The Stabilization fund of the Russian Federation (SFRF, Russian: Стабилизационный фонд Российской Федерации, romanized: Stabilizatsionny fond Rossiyskoy Federatsi) was a sovereign wealth fund established based on a resolution of the Government of Russia on 1 January 2004, as a part of the federal budget to balance the federal budget at the time of when oil price falls below a cut-off price, currently set at US$27 per barrel.

The rainy-day Stabilization Fund was used to buffer the national budget, which is strongly tied to the price of crude oil

The Fund was created to create a reserve of liquidity with the additional benefit of reducing inflationary pressure and insulating the economy of Russia from volatility of raw material export earnings (for example the price of crude oil), which was among the reasons of the 1998 Russian financial crisis.

In February 2008 the SFRF was split into a "Reserve Fund", which was invested abroad in low-yield securities and used when oil and gas incomes fall, and the "National Welfare Fund", which invests in riskier, higher-return vehicles, as well as federal budget expenditures.^[1] The Reserve Fund was given $125 billion and the National Welfare Fund was given $32 billion.

By 2017 the Reserve Fund was exhausted and ceased to exist.

History

According to amendments to Russia's budget code inspired by President Vladimir Putin's budget address of March 2007 and passed in April 2007, in February 2008 the Stabilization Fund was supposed to be split into a Reserve Fund, to be invested abroad in low-yield securities and used when oil and gas incomes fall, and a Future Generations' Fund (later renamed the National Wealth Fund), which will invest in riskier, higher return vehicles, as well as federal budget expenditures. Unlike the Stabilization Fund, the new funds will also accumulate revenues from oil products and natural gas.^[2]

On 21 May 2007, President Vladimir Putin urged the government to pump surplus oil revenue into domestic stocks by buying Russian blue chips such as Gazprom and Rosneft, which had fallen since the beginning of the year, instead of foreign securities, which previously had been explicitly forbidden due to fear of inflation.^[3]

The SFRF had trouble during the Great Recession in Russia.

Accumulation and expenditure

The Fund accumulated revenues from the export duty for oil and the tax on oil mining operations when the price for Urals oil exceeds the set cut-off price.

The capital of the Fund was to be used to cover the federal budget deficit and for other purposes, if its balance exceeds 500 billion rubles, spending amounts are subject to the federal budget law for the corresponding fiscal year.

As the capital of the Fund had exceeded the level of 500 billion rubles in 2005, part of its surplus was used for early foreign debt repayments as well as to cover Russian Pension Fund's deficit.^[4] The details of these transactions in 2005 are as follows:

Investment Policy

Reporting

The Ministry of Finance published a monthly report in mass media on the Fund's accumulation, spending and balance and reports quarterly and annually to the Government on accumulation, investment and spending of the Fund's capital. The Government reported quarterly and annually on the Fund's accumulation, spending and investment of capital to both chambers of the Russian Parliament (State Duma and Council of Federation).

See also

• Banking in Russia
• Central Bank of Russia
• Federal budget of Russia

References

External links

• Official website
• SWF Institute Russia's SWF