By Yasmine Yahya 

Russia dwarfs Singapore in terms of size and population but the country's leaders think there is much to learn here in areas from public housing to infocomm technology.

The Russian government is keen to learn more about the Central Provident Fund (CPF) system, said Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Tuesday.

"They are trying to move away from a system of assistance across the board," Mr Tharman, who is also Finance Minister, said on the sidelines of the Russia-Singapore Business Forum.

"So (they are interested in) a system of targeted assistance for those in need, especially in health care and other areas, as well as our system of allowing people to own homes through the CPF."