The SME Forum

Raising capital poses a significant challenge for rapidly growing companies in Russia. Traditional start-up instruments are no longer suitable, and bank lending often requires collateral and strict equity-to-debt capital ratios. Moreover, bank lending tends to focus on historical financial parameters that these companies have already surpassed. Accessing traditional stock markets entails substantial monetary and organizational costs, and small issues may lack investor appeal due to limited liquidity. This liquidity challenge is common in many countries experimenting with new exchange trading formats that can provide liquidity, diversify risk, eliminate fraud risks, and facilitate easy access to equity or debt capital for companies in need. Fortunately, the digital technologies required to address this issue are already available; all that remains is to begin implementing them, as demonstrated by one of the Chinese exchanges serving innovative SMEs, which was established in 2021. So what should we do to implement such a mechanism in Russia?

Moderator
Oleg Fomichev, Chairman of the Board, Association of "Fast-growing technology companies" national champions"

Oleg Fomichev

Chairman of the Board, Association of "Fast-growing technology companies" national champions"

Panellists
Konstantin Basmanov, Head of Small and Medium Enterprises Unit, Promsvyazbank
Maxim Kolesnikov, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation (online)
Mikhail Mamuta, Head of Service for Protection of Consumer Rights and Ensuring the Availability of Financial Services, Member of the Board of Directors, The Central Bank of the Russian Federation (Bank of Russia)
Ivan Podbereznyak, Chairman of the Board, SME Bank
Natalya Popova, First Deputy General Director, Innopraktika
Dmitry Titov, First Vice President, Aquarius Group
Ivan Chebeskov, Director of the Department of Financial Policy, Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation (online)
Evgeny Chupin, Deputy General Director, Privodnaya Tekhnika Group of Companies
Boris Yaryshevsky, Chairman of the Board, St. Petersburg Currency Exchange

Konstantin Basmanov

Head of Small and Medium Enterprises Unit, Promsvyazbank

From 2008 till 2015 Konstantin Basmanov was Head of Small and Medium Enterprises Unit and Deputy Chairman of the Management Board, Promsvyazbank PJSC.
From 2015 till 2017 he was Chairman of the Management Board of Vozrozhdenie Bank.
In 2018 he became Head of Small and Medium Enterprises Unit with Promsvyazbank PJSC again.
He is a member of the Board Presidium of OPORA RUSSIA, the All-Russian Non-Governmental Organization of Small and Medium Business.

Maxim Kolesnikov

Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation

Mikhail Mamuta

Head of Service for Protection of Consumer Rights and Ensuring the Availability of Financial Services, Member of the Board of Directors, The Central Bank of the Russian Federation (Bank of Russia)

Born: 29 September 1974; Voronezh.
Marital status: married.
Education:
1997 — Voronezh State University, Master of Physics.
2000 — Voronezh State University, qualification conferred: economist; major: Finance and Credit.
Candidate of Economic Sciences.
Speaks English
1997–1999 — Adviser, Administration of the Voronezh Region, Voronezh.
1999–2000 — Deputy Chief of Section, Main Department for Reserves, Consumer Market and Services, Administration of the Voronezh Region, Voronezh.
2000–2002 — General Director, the State Small Business Support Fund of the Voronezh Region, Voronezh.
2002–2004 — Director for Training and Regional Development, Acting Director, Director, Microfinance Centre Fund, Moscow.
2004-2014 — Director, Russian Microfinance Centre Fund, Moscow.
2007–2014 — concurrently: President, National Partnership of Microfinance Market Participants (Non-profit Partnership), Moscow.
2014-2016 — Head of the Main Office of Microfinance Market and Financial Inclusion Methodology, Bank of Russia, Moscow.
2016–2017 — Head of the Service for Protection of Financial Services Consumers and Minority Shareholders, Bank of Russia, Moscow.
2017 to date — Head of the Service for Consumer Protection and Financial Inclusion, Bank of Russia, Moscow.
Member of the Board of Directors, Bank of Russia (appointment effective 10 October 2018).

Ivan Podbereznyak

Chairman of the Board, SME Bank

Natalya Popova

First Deputy General Director, Innopraktika

Natalia Popova, First Deputy СEO of the Non-State Development Institute “Innopraktika”, President of Vision Media Center LLC, graduated from Finance Academy under the Government of the Russian Federation and the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Area Studies of Moscow State University. Natalia is a member of the Boards of Directors of ITECMA LLC, VEB Ventures LLC, also the Supervisory Boards of the INTC Composite Valley Foundation and MSP Bank JSC, as well as the Board of Trustees of the School Unit of the “Phystech XXI” cluster and the autonomous non-profit educational organization “Phystech-lyceum” named after P.L. Kapitsa. In addition, she is the chairman of the board of directors of IAC OJSC, the co-chairman of the Coordinating Council for the introduction of innovative Russian products into the production and economic activities of Gazprom. Natalia is a member of the Council for the Implementation of the Federal Scientific and Technical Program for the Development of Agriculture for 2017-2025; the working group which provide support to small and medium businesses in high-tech sectors of the economy, including those introducing innovations, implementing projects in the field of import substitution and (or) producing export products and services; to the Expert council for the development of financial instruments and non-financial measures to support enterprises of Russia's defense industry under the Commission of the State Duma on legal support for the development of organizations in the defense industry of Russia. Natalia is the originator and the host of Innopraktika media projects, including such projects as “Dom uchenyh” (lit.: The House of Scientists) in cooperation with “Kultura” TV channel, “Nauka” (lit.: Science) in cooperation with “Russia-24” TV channel, also a member of the committee for preparation and implementation of the global project "Russian Seasons". Since December 2019, Natalia Popova has been holding the position of the Ombudsman representing interests of high-tech leading companies, established on the Commissioner for Entrepreneurs' Rights at the President of the Russian Federation institution basis.

Dmitry Titov

First Vice President, Aquarius Group

Ivan Chebeskov

Director of the Department of Financial Policy, Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation

Evgeny Chupin

Deputy General Director, Privodnaya Tekhnika Group of Companies

Boris Yaryshevsky

Chairman of the Board, St. Petersburg Currency Exchange