On September 17th, in Moscow the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation hosted the Founding Conference of the International Movement on Financial Security. Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Dmitry Chernyshenko was elected Chairman of the Presidium of the Movement, while Director of the Federal Financial Monitoring Service Yury Chikhanchin was appointed Deputy Chairman.
First Deputy Director General of ITMCFM, Director of the International Network AML/CFT Institute (INI) Vladimir Ovchinnikov was elected Executive Secretary of the International Movement on Financial Security.
"Today, in collaboration with the Federal Financial Monitoring Service, we have launched a movement free from political barriers and limitations. Our goal is to bring together young people from across the world to effectively address financial security issues. We are particularly pleased that today's Founding Conference of the Movement was attended by representatives from 36 countries. I firmly believe that more countries will join the project in the coming years, and eventually, our values will be shared by the majority of the global community," noted Dmitry Chernyshenko.
Yury Chikhanchin emphasized the importance of finance in society and the risks associated with it, including the growing involvement of youth in criminal schemes:
"Finance is the underlying basis of an individual, society, state, and the world at large. Unfortunately, there is a dark side to finance: some people are determined to defraud others and steal their money. Regrettably, young people — students aged 14 to 17 — who are not experienced in all aspects of life and do not realize the extent of their responsibility, are increasingly being drawn into criminal schemes. This alarming trend led to the establishment of the International Movement on Financial Security, which aims to raise awareness about finance, its role, and its real impact on our lives. Our goal is to prevent criminals from causing harm to our families, friends, and communities."
Representatives from 36 countries and 55 INI member universities attended the event, both in person and remotely.
The conference featured contributions from student representatives, including Belarusian postgraduate student Valentin Romanovsky from the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, Chinese postgraduate student Yang Jining from RUDN, and Chadian postgraduate student Nguetobaye Massengar Rongar from the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.
The participants of the Founding Conference adopted a Declaration recognizing the need for international cooperation and common approaches to enhancing financial security for individuals and society.
The Sodruzhestvo International Social and Educational Platform will host the Movement’s online base. The platform was presented by the Promsvyazbank employee, a two-time prize-winner and the 2023 winner of the International Olympiad on Financial Security, Alexander Yashchenko.
The conference also announced the start of voting for the Movement mascot, with the contenders being Fini the Raccoon, Sophie the Owl, Vlasta the Firebird, Potap the Bear, and Orion the Dolphin. The final results will be revealed during the final week of the 4th International Olympiad on Financial Security to be held from September 30th to October 4th at the Sirius Federal Territory.
The idea of founding the International Movement on Financial Security was initially proposed by Augusto Lemmertz, a law student from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), during a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the finalists of the 3rd International Olympiad on Financial Security in October 2023. President Putin endorsed Lemmertz’s initiative at the time.
