The Stock Exchange (sometimes more generally called the 'securities market') in Russia was established in 1990 and 1991.

When the USSR was dissolved in December 1990, the Russian Federation introduced legislation regulating public companies and the securities market. The Central Stock Exchange in Moscow (MSE) was founded on 14 November 1990 and the Leningrad Stock Exchange (later changed to the St Petersburg Stock Exchange (SPSE)) was founded on 28 February 1991.

In 1990 and 1991 numerous Russian financial institutions (banks, insurance companies) and trading companies registered as joint stock companies and started selling their shares to the public. The first exchanges were set up by banks and trading companies that were cash rich to trade commodities such as oil, grain and currencies. Other exchanges such as the MSE, SPSE and the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange (MICEX) arrived soon after. There are now well over 20 officially registered stock and commodity exchanges with licences to trade securities.

Some well-known ones are listed below with their addresses:

MOSCOW STOCK EXCHANGE (MSE) 2 bld., 2 Miusskaya Pl. Moscow , 125047, Tel: (7) 095 250 3332, Fax: (7) 095 250 1734

MOSCOW INTERBANK CURRENCY EXCHANGE (MICEX) 13 Bolshoi Kislovsky per., Moscow , 103009, Tel: (7) 095 234 4811, Fax: (7) 095 705 9622

ST PETERSBURG STOCK EXCHANGE (SPSE) 15 26-Lane, St Petersburg , 199026, Tel: (7) 812 322 4411, Fax: (7) 812 322 7390

STOCK ESCHANGE RTS Build. 5 Chayanova St. Moscow , Tel: (7) 095 705 9031, Fax (7) 095 973 4236

OAO Red Gold has a market capitalisation of US$3.5 billion which is comparable with some of the Russian oil companies (from which many of the Russian oligarchs, such as Boris Medvedev made their fortunes). It is listed on the MSE and the main world exchanges such as New York Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange.