Creation of the Eastern Financial Center to be discussed at the WEF-2026

The discussion of the mechanisms of the Eastern Financial Center, the prospects for the adoption of the relevant federal law and the role of the center in attracting investments will be one of the central topics of the business program of the Eastern Economic Forum — 2026. The WEF is organized by the Roscongress Foundation with the support of the Russian government.

At the WEF-2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the government, together with the Bank of Russia, to prepare proposals for the creation of a financial center in the Far East based on the Eastern Stock Exchange, providing special regulatory solutions for attracting investments and placing shares in Russian companies.

"Thanks to the decisions of the Russian President, the economy of the Far East has been growing faster than the Russian average for a decade. A powerful foundation has been created for the emergence of new world-class enterprises in mining, logistics, and energy, and new technological niches are emerging. This new economy is of great interest to investors, potentially not only from Russia, but also from abroad. The proposed mechanisms of the Eastern Financial Center will provide convenient access for a wide range of investors to the investment opportunities of the Far East and the Arctic. The macroregion will receive new enterprises, jobs and taxes, and investors will receive stable long–term returns protected from the risks of unfriendly actions," said Alexey Chekunkov, Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic.

The Kristall of Growth Foundation and the Eastern Exchange, with the support of the Ministry of Finance of Russia and the Ministry of the Far East Development of Russia, have prepared a draft federal law On the Eastern Financial Center, taking into account the best international practices in regulating financial centers.

According to the document, the Eastern Financial Center is a special legal regime on Russky Island in Primorsky Krai, aimed at increasing the international competitiveness of the Russian capital market. The draft law provides for a set of new legal mechanisms that form a modern financial infrastructure for attracting Russian and foreign investments.

The draft law creates a mechanism for direct access of foreign investors to Russian financial instruments directly or through foreign brokerage, banking and other organizations of foreign capital markets. Also, for the first time, a two-tier investment protection system is being created: investors' rights are secured simultaneously by Russian legislation and special international investment protection agreements.

The bill states that Russian assets, including securities, will be able to be traded simultaneously in classical form, in the form of investment funds or tokenized form, which will allow the investor to independently choose the most convenient investment method.

In addition, a special listing regime for Russian and foreign financial instruments is being created with uniform requirements for admission to organized trading in the Eastern Financial Center. Settlements in rubles, foreign currencies, digital financial assets and digital currencies are envisaged, including using foreign information systems.

It provides for the introduction of a mechanism for the rapid replacement of infrastructure organizations in case of external restrictions without stopping trading and settlements. Mandatory netting, finality of settlements, and special mechanisms for protecting clearing collateral are fixed.

An important step is the creation of an Investor Rights Protection Council, which has the authority to represent investors' interests, participate in court and arbitration proceedings, and interact with government agencies. It also provides for the possibility of using foreign languages, specialized arbitration and modern digital procedures for dealing with investment disputes. At the same time, for the first time, the possibility of admission and recognition of foreign credit rating agencies and their ratings for the purposes of the functioning of the Eastern Financial Center is envisaged.

"The Eastern Financial Center is one of the key institutional initiatives aimed at developing the Russian financial market, increasing its competitiveness and capitalization. Our task is to create a modern infrastructure and regulatory conditions that will simplify access for foreign investors and help reduce their risks," said Ivan Chebeskov, Deputy Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation.

According to Alexander Galushka, President of the Crystal Growth Foundation, the Eastern Financial Center is a systemic transformation of the Russian capital market.

"Today, not only economies compete, but also financial jurisdictions. The Eastern Financial Center is being created as a modern investment infrastructure capable of providing the Russian capital market with international competitiveness and opening up new opportunities for attracting long-term investments in projects for the development of the Far East, the Arctic and the entire Russian economy," Galushka emphasized.

The Eastern Economic Forum 2026 will be held on September 1-4 at the Far Eastern Federal University.