HSE Takes Part in Finals of the 5th International Olympiad on Financial Security
The final stage of the 5th International Olympiad on Financial Security took place at the Siberian Federal University in Krasnoyarsk from September 29 to October 3. The event brought together 600 students from schools and universities from 40 different countries. The Higher School of Economics was represented at all three levels of the Olympiad: competition, expert, and career guidance.
At the opening ceremony of the anniversary Olympiad, Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin greeted the participants in a video message. ‘It is gratifying that this competition has become part of the systematic, multifaceted work by the state and society to expand access to modern knowledge and unleash the creative potential and talents of the younger generation—children focused on professional success and creative work,’ the head of state noted. ‘Today we can confidently say that this project has succeeded. Its geography and representation grow each year, making it one of the key events of the large-scale International Financial Security Movement.’
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko and Director of Rosfinmonitoring Yuri Chikhanchin also delivered commemorative speeches.
The final week of the competition also served as a platform for interaction between financial security experts and representatives from the International Network Institute (INI), of which HSE University has been part since 2024. On one of the days, Dmitry Chernyshenko, who heads the Presidium of the International Financial Security Movement, and Yuri Chikhanchin met with the research and teaching staff of INI members. During this meeting and other events during the final week, participants discussed the priority areas for development of the International Financial Security Movement and the activities of ISI members in leading the movement.
School and university students had the opportunity to attend a variety of workshops and career guidance meetings with universities. In total, about 600 finalists from 40 countries participated in the anniversary competition activities. For the first time, Bangladesh, Jordan, Madagascar, Turkey, and Uruguay took part in the Olympiad. Scientific Supervisor of the Institute of Compliance and Business Ethics of the HSE University Higher School of Law Vladislav Ponamorenko presented HSE Master's programmes in financial security to students from near and far abroad.
Project Head of the Project Development Centre Anton Zakharov explained the ins and outs of such programmes for Russian students. Director of Strategic Work with Applicants Alexander Chepovskiy gave an overview of HSE University to school students, noting that the competition winners have an advantage when applying for Bachelor's and Specialist's programmes.
In addition, for the duration of the finals, all students were assigned an ISI expert as a mentor. One of HSE University's groups was supervised by Tatiana Vorontsova, a senior lecturer at the School of Applied Mathematics of the HSE Tikhonov Moscow Institute of Electronics and Mathematics (MIEM).
This year, 188 participants became winners and runners-up, including Sofya Khodakova, a third-year HSE student of the Bachelor's programme ‘International Relations.’
‘After arriving here and completing the tasks, I thought it was unlikely that I’d win: many other participants had gone through a rigorous national selection process and, as it seemed, were better prepared than me. However, I prepared not only on my own, but also together with HSE University teachers. And the variety of events made me less anxious while waiting for the results, so the victory was a pleasant surprise. The competition has become my starting point: I will definitely keep honing my knowledge in financial security,’ Sofya said.
The student also shared her impressions of the final week’s activities, ‘Numerous concert events focused on Russian culture to showcase our history to foreign guests. They featured national costumes (red sarafans and shirts), songs (the famous ‘Valenki’), and Russian folk dances. Upon arrival, all participants were given not only warm clothes with the Olympiad logo but also traditional ushanka hats. As an international relations student, I was most impressed by the cultural festival, which provided an opportunity to get acquainted with other countries’ cultures and traditions, have a look at souvenirs, take pictures in national costumes, and have postcards with custom signatures in a national language.
The program also included workshops with financial experts and sporting events, such as lapta competitions, a chess tournament, and a basketball game. At the end of the Olympiad, an award ceremony was held, where winners and runners-up received computers and tablets. A final evening dance party capped off the event.’
During the closing ceremony, Head of Rosfinmonitoring Yuri Chikhanchin addressed the participants, ‘The V International Olympiad on Financial Security has come to an end today. For the first time, it was hosted in Krasnoyarsk, in the very centre of Russia. I am proud to say that each finalist is a winner in their own right. You have come a long way to get here, and you have already proven yourselves during these five days. My congratulations to the winners and runners-up. I wish every participant success and new triumphs in the future!’ It was also announced that the 2026 competition finals would be held in Krasnoyarsk again.
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