The article reveals the role and importance of blockchain technology in education, provides a mechanism for solving educational problems with blockchain, describes specific educational projects based on blockchain technology: registry of diplomas, information and educational platforms, online courses, schools, higher education institutions and their associations, using blockchain technology for training, blockchain-based education financing models; blockchain specialists are trained.

A society that longs for a better future, for a prosperous economy, for sustainable development, needs to examine its situation, learn its strengths and weakness, explore its options and opportunities. An action plan to promote scientific knowledge and the development of research based on modern technologies is proposed for the Arabic speaking countries. The role of the Syrian Arab Republic in this action plan is defined.

In this article the specific features of the started digitalization of the leasing operations and the restraining reasons of the digitalization in this market are considered, the directions of the using of the digital technologies in the large leasing companies are characterized, it is concluded that the leasing industry will have undergo a large-scale transformation with the using of the digital solutions in the next two years, and the activity in all sectors of the leasing market will be practically impossible without the digitalization.

The multifactorial systemic crisis resulting from the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is causing critical changes in a number of sectors of the world economy. The author analyses the opinions of leading domestic and foreign experts on this topic. The result is a consensus forecast of the most likely and expected trends in the “post-COVID” era in such areas as transport and logistics, labor organization, digital and contactless payments, monitoring using the IoT and Big data, digitalization of consumer experience, healthcare, consolidation of digital infrastructure, education, contactless interfaces and interactions, automation and robotization, public management and government, employment, e-sports development, etc.

Regional economic integration in East Africa, as in sub-Saharan Africa as a whole, remains an urgent task for States. It also arouses the interest of researchers for its features. The basis of regional economic integration in the associations of Africa in the XXI century is a stable macroeconomic dynamics, since the author proceeds from the fact that in the conditions of economic recovery, integration processes in the region are intensified. At the same time, the author believes that the socio- economic problems common to the countries of Africa or its individual regions can also serve as a basis for the activation of integration processes.

In the twenty-first century different countries and cities are increasingly seeking to introduce quality improvements in their livelihoods, generate for its residents an environment that is called “smart city” on the basis of high technologies. The article shows that the emergence of a “smart” city is an objective necessity due to the rapid growth of cities in the present and in the future. “Smart” city is designed to solve life problems in cities and create conditions for the socio-economic development of cities and countries, and for a favorable stay of residents on its territory. There are a number of strategies to implement the concept of “smart”, but it is important for each urban settlement to develop its own approaches and projects.