Kazan hosted the Russian Venture Forum (RVF). Participants discussed the development of the venture capital ecosystem, startup support, and the international promotion of tech projects.
During the session titled Global Promotion in International Venture Markets in 2026, Artem Genkin, Chairman of the Venture Capital Commission at the Council for Financial Markets and Investment of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, explained how Russian startups can structure their international development without violating current legislation. According to Genkin, for many tech companies, entering external markets is no longer an option but a scaling necessity.
The economist noted that during international expansion, Russian projects must take into account not only competition, talent and tax issues, but also a whole set of specific legal restrictions. These include currency regulation rules, controlled foreign company (CFC) regulation, beneficial ownership disclosure requirements, sanctions compliance, and data transfer regulations, including GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and similar regimes. According to Genkin, these issues often become a barrier to attracting large-scale capital if a startup has not prepared a transparent corporate structure in advance.
Artem Genkin outlined three basic models for international business structuring. The first is creating a new foreign company to operate in global markets while maintaining an independent Russian business. The second is forming a parallel foreign structure while retaining ties to the Russian company. The third is a full relocation of the project and team without retaining a “parent” structure in Russia. Each model has its own pros and cons – from greater “purity” for international investors to higher costs, risks of losing control or complications with intellectual property rights.
The expert believes the choice of jurisdiction should depend not only on tax conditions but also on the availability of banking services, residency requirements, the quality of the legal system, business infrastructure, and overall geopolitical stability.
The final takeaway from Artem Genkin’s speech is that international expansion requires not a piecemeal solution but a comprehensive strategy: from selecting the model and target markets to establishing ownership structures, compliance, and intellectual property protection.