Lithuania

Lithuania is the Baltics' quiet overachiever. Vilnius built one of Europe's friendliest fintech regimes: the Bank of Lithuania issues e-money and banking licences fast, which is why Revolut serves the EU on a Lithuanian licence and hundreds of fintechs are registered here. Vinted became the country's first unicorn; Nord Security (NordVPN) and Hostinger followed.

Less known: Lithuania is a world force in laser technology, with firms like Light Conversion and Ekspla supplying research labs on every continent. Švyturys beer, Vytautas mineral water and Rūta chocolate keep the home market honest.