The first day of SPIEF 2026 is taking place in St. Petersburg

The main business event of 2026, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), kicked off in St. Petersburg on June 3. It is attended by delegations from more than 130 countries, including those represented at the highest level by heads of State. The total amount of concluded contracts may exceed 6.5 trillion rubles. Roman Ishmukhametov, a correspondent for Izvestia, told how the first day of the SPIEF is going.

The regions of the Russian Federation are proud of their identity and culture, paying special attention to the design of their stands at the forum.

"The traditional Skopinsky lion. He will have such a mane of fine hairs. He will be toothy, but cute," People's Artist of the Russian Federation Tatiana Loshchina showed one of the works.

Song Tian Shu, a participant of the forum from China, said that the forum is an indispensable way for the development of Russian—Chinese trade and economic relations. Darryl Tan, a participant from Singapore, said he wanted to explore business cooperation and investment opportunities in the Russian market, calling SPIEF a good platform because of the connections that can be gained during the event.

The forum presents the new AURUS sedan model, racing versions of Lada Vesta and Iskra with racing seats and a reinforced body. There are more and more robots every year: one humanoid shakes hands, another manipulator, which is being tested in Kabardino-Balkaria, can pick fruits from trees and immediately reject apples, pears and plums of poor quality.

"The demand is enormous, and most importantly, there is a shortage of personnel, which affects the industry. Farms say: guys, let's get robots," said Evgeny Takhtilov, technical director of the manufacturing company.

Developments for the most complex spinal surgeries are also presented. A representative of one of the stands explained that the uniqueness of these developments lies in the fact that an accurate computer virtual model is made using tomography, and then individual structures for complex anatomical areas are designed together with engineers.

The Izvestia studio brought together key speakers ranging from ministers to corporate heads. The forum's communication partner, MAER media holding— broadcasts greetings to guests on huge screens in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The focus is on the development of small and medium—sized businesses, as well as problems related to artificial intelligence.

"The 29th International Economic Forum started successfully as always. Today, the focus is on the development of small and medium—sized businesses, as well as problems related to artificial intelligence," concluded Roman Ishmukhametov, a correspondent for Izvestia.

Contract time: deals worth 6.5 trillion may be concluded at SPIEF 2026

The amount will be comparable to last year's amount against the background of high rates — it is the issues of business growth that will become the main topics of discussion.

On June 3, SPIEF 2026 visitors will be greeted by robots in a business suit and fancy dress. They go out onto the event grounds, wave and try to keep up a conversation with the guests. In the Izvestia footage, one of the robots appeared in a black suit with a red tie, and the other in a female image with a bag on his shoulder.