On 15 May, the international conference “Accessing Russia” organized by FTSE Global Markets took place in London. The conference has been held for several years; it is traditionally dedicated to the Russian market. Among its key topics are Russian stock infrastructure development, in particular, the central securities depository’s functions in Russia, protection of investors’ interests, corporate financing and governance. The delegates also discussed Russian legislative changes, investment opportunities for foreign brokers in the Russian securities market and issues involved in the creation of an international financial center in Moscow.
Maria Ivanova, Vice President responsible for development and client relations, NSD, took part in the panel discussion “Financial market development in the nearest 3-5 years.” Ms. Ivanova shared her views on the latest regulatory changes’ contributions to increasing the attractiveness of the Russian financial market for foreign investors. In addition, Ms. Ivanova spoke about the entry of Euroclear and Clearstream into the Russian stock market and about legislative reform with respect to corporate actions procedures. Conference participants pointed out NSD’s contribution to improved competitiveness of the Russian market and to the introduction of international standards in the market. For instance, foreign delegates saw the true value of the service of speedy depository receipts conversion that was launched by NSD jointly with the Bank of New York; this service allows the conversion of ADRs within one business day (previously it took two or three days).
Summing up the results of the forum, Ms. Ivanova said: “Accessing Russia is a great event for those who want to keep up with current changes in Russia’s stock market. We confirmed again that the projects of financial infrastructure development are being implemented in line with our plans and with foreign investors’ opinions. When the demand for Russian assets grows, we will be able to meet investors’ requirements quickly, competently and efficiently.”
Every year representatives of leading global financial companies attend Accessing Russia to take part in an open dialogue between representatives of Russian infrastructure and foreign investors. This year, more than 120 financial professionals took part in the event, and their discussions were positive and constructive: the conference delegates agreed that the Russian market’s macroeconomic indicators are quite good given current geopolitical risks.