Russia’s financial system is reportedly coming under more strain as Moscow’s war on Ukraine nears the end of its fourth full year.
The White House is seeking to revive peace talks this weekend with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky due to meet President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday. Russian forces stepped up their bombardment of Ukraine ahead of the meeting, but prolonged fighting presents risks for the economy.
“A banking crisis is possible,” a Russian official told the Washington Post recently on condition of anonymity. “A nonpayments crisis is possible. I don’t want to think about a continuation of the war or an escalation.”
Russia’s economy was surprisingly resilient in the face of severe Western sanctions after President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. That’s as China and India were eager to snap up cheap Russian oil, keeping the Kremlin’s coffers full and providing revenue for its military.
But more recently, energy prices have slumped while Europe and the U.S. have tightened sanctions. Oil and gas revenue has tumbled 22% in the first 11 months of the year, and Reuters estimated that December proceeds are on pace to sink nearly 50%.
To cover the shortfall in energy revenue, Moscow has tapped its sovereign wealth fund. But that is running out now too, so the government has resorted to raising more revenue via tax hikes.
Meanwhile, a tight labor market and high inflation have forced the central bank to keep interest rates high, and recent easing has failed to prevent spending declines in several consumer categories.
With companies feeling the squeeze of high rates and weaker consumption, Russian data show unpaid wages nearly tripled in October from a year ago to more than $27 million, with the Post adding that furloughs and shorter workweeks are also becoming more common.
As a result, more consumers are having trouble servicing their loans. Given the headwinds, the Russian official warning of a banking or nonpayment crisis isn’t the first of its kind.
In June, Russian banks raised red flags on a potential debt crisis as high interest rates weigh on borrowers’ ability to service loans. Also that month, the head of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs warned many companies were in “a pre-default situation.”
And in September, Sberbank CEO German Gref, one of Russia’s top banking chiefs, said the economy was in “technical stagnation,” following his warnings in July and August that growth was close to zero.
The Center for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-Term Forecasting, a state-backed Russian think tank, said this month the country could face a banking crisis by next October if loan troubles worsen and depositors pull out their funds, according to the Post.
“The situation in the Russian economy has deteriorated markedly,” wrote Dmitry Belousov, head of the think tank, in a note seen by the Financial Times. “The economy has entered the brink of stagflation for the first time since early 2023.”
European wildcats are coming home. Officials are kick-starting the reintroduction of England’s lone remaining native feline species, more than a century after it disappeared from the region.
GB News reported on the initiative to bring back the critically endangered species, last seen on Exmoor in the mid-1800s. The South West Wildcat Project plans to introduce 40 to 50 wildcats by 2027 while carefully considering impacts on local communities, wildlife, agriculture, and domestic animals.
“They’re critically endangered. Why should we not bring them back? They were here, and the reason they’re not here is because of persecution,” said the leader of the project, Cath Jeffs. “They are part of our national heritage.”
A comprehensive study identified that Devon’s environment is suitable for supporting European wildcats. The area’s extensive woodlands, low-intensity grasslands, and minimal urban development make it ideal for wildcats.
The public was also strongly behind the idea. The University of Exeter shared 71% of surveyed residents in the South West backed the move. An online poll showed an even higher 83% of respondents in support.
Once introduced, the wildcats will benefit the local ecosystem. They will help manage populations of invasive species, such as non-native grey squirrels, thus restoring balance to the woodlands.
Researchers also found that they have plenty of other prey, such as rats, wood mice, and rabbits. Meanwhile, wildcats would pose minimal risk to domestic animals, humans, livestock, or other endangered wildlife, such as hazel dormice.
The return of European wildcats isn’t unique to England. Scotland is making efforts to revitalize the iconic creature. There are encouraging signs that the comeback is well underway, including the first wild-born kittens being spotted in a national park.
There are remaining hurdles to overcome for reintroduction in London, which is why the target is 2027. One challenge is preventing interbreeding with domestic cats, which could threaten the wildcats’ genetic integrity.
The project plans to collaborate with animal welfare organizations on neutering programs to address that issue and emphasize public involvement.
“A lot of work remains to be done before the first wildcats could be released in the southwest,” Jeffs concluded to GB News. “Honest and open dialogue with stakeholders will be key.”
Considering the level of public excitement for the species’ return, there’s reason to believe that locals will be happy to play a part.
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Passwd is designed specifically for organizations operating within Google Workspace. Rather than competing as a general consumer password manager, its purpose is narrow, and business-focused: secure credential storage, controlled sharing, and seamless Workspace integration. The platform emphasizes practicality over feature overload, aiming to provide a reliable system for teams that already rely on Google’s tools.
Security as the starting point
Encryption and data protection are the basic building blocks of Passwd. Every credential, file, or sensitive asset gets encrypted with AES-256, an extremely secure encryption standard that is widely recognized. Encryption happens before storage, keeping data protected throughout its lifecycle.
Passwd is based on a zero-knowledge architecture; only the users, not Passwd, are able to access decrypted data. It does not have any visibility of the stored passwords or secrets.
The structure reflects an enterprise mindset:
Centralized admin control
Granular, role-based permissions
Visibility into credential access and changes
Clear organizational hierarchy
Security assurance is further supported by SOC 2 and GDPR readiness, through documentation and controls for businesses that need to adhere to regulated compliance standards. Along with encryption and zero-knowledge design, these certifications reinforce the security posture of the platform.
Audit logs and access tracking provide visibility into who has viewed, shared, or changed credentials in the system. This is helpful in a number of ways when it comes to compliance, internal audits, and security reviews.
From a reliability perspective, Passwd has minimal downtime. Though Google updates caused disruptions, they have only been short-lived. There have not been any data breaches to date.
Integration designed for Google Workspace
Where most password managers extend across multiple ecosystems, Passwd stays firmly within Google’s. The platform connects directly to Google Workspace for identity management, making onboarding and administration easier.
Because authentication is done via Google OAuth, users sign in with their existing Google accounts, with no new master passwords, credentials, or login systems to maintain. This reduces credential sprawl and eliminates separate password databases.
For teams used to Gmail, Drive, Docs, or Google Admin Console, the setup feels intuitively familiar. Deployments take mere minutes rather than requiring IT restructuring.
This focus also creates clarity about the intended environment in which Passwd will operate: Passwd works only inside the Google Workspace ecosystem and cannot be used with external identity providers.
Passwd includes Google SSO support, allowing for a passwordless login experience. The service also provides audit logging, which gives administrators insight into who has accessed credentials and when. Reports indicate it scales effectively for several hundred employees, and its pricing model eliminates additional fees once a company has more than 301 users, making it appealing to larger teams.
How teams use Passwd Day-to-Day
When activated, Passwd turns into a shared storage system in which groups can securely organize:
Passwords and logins
SSH keys
API credentials
Database access
Payment information
Internal tools or system accounts
Sharing can be temporary or permanent, by individuals or groups. Permissions control a user’s level of access to a record: whether they can view it, edit it, or manage it. Activity tracking enables a team to understand how its credentials are being accessed and by whom.
Role-based access, sharing links, and detailed audit trails support common workplace scenarios, new employee onboarding, transitions between departments, or restricted administrative access.
Passwd’s Premium plans include unlimited records and users, designed to scale with an organization as it grows. The plan tier determines the features available, allowing businesses to adopt the level that fits their workflows.
Cross-platform access and usage
Passwd provides wide device compatibility with a lightweight footprint:
Browser extensions help autofill records and credential capture without requiring large desktop applications. This cross-platform consistency allows users to transition easily from device to device without changing how they interact with stored data.
Built-in tools and functionality
Passwd contains the essential password-management utilities:
A password generator able to create secure, random passwords
Auditing tools for credentials that are weak, reused, or outdated
The interface is free of complicated add-ons, favoring a clean, straightforward layout: search, filtering, and record editing are easily located and used.
Pricing structure and value
The pricing of Passwd is designed for organizational usage, rather than individual licensing.
The Workspace plan starts from $19 per month, including unlimited stored records.
A per-user pricing option is available for smaller teams or departments that aren’t using Workspace organization-wide, though the pay-per-workspace model may offer better overall efficiency.
A free Starter Plan allows unlimited users and up to 15 stored records, so it is highly accessible for small teams or early testing.
The Enterprise plan is ideal for organizations that require GDPR and SOC2 compliance, alongside advanced user monitoring. Its most exceptional benefit is that it lets you host the password manager inside your very own Google Cloud project, an uncommon capability and an important added value in comparison to other team password managers.
This puts Passwd in the position of being an entry-level enterprise product, but without the need for enterprise-level pricing.
Customer feedback and observed reception
Passwd maintains a 4.7-star rating across the third-party review platforms, including Trustpilot and G2.
Feedback often points out that:
Smooth integration with Google Workspace
Fast onboarding through Google Identity
Easier credential sharing across teams
Clear access governance using Google Groups
Smaller teams often mention that the free tier provides enough functionality for centralized storage and secure sharing, while larger organizations use Passwd for its onboarding and role transitions.
Where Passwd fits and where it doesn’t
Based on its structure and feature set, Passwd aligns most naturally with organizations that:
Already use Google Workspace company-wide
Prefer a unified identity and authentication system
Share passwords or credentials across teams
Want admin visibility, compliance support, and access logs
Need a scalable approach without paying per-seat licensing
However, Passwd is less applicable for organizations that:
Require integrations beyond Google’s ecosystem
Use multiple or diverse identity providers
Operate outside Google Workspace environments
Its design intentionally prioritizes Workspace compatibility over platform versatility.
Overview of closing walkthrough
A walkthrough of Passwd shows a password manager featuring predictability, efficiency, and organizational alignment rather than feature saturation. Its role is clear: provide strong encryption, controlled collaboration, compliance-ready visibility, and seamless Google authentication.
For teams already living inside Google Workspace, Passwd becomes an extension of the workflows that are already in place, not another tool to manage, and handles shared credentials, enforces access governance, and protects sensitive information in a safe, structured manner.
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