On September 29, Siberian Federal University held the solemn opening ceremony of the V International Olympiad on Financial Security. In 2025, 600 school and university students from 40 countries are competing in the finals. This year, Bangladesh, Jordan, Madagascar, Turkey, and Uruguay joined the Olympiad for the first time.
Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, welcomed the participants:
It is good to see that the Olympiad has become part of the state’s and society’s systemwide and multifaceted efforts to expand access to modern knowledge and to unlock the creative potential and talents of the younger generation, who are committed to professional achievements and creative work.
Today, we can confidently state that this project has proved a success. Every year, it grows in both geographical scope and diversity of representation, establishing itself as a key event within the broader International Movement on Financial Security.
Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Prime Minister, echoed the President’s words, emphasizing the success of the initiative.
“I welcome guests and contestants from 40 countries. Indeed, we see a powerful international movement that now brings together more than six million people. President Vladimir Putin noted a very important fact that the Olympiad is an excellent opportunity for you, the young people, to demonstrate your potential and talents. It also represents one of our national development goals. I am confident that your countries pursue similar objectives. For the first time, the International Olympiad on Financial Security is held in the very heart of Russia, in welcoming and friendly Krasnoyarsk at Siberian Federal University. The organizers have ensured an excellent environment, challenging and exciting tasks, and a rich cultural, entertainment, and educational program. I am confident that you will succeed and have a lot of fun, but most importantly, you will make new friends and explore new opportunities! On behalf of the President, I declare the V International Olympiad on Financial Security open!” said Mr. Chernyshenko.
Anatoly Seryshev, Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of Russia in the Siberian Federal District, addressed the finalists and guests at the opening ceremony:
“It is a great pleasure to see that the Olympiad is growing and engaging more participants from more countries. This is one of the key goals of such initiatives. For the first time, the Olympiad is being held in Siberia. This is a great honor and responsibility. I wish all participants of the Olympiad success in demonstrating their knowledge and skills to the fullest, achieving excellent results and, most importantly, making new friends and like-minded people during the competition!”
Winners and runners-up of the Olympiad enjoy priority admission privileges for bachelor’s, master’s, and postgraduate programs at member universities of the International Network AML/CFT Institute (INI), as well as internship opportunities at the Federal Financial Monitoring Service and other partner organizations.
In his speech, Yury Chikhanchin, Director of the Federal Financial Monitoring Service, Deputy Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Olympiad, noted the significance of the Olympiad as a platform that shapes a community of tomorrow's professionals to effectively respond to current challenges:
“Threats to financial security, including transnational crime, cybercrime, terrorism, money mule operations, and more, have an international dimension and require coordinated efforts from the global community. To address these problems more effectively now and, most importantly, in the future, large-scale educational initiatives have been launched. Including this Olympiad, which began more than five years ago. At that time, only seven countries participated, but the geography has expanded to forty countries today.”
Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, also extended a welcome address to the finalists:
“I am confident that this competition, as always, will be held in the spirit of fair play. It will give new impetus to the development of international cooperation in the field of financial security and contribute to the establishment of meaningful and mutually beneficial connections among young people. The cultural program will provide foreign participants with an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of our great country.”
The participants were also addressed by Kanat Asangulov, President of the State Financial Intelligence Service under the Ministry of Finance of the Kyrgyz Republic. He stressed that the Olympiad is not only an intellectual contest but also a platform where science meets practice, uniting professional experience with the energy of youth.
Su Lei, Counselor of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, spoke at the solemn ceremony and noted the steady development of relations between Russia and China, emphasizing that financial security has become an increasingly significant area of bilateral cooperation.
Mikhail Kotyukov, Governor of Krasnoyarsk Territory, expressed the region’s readiness to host the large-scale international event and emphasized the importance of dialogue on financial security:
“Krasnoyarsk Territory was chosen to host the Olympiad for a reason. Our mission is to ensure that our visitors leave not only with results of the intellectual competition but also with abundant experience of Siberia. For this purpose, we planned an extensive program ranging from excursions in scenic areas to unique cultural events. And, of course, we have a lot to share: we are actively implementing and willing to share our experience in the field of financial education, recognized at the federal level.”
Dmitry Chernyshenko, Anatoly Seryshev, Yury Chikhanchin, and Mikhail Kotyukov visited the exhibition of the Olympiad’s strategic partners and spoke with the media.
Mr. Chernyshenko noted that hosting the fifth Olympiad in hospitable Krasnoyarsk required extensive preparation work and expressed gratitude to Elena Shmeleva and Yury Chikhanchin, who participated in the initial launch of this project.
This year’s eliminatory stage of the Olympiad reached an unprecedented level of participation – more than 60,000 people took part in the selection process.
“The 600 strongest and most talented participants went through several selection stages to reach the finals of the V International Olympiad on Financial Security,” said Mr. Chernyshenko.
He emphasized that representatives of financial intelligence units from over 15 countries had come to Krasnoyarsk not only to support participants but also to act as their mentors: “Those who will inspire them to guard the financial future of our countries.”
International Olympiad on Financial Security has been held annually since 2021 under the patronage of the President of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Russian Federation.
