From 1986 to 1989, he served as general Director of a Moscow-based hardware wholesaler, Roskhoztorg. In the 1990s, he owned banks and aluminium plants - Metalloinvest. In 2000, after being sued by fellow Russian Billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Anisimv liquidated most of his assets. By 2004 Anismimov re-emerged as a co-owner of Metalloinvest with fellow billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Andrei Skoch. From here he switched form Russian mines to realeste. His wealth comes from Investments in Metalloinvest and his real estate company Coalco.