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A panel discussion, Challenges of Eurasian Integration in the Context of Modern Trade and Economic Processes in the Post-Soviet Territory, was held as part of the Gaidar Forum 2015.

A panel discussion, Islamic Finance: Prospects, Opportunities, Risks, was held as part of the Gaidar Forum 2015, at which the issues of Islamic finance as a source of new opportunities and prospects for development of the financial system and economy as a whole were discussed.

A panel discussion, Challenges in the Monetary Policy under New Conditions, was held as part of the Gaidar Forum 2015.

A panel discussion, Pressing Issues of Tax Legislation, was held as part of the Gaidar Forum 2015.

A panel discussion, Russia's Economy in a General Economic Equilibrium Model, was at the Gaidar Forum 2015 by the International Budget Sustainability Research Department of the Gaidar Institute and RANEPA, headed by Laurence Kotlikoff, Professor of Economics at Boston University.

In 2014, the situation with the volume of regional and municipal budgets changed considerably towards a substantial increase in debt.

At the Gaidar Forum 2015 Russia's Finance Minister Anton Siluanov noted the need to cut budget spending by 10%. Moreover, he believes that 10 percent may not be sufficient.

The World Bank Global Economic Prospects has been released today. It contains a downgraded forecast for economic contraction rates in Russia in 2015.

Today, the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation published Russia's economic results of November 2014; according to them, Russia's GDP growth rates amounted to -0.5% on the respective period of the previous year.

In December, amid a dramatic drop in global prices on oil Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the IMF noted that falling oil prices would have a favorable effect on the global economy.

Today, during the big press-conference President V. Putin named external factors (in particular, a drop in global oil prices) behind the crisis phenomena in Russia in conditions of insufficient diversification of the Russian economy.

Yesterday the Bank of Russia published the December 2014 issue of its Monetary Policy Report, which contains a revised version of the 'stress scenario' for the development of Russia's economy, previously developed by the Bank's experts.

Last week, Fitch Ratings - a global rating agency - released to the mass media its forecast of the growth rate of Russia's national economy in 2015.

Today, the UNO released its Report World Economic Situation and Prospects 2015, where it is stated that in 2015 Russian economy will be faced with stagnation, while its growth rate is expected to be at the level of 0.2%. The UNO points to the current tense geopolitical situation as the main cause of such a pessimistic forecast.

At the Bank of Russia Board of Directors' meeting on 11 December 2014, it was decided that the key interest rate should be raised dramatically - by 100 basis points to 10.5%. As stated in the Bank of Russia's information notice, the toughening monetary policy is aimed at playing down the inflation and depreciation expectations, which have been becoming increasingly stronger over the last few weeks.

In the framework of his annual Address to the Federal Assembly, RF President Vladimir Putin set the goal of developing new technologies and competitive goods in Russia, as well as giving the country's industry a more solid foundation