East-West Digital News

Russian direct sales giant Faberlic acquires Sports.ru to develop vertical communities

March 9, 2021 March 9, 2021

An investment fund controlled by Alexey Nechaev, the founder of Russian direct sales leader Faberlic, has acquired Sports.ru with affiliated blogging and marketing assets. The amount of the deal was not disclosed. Sports.ru is a leading Russian-language sports media and community platform. Founded by a journalist in 1998, the platform was sold in 2006 to Herman …

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Thousands of blockchain and cryptocurrency aficionados expected to meet in Moscow (April 21-22)

March 9, 2021 March 9, 2021

Blockchain Life 2021, a major live forum on blockchain, cryptocurrencies and mining, will hold its 6th edition on 21-22 April in Moscow’s Music Media Dome. Thousands of participants are expected to come. This year, attendees will hear Artem Kalikhov (Waves), Murodjon Khamraev (Bitmain), Rauan Khassan (TradingView), Sergey Khitrov (Listing.Help), Anatoly Radchenko and others. The program will cover such …

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MTS launches Russia’s first pilot 5G network for consumers

March 5, 2021 March 8, 2021

Today, MTS is happy to announce the launch of Russia’s first multi-location pilot 5G network for end consumers. The new network covers 14 highly-trafficked public spaces in Moscow and will provide 5G connectivity at speeds of up to 1.5 Gbps to invited subscribers with compatible 5G smartphones. The limited launch is yet another milestone toward …

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Russian-founded micropodcasting startup receives funding from Peter Thiel and other prominent founders

March 4, 2021 March 8, 2021

A bevy of prominent business angels have backed Voices, a Russian-founded micropodcasting startup based in California. Two million US dollars were contributed by Signal founder Moxie Marlinspike, Tinder founder Justin Mateen, Shutterstock founder John Oringer, eBay founder Peter Thiel, MSQRD co-founders Sergey Gonchar, Evgeny Negen and Andrey Yanchurevich, alongside a few others. Voices co-founder Alexey …

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Russian tech giants go into fintech

March 3, 2021 March 8, 2021

Russian tech giants Yandex, Mail.ru Group, Ozon and Wildberries are developing their own fintech services in an expansion that could put them in stiff competition with the country’s leading banking institutions, Forbes Russia reports. NASDAQ-listed Yandex provides services ranging from music streaming to express grocery delivery. After failing to implement joint projects with Sber and Tinkoff last …

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0100 Virtual CEE: Hundreds of PE/VC professionals to meet online (March 16-18)

March 3, 2021 March 10, 2021

More than 500 industry professionals, including 300+ investors interested in the CEE region, are expected to participate in the 2nd edition of 0100 Virtual CEE, a major PE/VC regional conference. The event will take place online from 16th to 18th March, 2021. Participants will include senior level General Partners from renowned PE/VC funds and Limited Partners — including pension funds, funds of funds, family …

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Russian startup receives oligarch money injection to gamify medical practice

March 2, 2021 March 3, 2021

DocClub, a Moscow-based startup that aims to “help doctors become the best practicing specialists in Russia,” has received $600,000 from Winter Capital in exchange for a 20% stake. Founded in 2019 by Mikhail Litvinenko, DocClub startup has developed a professional online game called “Doctor Simulator,” which simulates consultations. “We select interesting clinical cases and create …

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Sber adopts artificial intelligence ethics principles

March 1, 2021 March 3, 2021

The board of Sberbank has adopted ethical principles behind development and use of artificial intelligence across Sber Group. Principle #1: Secure AI The AI technologies Sber develops are secure, governable and controllable as much as possible. Sber takes into account the possible risks associated with the security of AI technologies and does not allow them to …

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Mail.Ru pursues gaming expansion on US market

February 27, 2021 October 8, 2021

Earlier this month My.Games, a branch of LSE-listed Mail.ru Group, and its associated investment vehicle MGVC, announced “a strategic agreement” with Pizza Club Games. MGVC is investing $1.5 million in this US-based studio launched a year ago, along with “comprehensive support in scaling the business, including marketing, game design, employee recruitment, and product analytics.” The studio expects to increase its staff and “receive …

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TikTok overtakes Facebook in social media use in Russia

February 25, 2021 February 27, 2021

More and more Russians are relying on social networks for information, though most still get their news from television programs, which are under tight government control. According to a poll conducted last month by Levada Center (an independent polling agency which the Russian authorities designate as a “foreign agent”), 42% of Russians named social networks …

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Russian online programming school attracts $10 million to pursue global expansion

February 24, 2021 February 25, 2021

Algorithmics (Algoritmika in Russia), a leading Russian online school of programming, has attracted $10 million in equity funding. Two major funds have backed the startup: Winter Capital and the Russian Chinese Technology Investment Fund. A previous investment came in 2019, when Mail.ru Group acquired a minority stake in the startup. Founded in 2016, Algorithmics offers …

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While Central Bank prepares plans for ‘digital ruble,’ Sber considers launching its own cryptocurrency

February 23, 2021 February 26, 2021

After discussing the launch of the digital ruble with local banks, the country’s financial watchdog says it will present a more detailed concept for the national digital currency by summer. The head of the Central Bank of Russia, Elvira Nabiullina, said detailed feedback from the banking community was received. In an October report, the regulator …

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