Baikal Lobridge Presents Key Regulatory Trends at Russian Business Week

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A partner from Baikal Lobridge spoke at the forum “Enhancing Regulatory Policy: Challenges and Solutions.”

The forum took place on February 16, 2026, as part of Russian Business Week, organized by the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP). The event brought together business and government leaders to exchange ideas and propose solutions on the evolving regulatory landscape.

The discussions focused on regulatory impact assessments (RIA), the so-called “regulatory guillotine,” digitalization of government procedures, and ways to involve businesses in decision-making in a fast-moving legislative environment.

During the forum, Valery Afanasyev, partner in Baikal Lobridge specializing in GR & Risk, presented an overview of key regulatory trends for 2025–2026. He emphasized the main factors shaping the current state regulatory policy, including budget deficits, a cooling economy, geopolitical instability, and the electoral cycle.

He also reviewed 12 main areas of business regulation highlighted by Baikal Lobridge analysts, paying special attention to fiscal policies, new fees and levies, efforts to bring more transparency to the economy, and emerging rules for the platform economy.

“The regulatory environment is becoming more complex, unpredictable, and dynamic. Fiscal pressures are increasing, control mechanisms are expanding, and new regulatory frameworks are emerging for entire sectors of the economy. This reflects the state’s response to external challenges and the need to restructure the economy. But it also has a major impact on businesses. In these circumstances, mechanisms for early discussion of initiatives, RIA procedures, and constructive dialogue between government and business are more important than ever,”– Afanasyev said.

The forum also featured key government and business leaders, including:

•Alexey Khersontsev, State Secretary – Deputy Minister of Economic Development of Russia;
•Konstantin Panferov, Deputy Minister of Justice of Russia;
•Andrey Starikov, Director of the Regulatory Policy and RIA Department, Ministry of Economic Development;
•Sergey Migin, Deputy Director of the Regulatory Policy Support Department, Government of Russia;
•Alexander Shokhin, President of RSPP;
•Maxim Sokolov, Chairman of the RSPP Regulatory Policy Committee, Board Member of RSPP, President of AVTOVAZ JSC;
•Vladimir Gruzdev, Chairman of the Association of Lawyers of Russia;
•Alexander Litvak, CEO of the Platform of Co-Regulation LLC.

Following the forum, a draft resolution was prepared with recommendations to reform Russia’s regulatory policy.

Read the full Baikal Lobridge review of 2025–2026 regulatory trends here.

Photo: RSPP (http://rspp.ru)

2026-02-19 12:55