Isaevich noted the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises as a share of GDP

Small and medium-sized businesses in Russia continue to increase their share in the economy, overtaking the oil and gas sector for the first time. Alexander Isaevich, CEO of SME Corporation, told Izvestia about this on June 18 on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-2025).

"Quality growth is important for us. We have everything in order with the number: by the end of last year, the share of SMEs in GDP reached 21.7%, which is the maximum," Isaevich said.

According to him, Russia is gradually approaching the indicators of countries where small and medium-sized businesses play a key role. At the same time, the SME sector is becoming more resilient: companies are living longer, and many are moving into the larger category.

Technological areas such as IT, machine tool manufacturing, and robotics are particularly actively developing.

"Small business is far from small anymore. He has become a reliable partner, including for the state in complex technological projects," the expert noted.

Government support also contributes to growth: a significant part of loans in priority sectors are issued with state participation. As a result, despite the pessimistic forecasts, the SME sector not only retains its position, but also strengthens its influence on the economy.

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Restaurants, cafes and hotels attracted the most funding.

On March 7, the SME Corporation told Izvestia that in 2024, small and medium-sized businesses in Russia attracted a record 1.18 trillion rubles thanks to government support through the National Guarantee System.