used in many industries including military, law enforcement, fire safety, and consumer entertainment. The company's flagship product, Pelican cases, are molded plastic cases that seal with an airtight and

Finance

Poland and the euro

Poland does not use the euro as its currency. However, under the terms of their Treaty of Accession with the European Union, all new Member States "shall participate in the Economic and Monetary Union from the date of accession as a Member State with a derogation", which means that Poland is obliged to eventually replace its currency, the złoty, with the euro.

Trading basics

Politics of the belly

Politics of the belly, a translation of the French term politique du ventre, is a Cameroonian expression popularised by Jean-François Bayart in his 1989 book L'État en Afrique: La Politique du Ventre to describe African political power in the post-colonial era. It refers, in particular, to the relationship between patrimonialism, clientelism, corruption, and power. According to Lynn M. T

Trading basics

Polymarket

Polymarket is an American cryptocurrency-based prediction market which offers a platform where individuals can place bets on future outcomes, including sports matches, economic indicators, weather patterns, awards, political and legislative outcomes, and military conflicts. Participants can deposit cryptocurrency through the Polygon blockchain network and trade shares that represent the

Trading basics

Post–World War II economic expansion

The post–World War II economic expansion, also known as the postwar economic boom or the Golden Age of Capitalism was a broad period of worldwide economic expansion beginning with the aftermath of World War II and ending with the 1973–1975 recession. The United States, the Soviet Union, Australia and Western European and East Asian countries in particular experienced unusually high and s

Trading basics

Qinetiq

QinetiQ ( as in kinetic) is a British defence technology company headquartered in Farnborough, Hampshire. It operates primarily in the defence, security and critical national infrastructure markets and runs testing and evaluation capabilities for air, land, sea and target systems.

Finance

Regional Economic Intelligence Committee

The Regional Economic Intelligence Committee is the apex forum overseeing government agencies responsible for economic intelligence and combating economic offenses in the respective states of India. The committee is under the Economic Intelligence Council. It was formed in 1990. The head of the committee is usually the Director General of the Directorate General of Income Tax Investigat

Trading basics

Resource-based view

The resource-based view (RBV), often referred to as the "resource-based view of the firm", is a managerial framework used to determine the strategic resources a firm can exploit to achieve sustainable competitive advantage.

Finance

Revenue Commissioners

The Revenue Commissioners (Irish: Na Coimisinéirí Ioncaim), commonly called Revenue, is the Irish Government agency responsible for customs, excise, taxation and related matters. Though Revenue can trace itself back to predecessors (with the Act of Union 1800 amalgamating its forerunners with HM Customs and Excise in the United Kingdom), the current organisation was created for the indep

Finance

Roman finance

The practices of ancient Roman finance, while originally rooted in Greek models, evolved in the second century BC with the expansion of Roman monetization. Roman elites engaged in private lending for various purposes, and various banking models arose to serve different lending needs.

Trading basics

Scenario planning

Scenario planning, scenario thinking, scenario analysis, scenario prediction and the scenario method all describe a strategic planning method that some organizations use to make flexible long-term plans. It is in large part an adaptation and generalization of classic methods used by military intelligence.

Trading basics

Segmenting-targeting-positioning

In marketing, segmenting, targeting and positioning (STP) is a framework that implements market segmentation. Market segmentation is a process, in which groups of buyers within a market are divided and profiled according to a range of variables, which determine the market characteristics and tendencies. The S-T-P framework implements market segmentation in three steps:

Trading basics

Singapore dollar

The Singapore dollar (sign: $; code: SGD) is the official currency of the Republic of Singapore. Each dollar is divided into 100 cents (Malay: sen, Chinese: 分; pinyin: fēn, Tamil: காசு, romanized: kācu). It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or S$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) issues the banknotes and co

Trading basics

Strategic communication

Strategic communication is the purposeful use of communication by an organization to reach a specific goal. Organizations like governments, corporations, NGOs and militaries seeking to communicate a concept, process, or data to satisfy their organizational or strategic goals will use strategic communication. The modern process features advanced planning, international telecommunications

Finance

Tax-Sharing Reform of China in 1994

The Chinese government initiated a fiscal and taxation system reform in 1992, prepared and promulgated in 1993, and finally implemented in 1994. The reform was a large-scale adjustment of the tax distribution system and tax structure between the central and local governments, which was regarded as a milestone in the transition of China's fiscal system from planned economy to market econo

Fiat currencies

Triffin dilemma

In international finance, the Triffin dilemma (sometimes the Triffin paradox) is the conflict of economic interests that arises between short-term domestic and long-term international objectives for countries whose currencies serve as global reserve currencies. This dilemma was identified in the 1960s by Belgian-American economist Robert Triffin. He noted that a country whose currency i

Banking

Unity Trust Bank

Unity Trust Bank plc provides specialist business banking services to trade unions, charities and other organisations that operate in the not-for-profit sector in the United Kingdom and, since 2015, its remit has expanded to include profit-with-purpose businesses. Founded in 1984, head office is located at Four Brindleyplace, Birmingham.

Finance

VAT Audit, Intelligence and Investigation Directorate

VAT Audit, Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (Bengali: ভ্যাট অডিট, গোয়েন্দা ও তদন্ত অধিদপ্তর) is a specialized intelligence agency of the government of Bangladesh under the National Board of Revenue responsible for investigating Value Added Tax fraud. Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate and Central Intelligence Cell are the sister agencies of the directorate.

Trading basics

William McKinley 1896 presidential campaign

In 1896, William McKinley was elected President of the United States. McKinley, a Republican and former Governor of Ohio, defeated the joint Democratic and Populist nominee, William Jennings Bryan, as well as minor-party candidates. McKinley's decisive victory in what is sometimes seen as a realigning election ended a period of close presidential contests, and ushered in an era of domina