Time for deals: contracts worth 6.3 trillion rubles were signed at SPIEF 2025

The XXVIII SPIEF ended in St. Petersburg, its commercial outcome was the signing of 1,000 agreements, the total amount of which exceeded 6.3 trillion rubles. Anton Kobyakov, Executive Secretary of the forum's organizing committee, told reporters about this. In 2025, more than 24,000 people from 144 countries came to Russia's main business event. 300 events have been prepared for the guests. The Russian Federation managed to hold 24 business dialogues with key countries and regions. Anton Kobyakov emphasized that the atmosphere at the forum was filled with optimism about the restoration of business relations. After all, representatives of both friendly and unfriendly states went to Russia, which indicates great trust. How the current forum differed from the previous ones and how it became a recognized platform for a comfortable dialogue is described in the Izvestia article.

The main results of SPIEF 2025

Traditionally, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is closed by Anton Kobyakov, Executive Secretary of the Organizing Committee. He not only summarizes the economic results of the country's main business event, but also delivers a keynote speech on its significance, international politics, domestic economy, and Russia's place and importance in the modern world. Anton Kobyakov emphasized that SPIEF is already a recognized platform for a comfortable dialogue, which is recognized by the guests of the forum.

— The atmosphere at the forum was filled with optimism about the restoration of business relations. We can see this by the number of participants from the countries that sent their delegations to us. I am confident that such events will help restart cooperation both in the economy and in international relations. Not only between us and our partners, but also between the countries that have come to us," he said. — 144 countries of the world have sent their delegations to Russia, these are friendly and unfriendly states. This is a great effect of the trust space.

As a result, the SPIEF 2025 opened its doors to 24,000 participants, who had access to 300 events. Russia has managed to maintain 24 business dialogues with other countries and key partners, Kobyakov stressed. The total amount of the concluded contracts amounted to more than 6.3 trillion rubles. The figure is comparable to last year, but then there were slightly fewer deals.

As the scientific director of the Center for Market Research, Georgy Ostapkovich, told Izvestia, the amount of concluded contracts cannot be considered as the main result of the forum. Such signatures are prepared for a long time — from a month and a half to six months, experts carefully work through all the documents.

— But the fact that the parties decided to announce the concluded deals at the SPIEF is a serious indicator of the importance of our forum. He is very popular abroad and is recognized in business circles," the expert noted.

Conditions for the return of foreign business to the Russian Federation

It is important that this year the Americans themselves initiated the negotiations, Anton Kobyakov emphasized. So, on June 18, business representatives from the United States met at a business breakfast with Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. As Izvestia has already written, he told reporters: By the end of the year, Russia may launch 10-15 joint ventures with American partners, including in Artik, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, and others.

This year's forum was held under the slogan "Shared values are the foundation for growth in a multipolar world." Anton Kobyakov said: "We sincerely believe that common values can neutralize the contradictions between countries, plus they will help to find approaches to solving both political and economic problems." And this is not blind optimism, this is an offer to believe in a joint future and work on it together, the executive secretary of the organizing committee is sure.

So, Kobyakov mentioned that Russia needs to build new relationships with foreign businesses, with those that hurriedly left the country in 2022 and are now ready to return.

— They caused us significant damage, we hope it will be compensated. This will be one of the conditions for the return of business to our economy. But what does it mean to return to our economy: to open only in Moscow, Vladivostok and St. Petersburg? No, we need to trade on our entire territory, including those that we now call historical. This is also our condition," Anton Kobyakov said.

Other methods, such as concessions, can also help, he said. There was a lot of talk at the forum that our economy should grow due to technological changes: "This means that there should be joint ventures between our and foreign businesses with technology transfer, we will only welcome this," he concluded.

It is too early to assess the conditions that the authorities in Russia are discussing for the return of foreign companies to us, Georgy Ostapkovich believes. Foreign companies are still afraid to officially declare that they are ready to resume their business in the country. It is important to start the process of returning relations with negotiations, set your own conditions and discuss them in a dialogue, he believes. But we must remember that Russian companies are also represented abroad, which means they depend on the conditions that other countries create for them.

SPIEF is not just a platform for concluding business agreements

This year's SPIEF was different in subject matter from the previous ones, Ruslan Abramov, head of the Institute of Economics, Management and Law, noted in an interview with Izvestia.

— The Forum is becoming not just a platform for concluding business agreements and determining the vectors of cooperation between large companies, but also a place for discussions on the development of the Russian economy in the current conditions. This year's focus was on technological sovereignty, support for small businesses, and the development of the platform economy," he said. — Thanks to this, the forum has become a good platform for the discourse of government and business, not only in the field of economic development, but also in the country as a whole.

By the way, the deals that were concluded at the SPIEF were focused not only on future profit-making. Many were devoted to the development of the regions. In addition, the National Media Group (NMG) has signed cooperation agreements with the Russian movement of Children and Youth "Movement of the First" and the Federal Youth Center (FPC). They will allow establishing partnerships aimed at raising awareness among teenagers, parents and mentors about government and non-profit projects and creative clusters. The document was signed by Svetlana Balanova, Director General of NMG, and Artur Orlov, Chairman of the Board of the Movement of the First, Hero of Russia. The cooperation agreement with NMG on the part of the FPC was signed by the head of the center, Valery Mayorov.

The most important aspect of the SPIEF was the discussion on the prospects of the Russian economy between Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and presidential aide Maxim Reshetnikov, the expert recalled. They noted the cooling of the Russian economy, but disagreed about the reasons, for example, the head of the Central Bank continues to insist on structural changes and the continuation of the fight against inflation. But the regulator's rhetoric has noticeably softened, so "we expect a quick and noticeable reduction in the key rate," Ruslan Abramov said. Plus, it is very important that the Finance Minister is optimistic about the economy: "The cold snap always softens in the summer," the expert noted.

Indeed, this year's SPIEF 2025 participants tried to find an answer to the question: what to do in a situation of a gradual cooling of the economy, Irina Mironova, Director of Federal Development Projects at the Skolkovo School of Management, added to Izvestia.

— The most influential theses were the transition to a high—wage economy, increased labor productivity, recycling of waste, and, at the same time, reducing business costs, - she mentioned. — The authorities have focused on reducing administrative pressure on entrepreneurs, on revising the inspection system — in particular, we are talking about reducing their volume and increasing the responsibility of inspection authorities for unjustified pressure on businesses.

The domestic market remains at the center of the economic strategy, the expert noted. Under the conditions of sanctions pressure and disruption of global logistics chains, the government and business discussed measures to strengthen domestic demand, support domestic production and brands, and modernize infrastructure. Most of the agreements signed at the forum touched upon the technological renewal of production facilities, the introduction of new logistics solutions and increasing the competitiveness of Russian enterprises, she concluded.