Lives of entrepreneurs before great success are rarely in the spotlight. Both analysts and the media pay little attention to them. However, any part of their life stories can become a good example for millions of young entrepreneurs around the world. A case in point is the biography of Oleg Belay, who is now the CEO of the TRINFICO Investment Group.
The entrepreneur put all his efforts into one business project and succeeded. He took conscious risks, persevered through crises, and always stayed true to his principles. As a result, together with a team of talented managers, the businessman managed to build a company that became one of the largest players of the Russian market. Let’s talk about Oleg Belay’s biography, which can become a source of inspiration to many people, including millions of young entrepreneurs around the world.
Biography of the Entrepreneur
Success stories of many businessmen begin with paragraphs about their childhoods. Then it usually turns out that they had very wealthy parents. Unlike many big entrepreneurs, Oleg Belay grew up in a family of ordinary programmers. They could not invest in his start-up or put him in touch with someone from the business community — the entrepreneur had to build all his business connections on his own.
Early Life and Educational Background
The future businessman spent his childhood and teenage years in Moscow. Belay Oleg Viktorovich graduated from a regular secondary school. His loved ones remember him as an active and curious child who found it very easy to connect with people. Later on, the entrepreneur’s communication skills helped him build meaningful connections in the business community.
That said, during his school years, Oleg was not sure that he would choose the life of an entrepreneur. He was choosing between many different careers. After graduating from school, the future businessman decided to study engineering. He considered several universities and decided on the Moscow Institute of Electronic Technology. Interestingly, the latter was also the alma mater of the young man’s parents. However, his major was different from theirs, as he decided to study physics.
Interest in Entrepreneurship
Among the companies developed by Oleg Belay, TRINFICO was the most successful one. However, a few years before it was founded, the businessman had a chance to participate in several other business projects. The young man’s Interest in entrepreneurship was largely connected to his desire for autonomy. Oleg dreamed of making independent decisions without having to consult bosses or investors.
He decided against building a career in science for the same reason. Although he received his degree in engineering physics, he abandoned the idea of working in this field. He realized that only his own business would allow him to unlock his full potential.
First Business Projects
At the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey, Oleg Belay, by his own admission, did not have a clear idea of what kind of business he wanted to build. He spent a lot of time analyzing and researching emerging markets. He tried different options until he found “his” segment.
Executive Roles
Oleg’s innate communication skills helped him successfully join the business community during his student years. He often interacted with young people who wanted to try their hand at entrepreneurship. Eventually, he was invited to participate in various projects. The future businessman readily accepted the offers.
Oleg Belay admitted that his ultimate goal was never about working for someone else. However, he understood the importance and value of managerial experience, including for starting his own business. And so, he participated in many different projects and delivered great results. Had he wished, he could have built a great career as an executive; but the entrepreneur chose a different path.
Starting a News Agency
According to the businessman’s inner circle, making money was never his only goal. This was probably the reason why he quit many promising projects. Oleg had no problem leaving an industry if he was no longer interested in it, even if it was extremely profitable.
This was the case with the news agency co-founded by Oleg Belay. The agency distributed information on financial topics. Its materials quickly gained popularity among the largest media outlets of the time. However, its owners eventually lost interest in journalism and decided to channel their efforts into a new endeavor.
Role in the History of TRINFICO
Oleg Belay and his partners were able to see the enormous potential of the financial sector. Although opening a investment firm was fraught with great risks and the market was still forming, the young men decided to give it a try. At the time, they could hardly imagine that their business would continue to operate even after 30 years.
Starting an Investment Company
Oleg Belay co-founded a company called TRINFICO in 1993. Industry experts often assess this point in history as an extremely unstable period and say that the market was particularly volatile at the time. Nevertheless, the co-founders of the investment group knew that it had great potential. High risks were balanced by great opportunities for rapid growth. The entrepreneurs chose to take a chance.
They had to take into account the risks and special aspects of starting a business in the investment market of that time. The situation in the market was complicated by:
- The ongoing legislative processes: the government was constantly changing and refining the laws and adopting new standards.
- The growing list of financial instruments: new types of securities entered the market almost every month and, investment companies had to quickly adopt them if they wanted to stay competitive and make sure that their clients had access to the latest instruments.
- Inefficient market regulation mechanisms: this problem often led to unfair competition and opened the market to fly-by-night companies.
- Lack of trust towards investment companies: one of the reasons for the mistrust was the country’s transition to a new economic model, which seemed strange to most Russians.
- Fierce competition in almost all investment sectors: there were both Russian and foreign companies competing in the market.
In these conditions, TRINFICO’s management team decided that following a stable growth strategy would be the only right decision. There was no point in chasing ratings for momentary leadership in a volatile market where the situation could change at any moment and turn yesterday’s leaders into outsiders.
Rapid Growth and Overcoming Crises
Effective management quickly delivered the desired results. TRINFICO steadily moved forward and expanded its client base, gaining the trust of a wider audience. Soon, it began working with non-governmental Pension Fund. The company continuously demonstrated good performance in managing their assets. Later on, the investment group also started to work with the state Pension Fund of the Russian Federation.
However, post-Soviet Russia often experienced large-scale crises that could not but affect even the most stable businesses. One of the most notable was the collapse of the “GKO pyramid scheme” in 1998, which led to a sovereign default. Like many other entrepreneurs, the owners of TRINFICO had to scale down their business. However, this experience taught them some lessons. Following a rapid recovery, the investment team became even more risk-aware and made asset safety their absolute priority.
Latest Achievements
In just a few years, TRINFICO transformed from an ordinary Moscow brokerage firm that traded first bonds and vouchers into a large company with a wide range of investment services. The latter soon included asset management solutions. In 2013, the company underwent a consolidation process, and Oleg Belay assumed the responsibilities of CEO of the investment group.
Under the new CEO, the AMC managed to achieve impressive results. In 2024, Russia’s NRA affirmed TRINFICO’s non-credit rating at A+ with a stable outlook. The experts named several factors that influenced their decision:
- more than 30 years of the company’s experience in the stock market;
- a skilled and experienced team;
- a growing client base;
- increasing profitability and return on assets;
- a resilient liquidity risk profile.
The experts also emphasized that the investment group has now reduced its focus on institutional investors. A stable outlook indicates a strong likelihood that the company’s rating will remain unchanged in the future. That is why thousands of clients, including those who use asset management services, put their trust in TRINFICO.
Green Practices and Philanthropy
Entrepreneur Oleg Belay has remained committed to ESG principles for many years. He integrated them into the company’s business strategy. The businessman stayed loyal to sustainability initiatives, even when many market leaders abandoned their “green” efforts.
ESG Integration
Several years ago, TRINFICO developed an ESG strategy. As a result, it received an ESG rating and was able to improve it later. Interestingly, the company was the first in its segment to receive one.
Oleg Belay notes that ratings in these matters are of secondary importance. One of the main priorities of TRINFICO’s management team is to protect client assets, mitigate risks, and guarantee the sustainable development of the company. These goals can be achieved, among other things, by implementing ESG strategies.
Moreover, the “green agenda” overlaps with the concept of social responsibility in business. The latter is now a key priority for many modern companies. Oleg Belay notes that business has the power to improve the quality of life in the community. And so, he chooses to take advantage of his power to do good.
Charity
Oleg Belay is a well-known philanthropist. However, he does not seek to advertise his charitable activities. What matters to the entrepreneur is that they deliver results. To this end, he suggested the idea of creating a charity foundation called VMESTE SMOZHEM; one of its main goals is to find solutions to cut poverty.
The entrepreneur believes that financial assistance should be consistent. Charity has the potential to solve problems systematically, eliminating the root causes and not just the “symptoms” of negative situations. The charitable foundation that was started by the entrepreneur provides grants to NPOs that share the same values. The funding of the organization is steadily growing, which allows it to support more and more charities every year.
