On September 23, 2026, a closed meeting titled “Adapting Businesses to the Digital Economy” was held in the Small Hall of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation. Olga Maraeva, an international strategic communications expert and organizer of the NextWave Awards, participated in the meeting as an invited expert in strategic communications.
The meeting was organized by the Center for Strategic Communications of the Commission on Investment in Innovative Entrepreneurship under the CCI of Russia’s Council for Financial Markets and Investments. The discussion brought together representatives of relevant government agencies, banking associations, and leaders from the real economy.
Participants discussed key challenges facing businesses today, ranging from the phased integration of the digital ruble and personal data protection to strategies for maintaining consumer demand and implementing lawful tax planning.
During the expert discussion, Olga Maraeva addressed the importance of reputation and strategic communications in the transformation of business processes.
“Any large-scale reform — whether the transition to the digital ruble or the introduction of new standards for data management — inevitably creates informational uncertainty among customers and business partners. In an environment of increasing digital transparency, technical readiness alone is not enough; trust becomes a company’s key asset. PR is no longer simply a form of advertising; it has become a tool for crisis resilience. To maintain market share and adapt to new realities, businesses need to establish a clear and transparent communications strategy and consistently demonstrate their professional expertise at a high level,” said Olga Maraeva.
Maraeva also proposed including recommendations for entrepreneurs in the meeting’s final documents on informing customers about changes and managing reputational risks associated with the introduction of innovative financial instruments.
