Investment opportunities in Russia set to be discussed at VTB forum

The 14th VTB Investment Forum "Russia Calling!" is scheduled to be held at the World Trade Center in Moscow on Thursday and Friday (Dec 7-8), under the theme of Making Deglobalization: Uniting Sovereign Economies.

The forum will welcome guests and participants from governmental bodies, the Russian business community, as well as investors from China, India, Turkiye, the Gulf countries, the Middle East, Africa, Central and Southeast Asia, and other nations engaged in partnerships with Russia.

The evolving political, financial and information environment presents fresh obstacles to the incremental growth of domestic economies and global collaboration.

"Amid the changing economic paradigm, the consolidation of the most active part of our society — the entrepreneurs — is especially crucial. The economy is currently focused on introducing and implementing breakthrough technologies, executing infrastructure projects and creating new financial instruments. Many of these goals can be reached only through cooperation. It is not only about globalization anymore but about partnerships and mutual investments. At what stage of the process are we right now; what kind of risks and opportunities lie ahead of us; where do we find stimuli for transformation — we will try to find answers to these questions at the 'Russia Calling!' forum," said Andrey Kostin, president and chairman of the VTB Bank Management Board.

The inaugural day of the forum will witness discussions between government officials and delegates from prominent Russian and global corporations on the developmental path of the Russian economy. Additionally, they will explore the most efficient strategies to enhance countries' monetary independence in the prevailing economic landscape.

The second day of the forum will feature exclusive closed-door sessions with active retail investors. Participants will have the opportunity to exchange their thoughts on the future outlook of financial markets and deliberate on the present challenges encountered by the investment community.

Vitaly Sergeychuk, head of corporate and investment business at VTB, said ahead of the event: "For many years, we have been gathering foreign investors — mostly Western — who want to invest in Russia. Bringing in foreign capital definitely still remains relevant. Russia has not turned down cooperation with other countries."

The landscape has changed but connections remain — and what is most important is that the desire of Russia and Russian businesses to interact with the outside world is still there. The Russian market maintains its appeal to a number of Western companies. For investors from friendly countries, it became more attractive by providing greater opportunities due to the transformation of demand, partnerships and payment infrastructure, Sergeychuk said.

The economy and business of the Russian Federation have overcome the most difficult stage of structural transformation and done so successfully. Now it is important for the economy to find a new balance. Of course, there are resources — both financial and non-finance related — for this. You just need to distribute and use them properly, Sergeychuk added.

The forum is conducted in a face-to-face format. Any individual interested can participate in the livestreaming of the first day's sessions and access the online presentations of the speakers from any location worldwide.

The forum has been organized annually since 2009. Each year, the event draws a distinguished crowd, including government agency representatives, CEOs of Russian and international companies, and investors. The forum's agenda encompasses the most urgent matters in the global economy, finance and business domains.