For the second year in a row, the number of individual Russian investors doubled, topping 400,000. A recent poll by the MICEX Stock Exchange found that 50% of financially active Russians would buy stocks if they could afford to, while 90% said they need a lot more financial education. Alexei Rybnikov, CEO of the MICEX Stock Exchange, recently called for a joint effort by the Russian government, regulators and professionals to help bridge the finance education gap, further reaching an estimated investor pool of 6 million Russians. "The Russian stock market has made a breakthrough," Rybnikov said. "In a few years, the number of individual investors will be in the millions. But this potential makes the problem of investor [education] and the general financial culture of Russia’s population ever more important. Investors entering the stock market should be well informed and realize the importance of their investment decisions and the risks existing in the stock market."
