On March 17, 2026, the Sustainability Committee of the Association of European Businesses (AEB) held a public event concerning the concept of "business social capital" and potential incentives for companies with high performance indicators in this area.

This concept is formalized in the Standard on Business Social Capital (SBSC) approved by a Government Resolution in December 2026. The SBSC outlines the approaches for companies to draft, verify and disclose reports on their progress in achieving SBSC performance indicators.  

The SBSC indicators are divided into six categories: environmental, social, governance, economic, business reputation, and contribution to social well-being and Russia's strategic development.

The event featured presentations from:

1. Andrey Kosko, Senior Advisor at Kesarev;

2. Dina Aidaeva, Counsel in Tax Practice at Melling, Voitishkin & Partners;

3. Timofey Lukashevich, Associate in Corporate Practice at Melling, Voitishkin & Partners;

4. Arseny Avtukhov, Head of the Public Bond Analysis Department at Sovcombank PJSC.

The event was moderated by Roman Ishmukhametov, Chairman of the AEB Sustainability Committee and a Senior Associate at Melling, Voitishkin & Partners. Welcoming remarks were delivered by Ilya Shlykov, Deputy Chairman of the AEB Legal Committee.

The speakers and panelists agreed, among other things, that:

1. SBSC is non-binding and does not mandate companies to prepare and disclose such reports. However, in practice, it is likely that SBSC performance indicators (including the EKG-rating*) will become a significant factor in a company's interactions with government authorities and in its ability to access state support measures;

2. SBSC-related incentives are likely to be integrated with existing investment incentives, including those under investment agreements with state and municipal authorities, within special-status territories and certain tax incentives (such as investment tax credits);

3. Companies should assess how the business social capital concept can be reflected in their corporate policies and other internal documents. This process requires close collaboration among their legal, GR, finance, tax, and other relevant departments.