In the article the categories of “money” and “monetary funds” are analyzed and the author’s interpretation of these definitions are given. Taking into account the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies, the author proposes a structure of interrelations of monetary funds, tokens, electronic and virtual money. With the purpose of giving a clearer understanding of the government positions on the issue of the virtual money market development, the article provides examples of operations’ regulations with cryptocurrencies in a number of countries.

In the article the essence of electronic and digital money is analyzed, comparative analysis of these two categories is carried out, taking into account their distinctive characteristics and common elements. Virtual money, including cryptocurrencies, is distinguished as a subspecies of digital money. Cryptocurrencies are analyzed based on the most famous ones, such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ripple, DASH, etc.

This paper deals with the prospects of Belarus’ economic growth in regional context. Such focus of analysis emphasizes relative level of well-being as the benchmark for assessing economic performance of the country. In this study, I use Czech Republic and Slovakia as benchmarks for Belarus, as they are rather similar to Belarus according to a range of fundamental characteristics, and at the same time, they are among leaders on well-being level in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

International rankings are the second important source after mass media which investors use to learn about business climate in a foreign country. Today Belarus is represented only in the ratings with free participation.

The paper presents a study of waste statistics in Belarus based on the examination of Belarusian and European legislation, statistical reporting forms, and databases. The study reveals that the Belarusian statistics on waste faces three types of problems: those associated with the methodology, recording and coverage, and insufficient degree of international comparability of data, in particular, with the European Union countries.

This policy paper looks at who are women in Belarus’ business, are there any gender differences that impact on the effectiveness and successfulness of business. The study also analyses the external and internal factors that impede business development and motives to enter business. The main barriers that face women entrepreneurs are related to the quality of the functioning entrepreneurial ecosystem. However, equally important role is played by the preservation of the traditional division of social roles in terms of household work and childcare sharing. As the results show, the majority of female business owners no longer perceive as a norm the current state of affairs.