At the Eastern Economic Forum, which is currently taking place in Vladivostok, Russian Senator from the Murmansk Region Elena Diaghileva took part in the session "Financial culture as a strategic resource for the development of the economy of the Far East in the context of international cooperation."
The main topic of the session, the speaker of which was the parliamentarian, was the transformation of financial literacy and financial culture in the new realities from basic skills of saving and investing in a strategic resource. In her speech, Elena Diaghileva focused on the significant increase in the financial literacy index of Russians: by 17% over 15 years, according to VTSIOM. But, according to the parliamentarian, the key indicator is not knowledge, but behavior.
"Today, only 13% of citizens are actively investing. I would like to note an important trend – young people are using investment tools more actively, opening brokerage accounts more often and trusting the stock market. Changes in the structure of savings and the growth of investments in bonds and funds can partly be explained by systematic work with schoolchildren and students. For the economy, this means that a new generation of investors is already being formed. And this is our strategic resource," explained Elena Diaghileva.
According to the parliamentarian, it is important to form a financial culture in a timely manner, including using creative industries, for example, building AI communication. The choice of the tool should be determined by the dynamics of the development of artificial intelligence technologies and digitalization of all spheres of life of Russians. Equally important in the formation of a financial culture is the strengthening of trust in financial instruments, which depends on the effectiveness of countering fraudulent schemes.
"It is important to constantly improve legislation in order to protect the rights of citizens. In particular, measures to combat financial pyramids and illegal market participants, countering unscrupulous advertising, and reducing creditworthiness. These topics are constantly in the spotlight of the Federation Council. One example is the adopted law on self–prohibition of loans," the senator said.
Commenting on the issue of regional specifics, Elena Diaghileva noted the high demand for events aimed at improving financial literacy in the Murmansk region. Thus, according to the results of the spring session of online lessons of the Bank of Russia, the region became one of the leaders of the Northwest in lesson views and showed the best result in terms of coverage. The number of virtual class views exceeded 33.5 thousand. The senator outlined the need to replicate successful regional practices.
"Together with the Bank of Russia and the Ministry of Finance, the Federation Council regularly holds thematic conferences involving the regions. Many subjects have established practices worthy of replication, but it is important to adapt programs to the specifics of the territories. For example, the Arctic and the Far East are a platform for international cooperation, especially given the plans for the Transarctic Transport Corridor," explained Elena Diaghileva.
The moderator of the session "Financial culture as a strategic resource for the development of the economy of the Far East in the context of international cooperation" was Alexey Bobrovsky, an economic observer and director of the Institute for the Study of World Markets. The participants in the discussion were Pavel Kadochnikov, Deputy Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation; Mikhail Mamuta, Deputy Chairman and Member of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation; Peter Zaselsky, Chairman of the Management Board of ROSEXIMBANK; Igor Gorin, First Deputy General Director of A7 LLC; Vera Podguzova, Senior Vice President and Director of External Relations of PSB Bank PJSC and Alexey Repik, chairman of the All-Russian Public Organization Delovaya Rossiya. During the session, issues such as the synergy of international cooperation and systematic work to improve the financial literacy of the business community for the development of strategic territories, forms of cooperation with international financial organizations for the implementation of regional projects, as well as financial instruments and mechanisms that are necessary to scale successful regional initiatives were raised.
/Ministry of Information Policy of the Murmansk Region/