M&A

Ozon to acquire Oney Bank to enhance financial service offerings

April 15, 2021

Ozon, a NASDAQ-listed Russian e-commerce major, announced today an agreement with Sovcombank to acquire Oney Bank. This cash transaction is still subject to regulatory approval; its exact amount , which should “not exceed $10 million,” will be determined at closing, Through this deal, Ozon is acquiring the licenses required to develop its offering of financial services around its marketplace. …

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Sber acquires InSales to help Russian SMEs sell online

April 13, 2021

Sber (previously know as Sberbank) is demonstrating once again its ambitions in the field of e-commerce with the acquisition of SaaS provider InSales, which was announced yesterday. The state-controlled financial and digital giant has agreed to acquire an 80% stake in InSales for an undisclosed amount. The rest of the shares will remain in the hands …

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Movika acquisition: Sber goes video

April 9, 2021

In late March Sber, the state-controlled financial and digital giant previously known as Sberbank, took control of a Russian video creation startup called Movika. Sber announced its subsidiary Digital Assets acquired a 58% stake in Movika and could increase it to 80% in the future. The amount of the deal was not disclosed.  Movika’s technology allows …

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Sber and Mail.ru Group “on the brink of divorce” (FT)

March 31, 2021

The rumors aired in late 2020 about dissensions between Mail.ru Group (an LSE-listed Russian Internet major) and Sber (the state-controlled financial and technology giant previously known as Sberbank) could be confirmed soon.  The Financial Times learned that the two groups are considering splitting jointly-owned assets, including meal delivery service Delivery Club and ride-hailing service Citimobil. These companies are part of a joint …

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Russian gaming giant Playrix acquires Ukrainian Boolat Games

March 24, 2021

Earlier this week Playrix, a global Russian-founded gaming giant, announced the acquisition of Ukrainian game studio Boolat Games. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.  Launched 20 years ago, Boolat Games creates multi-platform free-to-play and adventure games. Different genres are available, from casual to hardcore: RPG, time-management, hidden objects, strategy, etc. The studio’s portfolio features dozens …

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AliExpress Russia invests in regional marketplace KazanExpress

February 7, 2022

AliExpress Russia, a leading cross-border and domestic e-commerce platform in Russia, has invested in a major regional e-commerce company, KazanExpress, acquiring a 30% stake. The amount of the transaction was not disclosed but, in an exchange with Kommersant, KazanExpress co-owner Linar Khusnullin refered to an amount of “several billions of rubles” (dozens of millions of …

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Russian tip automation startup acquired by major bank 18 months after launch

March 17, 2021

Alfa-Bank is in the process of acquiring Netmonet, a startup that uses QR codes to automate tips in restaurants, cafés and beauty salons. In an agreement signed last month, the Russian lender is committed to acquire the company fully for an undisclosed amount.  Forbes Russia has estimated Netmonet’s valuation at approximately $4 million — a sizeable amount …

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

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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Mail.ru Group, Alipay, USM, MegaFon and RDIF team up to develop payment and financial services

February 16, 2021

On Feb. 12 Alipay owner Ant Group, LSE-listed Mail.ru Group, mobile operator MegaFon, sovereign fund RDIF and Alisher Usmanov’s holding USM signed binding agreements to create a payments joint venture (PJV) and a financial services joint venture (FSJV). The deals, which follow an October 2019 non-binding agreement, are still subject to “a number of conditions including third …

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Yandex.Taxi acquires assets in the taxi industry in spite of Mail.Ru’s veto

February 8, 2021

Yandex.Taxi, the taxi-hailing and food delivery joint venture of Yandex and Uber (formally called ‘MLU’), has completed the acquisition of the call centers and cargo business of Vezet Group.   ‘Vezet’ means “it’s giving a ride” or “to be in luck” in Russian. Established in May 2017 (resulting from the merger of two local companies), Vezet Group provides ride-hailing, cargo …

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Sber to invest more than $400 million in Goods.ru in a bid for e-commerce leadership

January 28, 2021

Sber, Russia’s state-controlled financial and tech giant (previously known as Sberbank), announced today a new partnership to assert itself in the Russian e-commerce space.  Just weeks after agreeing an alliance with Merlion, Sber signed a “memorandum of intent” with M.Video-Eldorado Group — a competitor of Merlion in the field of electronic goods — to “join hands in developing the …

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Dating Group acquires French ‘slow dating’ app Once for $18 million

January 27, 2021

Earlier this month Dating Group, a Russian-founded international dating major, announced the acquisition of French dating app Once for $18 million in cash and stock. Founded in 2015 by Jean Meyer and Clémentine Lalande, Once aims to “brings back the magic to the online dating world.”  It claims 9 million users, 5 million chats daily and 50 million …

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