This study analyses the dynamic development of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) breeding in Russia, particularly examining its historical development, status, and future predictions. With the global demand for vegetable protein rising, understanding Russia’s potential contribution becomes crucial. This research provides valuable insights, offering precise data that may be unfamiliar to international researchers and the private sector. The authors trace the history of soybean selection in Russia, emphasizing its expansion from the Far East to other regions in Russia. The expansion is primarily attributed to the pioneering work of Soviet breeder V. A. Zolotnitsky and the development of the soybean variety in the Amur region in the 1930s. The study highlights the main areas of soybean variety originators, with approximately 40% of foreign varieties registered. The Krasnodar and Amur regions emerge as critical areas for breeding soybean varieties. In Russia, the highest yield potential of soybeans is in the Central Federal District. At the same time, the varieties registered in the Volga Federal District have higher oil content, and the Far Eastern Federal District has high protein content in the registered soybean varieties. The research outlines the state’s pivotal role in supporting soybean breeding and fostering a competitive market with foreign breeders. The study forecasts future soybean breeding development and the main factors that can influence the industry.

While extensive research has explored interconnectedness, volatility spillovers, and risk transmission across financial systems, the comparative dynamics between Islamic and conventional banks during crises, particularly in specific regions such as Saudi Arabia, are underexplored. This study investigates risk transmissions and contagion among banks operating in Islamic and conventional modes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Daily banking stock data spanning November 2018 to November 2023, encompassing two major crises—COVID-19 and the Russian-Ukraine war—were analyzed. Using the frequency TVP-VAR approach, the study reveals that average total connectedness for both banking groups exceeds 50%, with short-run risk transmission dominating over long-term effects. Graphical visualizations highlight time-varying connectedness, driven predominantly by short-run spillovers, with similar patterns observed in both Islamic and conventional banking networks. The main contribution of this paper is the insight that long-term investment strategies are crucial for mitigating potential risks in the Saudi banking system, given its limited diversification opportunities.

The northern territories of Russia need high-quality strategic digital changes in the structure of the regional economy. Digitalization and the introduction of digital technologies in the medium term will be able to transform economic relations in the old industrial and raw materials regions of the North, improve the quality of life of local communities. The growth of digital inequality among the regions under study leads to disproportions in their socio-economic development. The purpose of this study is to develop and test a methodology for assessing the level of development of the digital infrastructure of the Russian northern regions, including classification of an indicators system for each level of digital infrastructure, calculation of an integral index and typology of the territories under study. The objects of the study were 13 northern regions of the Russian Federation, the entire territory of which is classified as regions of the Extreme North and equivalent areas. The methodology made it possible to determine the level of technical, technological and personnel readiness of the northern regions for digitalization, to identify regions with the best solutions at each level of digital infrastructure development. The analysis of the results in dynamics helped to assess the effectiveness of regional policy for managing digitalization processes. As a result, the authors came to the conclusion that increasing the competitiveness of northern regions in the era of rapid digitalization is possible through investments in human capital and the creation of a network of scientific and technological clusters. The presented approach to assessing the development of individual levels and elements of digital infrastructure will allow for the diagnosis of priority needs of territories under study in the field of digitalization. The results of the study can form the basis for regional policy in the field of sustainable digital development of Russia.