To see how this task is connected with the city strategy was the topic of the debate set up by Polit.ru and the Academy of National Economy of the Russian Federation (ANE), on the city development strategy developed by ANE with the National Research University - Higher School of Economics (NRU-HSE) and international experts.

The location of the IFC is more or less clear. According to the majority, Moscow is the only place out of many other Russian cities. "No decentralization is possible in the financial market. Liquidity is concentrated in one place, it is more convenient. And everything depends on infrastructure", says MICEX President Ruben Aganbegyan. According to him, the IFC is possible only in Moscow. It is both a serious challenge and a resource for Moscow. Undoubtedly, the IFC is not a one-city concept, but a federal project. Moscow will hugely benefit from it. "It will become the kick-starter for a project of building everything from scratch”, remarks Andrey Sharonov, Moscow Mayor’s Economic Policy Deputy, on city perspectives. "The IFC parties are not merely city authorities, but Federal authorities, the business and even international organizations", says Vladimir Klimanov, head of State Economy Regulation Studies at the National Policy and Applied Humanities Institute of the Russian Academy of National Economy?.

According to associate professor of the Stock and Investment Markets Department of the Higher School of Economics Andrey Stolyarov, the federal angle is the key for the IFC. In particular, the Federal authorities need to provide necessary legislative infrastructure to attract investors.

There are positive perspectives to establish a powerful financial centre in Moscow. "The Russian economy is in the top ten of the world economies. This economy should have a powerful financial market", Ruben Aganbegyan says. Martin Gilman, professor of NRU-HSE, ex-Head of IMF Moscow Office, agrees. The main point for him is that Russia is one of world’s leading creditors.

Nevertheless, the fact that the IFC can happen only in Moscow and not elsewhere in Russia is not the sole reason for its establishment in Moscow. It is required, for example, to bring the business climate in Russia to a much better level. It will take more than one year. According to Alexander Voloshin, establishing a better investment climate in Russia is estimated to take a whole generation. "There should be a new generation of policemen and court judges, private property should be respected from an early age", he thinks.

According to Ruben Aganbegyan, in order for investors, international experts and all the best from other countries to come to Russia, it is necessary to have a detailed development strategy in education, IT and other key spheres.

"The city should be suitable for living. If it is liveable, it is suitable for the IFC", says Alexander Voloshin. The city can be convenient for living in various ways, Aganbegyan adds. For example, it should be easy enough to live in Moscow whether you speak Russian or English. Today, Moscow is extremely inconvenient for the English speaker. There is a lack of even basic bilingual signposts, let alone bilingual policemen, waiters, pharmacists, etc. "The financial centre city should be bilingual, even if it seems unpatriotic", claims Aganbegyan.

"The financial centre is, in some way, a sort of data processing centre. And right now, everything is fine with this here. Many Western companies have already moved part of their operations to Moscow", says Ksenia Yudaeva, Director at Sberbank Macroeconomic Research Center. For instance, Deutsche Bank has moved part of its IT department to Moscow. The important thing is not to consider the financial centre as a mere development project with high-rises, Yudaeva thinks.

However, in spite of a huge amount of unresolved issues, experts are determined that the financial centre is of vital importance to Moscow. It will create a new city image and new sources of income. "You can’t count on three thirds of major Russian corporations forever being located and paying taxes in Moscow. Gradually, they will disperse", Alexander Voloshin thinks. The experts’ general opinion is that if the IFC is not the #1 priority for Moscow and Moscow authorities, then it should at least be among the top ten. These priorities will help define the areas of expertise for the city, becoming the catalyst of welcome changes for the citizens.