Vladimir Putin took part in the plenary session of the Russia Calling! investment forum held in Moscow on December 4–5. Some of the key statements by the President:

🔹Russia's potential in technology, industry, and logistics is growing; the country is strengthening its ties with budding partners. Last year, Russia's GDP grew by 3.6 percent, while in January to October of this year, it rose by 4.1 percent.

🔹Russia's high-tech industries are experiencing a growing influx of skilled workers: in September, the number of people employed in the IT sector grew by 8.1 percent compared to the previous year, while the number of employees in the manufacturing sector increased by almost 4 percent.

🔹Russia currently has a record low unemployment rate of only 2.3 percent, which is minimal compared to what most of the world's leading economies and developing countries are going through at the moment.

🔹The economic growth has a positive impact on the budget. In January to October of this year, the surplus of the country's consolidated budget and its extrabudgetary funds amounted to about 2.5 trillion rubles.

🔹An increase in the offer of goods and services available on the market, so that it meets the domestic demand both from individual consumers and businesses, should be the principal response to the challenge of inflation.

🔹Despite all the problems that Russia is facing, some of them arising due to efforts made outside its borders, fixed investment by Russian businesses is rising for the third year in a row. By the end of this decade, Russia's stock market capitalization is expected to double, amounting to two-thirds of the GDP.

🔹Russia welcomes investors from friendly countries on its stock market, but the focus is specifically on domestic funding sources, so that Russian citizens are able to invest their funds as individual investors and turn a profit in the country.

🔹In 2024, Russia launched the voluntary long-term savings support programme for its citizens. The deposits covered by the programme are insured and co-financed by the state, and a tax deduction can be received for the funds deposited. As of November 22, over 2.1 million depositors were participating in the long-term savings programme, with 145 billion rubles raised.

🔹The Bank of Russia is gradually introducing the digital ruble. As of now, over 9,000 individuals and 1,200 companies are participating in the project, and this number is growing. Starting next year, the digital ruble is expected to be used in the federal budget system, and from July 1, 2025, it should be available for all transactions across the entire country.

🔹The level of digitisation of financial services in Russia exceeds the global average, which is a testament to the considerable technological capabilities of this sector of Russian economy, as well as its future-proofness and ability to set ambitious goals and be proactive.

See more on the Kremlin’s official website.

Video on YouTube.