In the fall of 2025, Russian lawyers faced a sharp increase in the number of refusals by the Belgian Treasury to issue individual licenses to private investors to unblock assets in Euroclear, six lawyers specializing in such matters told Oninvest. This is due to new requirements of the Belgian regulator, which the latter began to apply retrospectively. The new conditions prove impossible for the majority of Russians who applied in 2024-2025 or transferred assets between brokers after 2023, the lawyers complain. They are already preparing their clients for a further fight - in the Belgian Council of State, Belgian courts and international investment arbitration, since Belgium will not accept corrected reapplications either.

99% rejection rate: how did Belgium deprive Russians of chances for quick unblocking of assets?

The EU plans to impose a 19th package of sanctions on Oct. 23 to stop imports of Russian LNG by 2027

Oil soared 5% after new US sanctions. They will affect crude exports from Russia

This is the first package of restrictions on Russia passed under the Trump administration, Bloomberg notes

The US imposed sanctions against Russia's largest oil companies. Oil prices rose

The U.S. will announce a new round of sanctions against Russia, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned, signaling that President Donald Trump is preparing to increase pressure on Ma, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-22/white-house-to-ratchet-up-russia-sanctions-bessent-says?srnd=homepage-europe">reports </a>. "We're going to announce - either after the markets close today or tomorrow morning - a significant expansion of sanctions against Ma," Bessent told reporters at the White House on Wednesday, October 22. He did not specify which measures he was referring to.

U.S. will significantly expand sanctions against Russia - the head of the Ministry of Finance Bessent

This will be preceded by a meeting of the delegations of the two countries without the participation of the presidents

"A lot of progress has been made": Trump announced a new meeting with Putin in Budapest

A day earlier, Trump said India's prime minister had promised him to stop buying oil from Russia

Trump will hold talks with Putin ahead of Zelensky's visit

Apple Inc.

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The Coca-Cola Company

For more than three years, only 55 Russians have been able to unblock their assets in European depositories. In total, the funds of 5 million retail investors were blocked. Now the return of funds has become even more difficult. And two investors from Russia are trying a new way of unfreezing: through international arbitration. Will it help?

Frozen billions: how Russian investors are looking for new ways to unlock assets

Ukraine is in a position where it can reclaim all of its territory - with financial support from the European Union and NATO, Donald Trump has said. He said Russia was facing "big" economic problems and now it was "time for Kiev to act." The US will continue to supply arms to NATO to "do what it wants with it," Trump added.

Trump has said Ukraine will be able to regain all of its territory

The latest statistics recorded a sharp cooling of the Russian economy. Economists now expect growth of only 1-1.2% this year, even in a positive scenario.

Cold, freezing, icing: will recession start in Russia?

But the Kremlin did not mention the issue of talks between the Ukrainian and Russian presidents in its commentary

Trump says preparations have begun for a meeting between Zelensky and Putin

The meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and American leader Donald Trump in Alaska was the main event of August, but expectedly did not bring the main thing - a ceasefire agreement. Instead of signed documents, the market received impressive decorations: a red carpet, handshakes and smiles at the military base and promises to continue dialog. For some, this is Russia's return to the world stage; for others, it is a Trump-style theater of peacemaking. And for investors, it is an important reminder that inflated expectations quickly fizzle out, says <a href="https://asterofalcon.com/">Astero Falcon</a> portfolio manager <a href="https://asterofalcon.com/">Alyona</a> Nikolaeva.

Smile diplomacy and unfulfilled expectations: how the Anchorage summit will affect markets 

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have met at the airport in Anchorage, Alaska, where their talks are due to begin shortly. This is their first face-to-face meeting since 2019.