On November 25, 2025, during the X International Financial University Forum titled "Russia: A Concept of the Future," experts discussed key trends in the development of the financial system during the panel discussion "Money of the Future." The main focus was on digital transformation, including the growth of cashless payments and the integration of traditional and decentralized finance. Participants also examined cybersecurity challenges, the impact of new technologies on the economic environment, and prospects for increasing investment activity amid changing realities.
Moderator of the panel discussion was Valery Fedorov, CEO of the VCIOM Analytical Center and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Mass Communications at the Financial University. He emphasized that successful financial development requires financial literacy, legal stability, and public trust, while also noting existing challenges that could influence the evolution of financial instruments.
Deputy Minister of Finance of Russia, Ivan Chebeskov, highlighted Russia’s advanced level of digital financial services, which needs to accelerate to keep pace with global trends. He pointed out the importance of developing alternative financial tools and assets, and the necessity of regulation and infrastructure for digital currencies.
Artem Genkin, president of the ANO “Center of Protection of Bank Clients and Investors” and expert in digital currencies, compared the evolution of the monetary system to biological evolution. He stressed the importance of regionally and historically adapted transitions to cashless payments, avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach.
Irina Gildebrandt, Development Director at SBS Consulting, stated that the digital ruble will become a core element of the new financial reality and that future discussions should go beyond simple cash versus cashless comparisons.
Zhao Jelin, international economist from Beijing Aimosi International Education Consulting, highlighted the potential of digital tools to overcome low liquidity in national currencies and expressed confidence that the BRICS Pay system will become a symbol of a new financial alliance.
Ruslan Yusufov, managing partner at MINDSMITH and futurist, discussed the trend of creating financial solutions for automated systems and robots, where transactions could be initiated by machines and controlled by owners of digital infrastructure.
The discussion also included representatives from academia, such as Dmitry Markov, Lecturer at the Department of Sociology at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Mass Communications at the Financial University, Farhad Ibragimov, Lecturer at the Faculty of Economics at the RUDN University, political scientist, Stanislav Pashkov, Associate Professor at the Department of Economic Sociology at the Higher School of Economics, and Svetlana Pertseva, Associate Professor at the MGIMO Department of International Finance at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.
More photos from the panel discussion can be viewed via the link.
