DISCUSSION of the mechanisms of the Eastern Financial Centre, the prospects for adopting a corresponding federal law, and the centre’s role in attracting investment will be one of the central themes of the EEF 2026 business programme. The EEF is organized by the Roscongress Foundation with the support of the Government of the Russian Federation.
At EEF 2025, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin instructed the Government, together with the Bank of Russia, to prepare proposals for establishing a financial centre in the Far East on the basis of the Eastern Exchange, with special regulatory arrangements to attract investment and facilitate the listing of shares in Russian companies.
“Thanks to the decisions taken by the President of the Russian Federation, the Far Eastern economy has for a decade been growing at rates outpacing the Russian average. A powerful foundation has been laid for the emergence of new world-class enterprises in mining, logistics, and energy, and new technological niches are opening up. This new economy holds strong appeal for investors, potentially not only from Russia, but from abroad as well. The proposed mechanisms of the Eastern Financial Centre will provide a wide range of investors with convenient access to the investment opportunities of the Far East and the Arctic. The macro-region will gain new enterprises, jobs, and tax revenues, while investors will receive stable long-term returns protected from the risks of hostile actions,” said Alexey Chekunkov, Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic.
A draft federal law ‘On the Eastern Financial Centre’ has been prepared by the Crystal Fund and the Eastern Exchange, with the support of the Ministry of Finance of Russia and the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, drawing on best global practices in the regulation of financial centres.
Under the document, the Eastern Financial Centre represents a special legal regime on Russky Island in Primorye Territory, aimed at enhancing the international competitiveness of the Russian capital market. The bill provides for a package of new legal mechanisms forming a modern financial infrastructure for attracting Russian and foreign investment.
The bill creates a mechanism for direct access by foreign investors to Russian financial instruments, either directly or through foreign brokerage, banking, and other organizations operating in overseas capital markets. It also establishes, for the first time, a two-tier investment protection system, whereby investors’ rights are secured simultaneously by Russian legislation and by special international investment protection agreements.
The bill provides that Russian assets, including securities, will be tradeable simultaneously in classical form, as investment funds, or in tokenized form, allowing investors to choose the most convenient method of investing.
In addition, a special listing regime for Russian and foreign financial instruments is being created, with unified admission requirements for organized trading in the Eastern Financial Centre. Settlements in roubles, foreign currencies, digital financial assets, and digital currencies are envisaged, including through the use of foreign information systems.
A mechanism is also being introduced for the swift replacement of infrastructure organizations in the event of external restrictions, without interrupting trading and settlement. Mandatory netting, settlement finality, and special clearing collateral protection mechanisms are being enshrined in the framework.
A significant step is the creation of an Investor Rights Protection Council, empowered to represent investor interests, participate in judicial and arbitration proceedings, and engage with government bodies. Provision is also made for the use of foreign languages, specialized arbitration, and modern digital procedures for resolving investment disputes. For the first time, foreign credit rating agencies and their ratings will be eligible for recognition and use within the Eastern Financial Centre framework.
“The Eastern Financial Centre is one of the key institutional initiatives aimed at developing the Russian financial market, enhancing its competitiveness, and increasing its capitalization. Our task is to build a modern infrastructure and regulatory environment that will simplify access for foreign investors and help reduce their risks,” said Ivan Chebeskov, Deputy Minister of Finance of the Government of the Russian Federation.
According to Alexander Galushka, President of the Crystal Fund, the Eastern Financial Centre represents a systemic transformation of the Russian capital market.
“Today it is not only economies that compete, but financial jurisdictions. The Eastern Financial Centre is being created as a modern investment infrastructure capable of giving the Russian capital market international competitiveness and opening new opportunities for attracting long-term investment into development projects in the Far East, the Arctic, and the Russian economy as a whole,” said Alexander Galushka.
The Eastern Economic Forum 2026 will be held from 1 to 4 September on the campus of Far Eastern Federal University.
