The formal opening ceremony for the IV International Olympiad on Financial Security took place on September 30 in the Sirius federal territory. In 2024, nearly 600 finalists—schoolchildren and students from 36 countries—have made it to the final round of the competition.
A greeting message from the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to Olympiad participants was delivered by Andrey Lavrenko, Deputy Head of the Directorate of the President of the Russian Federation on the issues of state service, human resources, and combating corruption.
“I would like to emphasize that while the development of the digital environment creates new opportunities for innovation, it also introduces risks such as fraud, money laundering, and the financing of criminal activities. This is why our country, prioritizes efforts to enhance financial security, protect citizens' legal rights, and raise public financial awareness. Projects like this Olympiad play a crucial role in addressing these challenges, serving as an important educational and enlightening mission. Moreover, in this year of Russia’s chairmanship of BRICS and the CIS, I would like to acknowledge the genuine desire of young people from these countries to engage actively in strengthening global financial security,” the message read.
The ceremony featured speeches by prominent officials, including Nikolay Zhuravlev, Deputy Chair of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Yury Chikhanchin, Director of the Federal Financial Monitoring Service, Valery Falkov, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Ustinov, Presidential Plenipotentiary to the Southern Federal District, Mikhail Kotyukov, Governor of Krasnoyarsk Region, Hu Hanning, Counsellor of the People's Republic of China (PRC) Embassy in Russia, Hamid Al-Zaabi, Director General of the Executive Office for AML/CFT in the UAE, and Ivan Uvarov, Director General of the International Training and Methodology Centre for Financial Monitoring.
In his remarks to the finalists, Yury Chikhanchin pointed out that the Olympiad unites an increasingly great number of participants committed to addressing new challenges in the financial security sphere.
“The Olympiad, inspired by the bright star of Sirius, has brought together truly exceptional individuals—those who are ready to defend financial security. I wish you success, and I look forward to seeing the winners proudly take the stage in a few days. Here, you will undoubtedly make new friends and like-minded connections, some of whom you will continue to collaborate with on platforms such as Sodruzhestvo. Good luck!” said Yury Chikhanchin.
The head of Rosfinmonitoring read out the greeting address from Elisa de Anda Madrazo, President of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF):
“I am pleased that the International Olympiad on Financial Security offers the opportunity to create a unified space for training, research, and the exchange of information in the financial security sphere. The FATF highly appreciates involvement of civil and academic communities. I hope that this year’s Olympiad will help young leaders deepen their understanding of the challenges that threaten the integrity of our financial systems.”
Valentina Matvienko, Chair of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, also sent a message to the participants. It was delivered by Nikolay Zhuravlev, Vice-Speaker of the Federation Council.
“On behalf of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and myself, I extend my greetings to the organizers and participants of the final week of the IV International Olympiad on Financial Security. Promoting financial literacy and enhancing financial security are key priorities in our legislative work. The Olympiad continues to grow in popularity among youth from Russia and abroad, with the number of participating countries expanding each year,” Valentina Matvienko noted.
Ivan Uvarov, Director General of the ITMCFM expressed his gratitude to experts of the universities within the International Network AML/CFT Institute for their active participation in the Olympiad events and addressed the finalists:
“Dear participants, this year you are not only Olympiad finalists but also members of the International Financial Security Movement. You are the fighters against the shadow economy, which disrupts the stability of the global financial system. The future belongs to you!”
The opening ceremony also featured musical and dance performances by creative teams, culminating in the raising of the flag of the International Olympiad on Financial Security.
Over the course of the five-day program in Sirius, Olympiad participants will engage in more than 60 events. These include lectures, interactive workshops, masterclasses, panel discussions, quizzes, contests, and cultural and sport competitions.
The International Olympiad on Financial Security has been held since 2021 under the auspices of the President of Russia and Government of the Russian Federation. This year, representatives from 36 countries made it to the Olympiad final: Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa (RSA), Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, UAE, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam.
The International Financial Security Movement was officially launched during its Inauguration Conference in Moscow in September. The Sodruzhestvo social and educational platform serves as the technological partner of the Movement.
