Key points from Rustam Tapaev's speech at the RBC press conference dedicated to the Caucasus Investment Forum:

▫️ Following two recent forums and one exhibition, the Caucasus Investment Forum (CIF) has concluded more than 230 cooperation agreements worth over 460 billion rubles.

▫️ At the 2025 CIF, an agreement was reached with Cosmos Hotel Group on joint tourism development and hospitality industry training in the North Caucasus regions. Result: Cosmos assumed management of high-mountain shelters on Elbrus (on April 20, Leaprus opened under the new brand Cosmos Elbrus Leaprus Camp).

▫️ Cooperation agreements with three Russian banks – Sberbank, Gazprombank, and Kuban Credit Bank. Result: financial institutions are increasingly lending to businesses in the Caucasus. While the share of bank capital in supported projects was zero in 2021, it accounted for over 35% in 2025, along with funds from project initiators.

▫️ Under the joint funding program with Sberbank for 2025, 18 new agreements totaling 693 million rubles were signed. Of this, Kavkaz.RF funds accounted for 173 million rubles. A total of 206 agreements totaling almost 8 billion rubles were signed under this program, of which Kavkaz.RF funds accounted for almost 2 billion rubles.

▫️ In 2024, agreements were signed for new hotels in the Caspian coastal cluster (the 5-star "Caspian Resorts-1" hotel, with a declared investment of 3 billion rubles).

▫️ The forum should be as beneficial as possible not only to large businesses and government officials, but also to the Caucasus business community – small and medium-sized businesses and youth.

▫️ The Kavkaz.RF stand will be the core of the exhibition. This year, it is designed as a mountain range and dedicated to Mamison, a new resort completing its first ski season. A real eco-trail will be created at the stand.