ria.ru

Moscow took first place in Russia in digitalisation of urban economy

<a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/mamba/">Mamba </a>dating service has begun scaling up in the markets of Italy and Germany, investments in these areas will total $3 million, writes Kommersant with reference to the company's data.

 
 In both countries, the average revenue per paying user per month is more than 1 thousand rubles (equivalent to $13.6 dollars), which is almost twice as much as in Russia.

 
 The company plans to start growing through expat registrations and then switch to foreigners. By the end of 2021, Mamba expects to be in the top 5 popular dating apps in Germany and Italy. Mamba's main competitors are Tinder, Badoo, Bumble, Lovoo, Happn, as well as popular German services such as Lovescout24.

 
 In addition to Russia, Mamba is already present in Israel, where it began promotion in April 2019, and in the Turkish market, where it invested $1 million, hoping to reach the top 3 applications in the segment.

<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
 Contacts&nbsp;
 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/yaroslav.sergeev.1">Yaroslav Sergeev</a>, Executive Director of Mamba
 </div>
 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/servis-znakomstv-mamba-vykhodit-na-rynki-italii-i-germanii/">Original (in Russian)</a>

Kommersant

Mamba dating service enters the Italian and German markets

The Moscow-based NtechLab algorithm for deepfake video recognition was recognized by experts from the Facebook AI laboratory and the University of California at San Diego as the most resistant to deception using "adversarial attacks", subtle video distortions that allow you to deceive a neural network.

 
 The researchers analysed the algorithm after it was placed third in the international Deepfake Detection Challenge in June this year.

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/issledovateli-facebook-i-kaliforniiskogo-universiteta-v-san-diego-nazvali-algoritm-ntechlab-samym-ustoichivym-k-atakam/">Original (in Russian)</a>

CNews

Researchers from Facebook and the University of California San Diego named NtechLab's deepfake video recognition algorithm the most resistant to attacks

One of the largest Russian retailers, Magnit, will create a super app that on the basis of the loyalty programme will combine the ability to order goods online, payment and credit services, as well as other non-financial services for customers, the company said.

 
 The first stage was the launch of the Magnit Pay payment service, developed jointly with VTB Group. Using the service, it will be possible to pay for purchases in any store, including online. In the first half of 2021, the functionality of Magnit Pay will be expanded. It will be possible to pay for third-party services (utilities, communications, fines), contactless payments for phones that do not support NFC will be implemented, and money transfers between loyalty program participants by phone number will be launched. Customers of the retail network will be able to withdraw cash from VTB ATMs using a QR code.In the future, the superapp can include non-financial services of paying and ordering a taxi, tickets to cinema and theaters,&nbsp; restaurant booking and ordering food delivery, as well as subscription to other resources. In the future, the super-application will integrate its own service for the delivery of goods from all of the Magnit stores, the company explained.

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/magnit-zapustil-svoi-platezhnyi-servis-magnit-pay-i-sozdast-superapp/">Original (in Russian)</a>

Magnit

Russian retailer Magnit has launched its Magnit Pay payment service and will create a super app

The Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation announced plans to keep records of computers in all state organisations and structures. The ministry believes that the event will help assess the volume of the country's IT resources, determine the level of data protection used in the systems, and also check the organisation of accounting for property and intellectual rights.

 
 Accounting of IT resources will be implemented using the federal state information system for the coordination of informatisation (FSIS KI). It is reported that, as part of the inventory, the departments will update and provide information on the IT resources used, primary documentation for information systems, information on the fulfillment of requirements for information protection and registration of property and intellectual rights.

 
 The inventory will last until April 2021. Based on the results of the event, the Ministry of Digital Development will submit to the government a report on the results of the work carried out, as well as proposals for improving the mechanisms for accounting and registration of IT resources and rights to them.

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/mintsifry-provedet-inventarizatsiiu-it-resursov-gosorganov/">Original (in Russian)</a>

Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation

An inventory of IT resources of Russian government agencies will be conducted until April 2021

<a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/youdrive-pool/">YouDrive</a>&nbsp;carsharing and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/sitymobil/">Citymobil</a> taxi ordering service (both part of the Mail.ru Group and Sberbank Joint Venture) will combine technologies and resources to develop marketing, IT infrastructure and other business areas.&nbsp;

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/sergeev.aleksey">Alexey Sergeev</a>, who headed the B2B direction of Citymobil, will become the CEO of YouDrive. Together with the team, he will be involved in, among other things, integrating car sharing into a unified transport platform based on a taxi service. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/eduard.mingazhev">Eduard Mingazhev</a>, Head of the Department of Efficiency and Business Development of Citymobil, will also move to YouDrive as the Chief Operating Officer. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/boris.golikov">Boris Golikov</a>, co-founder of YouDrive, will take over as president of the company to focus on strategic business objectives and his own projects. In particular, he service of short-term rental of scooters lite and&nbsp; Pump, service of mobile refueling of cars.


 
 
In early November, the Moscow Department of Transport <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/a-single-application-for-all-types-of-transport-will-appear-in-moscow/">announced</a> a single platform for all types of urban transport: bike rental, taxi services, public transport and others. Citymobil was among companies connected to it. 

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/youdrive-i-sitimobil-obediniat-tekhnologii-dlia-razvitiia-it-infrastruktury/">Original (in Russian)</a>

VC.ru

YouDrive and Citymobil will combine technologies and resources to develop IT infrastructure

Russian IT distributor Softline has agreed to purchase 63.38% of the German IT company Softline AG of the same name.&nbsp;

 
 According to Igor Borovikov, Chairman of the Board Europe, the deal is planned to be closed by March 31, 2021, and based on the market capitalisation, its amount could be about €7.6 million.&nbsp;

 
 Despite the same names, the Russian and German companies were not connected before. Softline AG was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Germany. The company also operates in the markets of the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and the United Kingdom.

 
 As the managing partner of Leta Capital, Alexander Chachava, explained to the publication, the purchase of a German company has two values: a name and historically established contracts, he believes. The acquisition of the company of the same name removes legal risks and solves the issue of branding in the Western European market, in addition, Softline AG already has contracts, which is important for a distributor and allows it to become a point of entry into a new territory.

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/softline-pokupaet-nemetskuiu-it-kompaniiu-softline-ag/">Original (in Russian)</a>

Softline acquires 63.38% of the German IT company Softline AG

According to Kommersant, VTB Group is ready to donate 50% of Citibike JSC, the capital's bicycle rental operator to the city of Moscow. At the beginning of 2020, Deputy Mayor of the capital Maxim Liksutov addressed the head of VTB, Andrey Kostin, with such a proposal. The Moscow Transport Department and VTB's press service confirmed that such a deal is being considered, but they did not disclose any details until final approval.

 
 The department added that they would like to jointly develop a city bike rental project. VTB explained that the integration of Citibike with the city will allow the development of a rental service: the project requires investments for the construction of bike paths, the installation of bicycle traffic lights, and the purchase of electric bicycles and stations for them.In 2019, the Citibike had 5.44 thousand bicycles and 529 stations throughout Moscow. By the end of 2020, there should be 6.77 thousand bicycles and 630 stations. In 2019, almost half of Citibike's revenue came from advertising on bicycles and VTB stations. 

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/vtb-bezvozmezdno-peredast-moskve-50-aktsii-sitibaika/">Original (in Russian)</a>

VTB is ready to transfer 50% shares of the capital's bicycle rental operator CityBike to the Moscow city free of charge

International and Russian experts on the concept of a "smart city" today and what role technology plays in it

ICT.Moscow

How Smart City is defined in the world today

Sberbank will become the winner in the tender for the right to act as an operator and supplier of the core of the IT platform "Gostech" - a unified ecosystem of public services for citizens and business.

 
 The bank became the only participant in the auction, announced by the Ministry of Finance on November 21, and will be declared the winner without reducing the cost of execution for 900 million rubles (equivalent to $12.3 million).

 
 According to the terms of reference, the winner must, by May 31, 2022, create a platform for "organising the production and technological process of software development", on the basis of which the entire system will be built. The platform must support the work of at least 100 million people and ensure that 120 thousand users are on it at a time.

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/sozdatelem-i-operatorom-gostekha-stanet-sberbank/">Original (in Russian)</a>

Sberbank to become the creator and operator of Gostech platform, a unified ecosystem of public services for citizens and business

On December 10, the online awarding ceremony for the American IT World Awards took place.&nbsp; Among Russian companies, Usetech was awarded&nbsp; for the development of a chess landscape for World Chess and Sberbank for the development of the AI ​​Cloud platform.&nbsp;

 
 Usetech won the gold medal in the IT Products &amp; Services for Media and Entertainment nomination, and Sberbank won the silver medal in the New Product-Service of the Year nomination. 

 
 The award was founded by the leading scientific and reference publication in the field of information technology - Network Products Guide more than 10 years ago. The annual IT World Awards is part of the Silicon Valley Communications SVUS Awards program, which brings together organizations from around the world.

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/usetech-i-sberbank-poluchili-nagradu-it-world-awards/">Original (in Russian)</a>

Usetech and Sberbank won the IT World Awards

The weekly observer of Moscow's tech stories

<hr />
<h2>
 MARKET IN BRIEF<a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a>
</h2>

 
 main news about Moscow's projects, developers and technologies

 <div>
 <a class="image_link" target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/coursera-russia-continues-to-rank-1-in-the-technology-and-data-science-categories-in-the-global-skills-index/">
 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
 src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/a5d7250f-79e8-553f-8a6b-71175ba8a006.png">
 </a>
 </div>

<ul>
 <li>Coursera: Russia <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/coursera-russia-continues-to-rank-1-in-the-technology-and-data-science-categories-in-the-global-skills-index/">continues</a> to rank #1 in the Technology and Data Science categories in the Global Skills Index</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>Doctors of the Moscow telemedicine centre <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/doctors-of-the-moscow-telemedicine-centre-conducted-more-than-820-thousand-consultations/">conducted</a> more than 820 thousand consultations since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic</li>
 <li>Usetech and Sberbank&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/usetech-and-sberbank-won-the-it-world-awards/">won</a>&nbsp;the IT World Awards</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>Cognitive Pilot to <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/cognitive-pilot-to-start-mass-production-of-unmanned-train-control-systems-in-2021/">start</a> mass production of unmanned train control systems in 2021 (Card of <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/cognitive-pilot/">Cognitive Pilot</a></li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>Kaspersky Lab <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/kaspersky-lab-will-present-a-smartphone-with-a-secure-os/">will present</a> a smartphone with a secure OS (Cards of <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/cards/?tags=Kaspersky_Lab">Kaspersky Lab</a>)</li>
</ul>

<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
 GOV AGENDA
 
 Rosstat&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/rosstat-plans-to-launch-an-analytical-platform-population-with-free-access-for-business/">plans</a>&nbsp;to launch an analytical platform “Population” with free access for business
 The Ministry of Digital Development has&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/the-ministry-of-digital-development-has-compiled-a-rating-of-applications-for-pre-installation-on-gadgets/">compiled</a>&nbsp;a rating of applications for pre-installation on gadgets
 Sberbank to <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/sberbank-to-become-the-creator-and-operator-of-gostech-platform-a-unified-ecosystem-of-public-services-for-citizens-and-business/">becom</a>e the creator and operator of Gostech platform, a unified ecosystem of public services for citizens and business
 </div>
 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/">More news&nbsp;→</a>

<hr />
<h2>
 INVESTMENT &amp; IPO DEALS<a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a>
</h2>

<ul>
 <li>Mail.ru Group has <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/mail-ru-group-has-invested-in-the-uchi-ru-service-and-will-receive-25-of-the-company/">invested </a>in the Uchi.ru service and will receive 25% of the company&nbsp;(Card of <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/uchi-ru/">Uchi.ru</a>)</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>Ozon <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/ozon-raised-1-2-billion-following-its-ipo/">raised</a> $1.2 billion following its IPO</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>Moscow-based online insurance startup Pampadu <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/moscow-based-online-insurance-startup-pampadu-raised-400-for-development/">raised </a>$400 thousand for development (Card of <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/pampadu/">Pampadu</a>)</li>
</ul>

<hr />
<h2>
 LONGREAD<a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a>
</h2>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/how-smart-city-is-defined-in-the-world-today/">How Smart City is defined in the world today</a>

 
 During almost thirty years of the existence of “Smart City” term, a final unambiguous interpretation of it has not been provided yet. Nevertheless, this does not prevent analysts from forecasting the growth of this area on an annual basis.&nbsp;

 
 Artificial intelligence is one of the most hyped technologies among the authors of smart city strategies.&nbsp; The frequency of AI references among the key smart city technologies is gradually increasing: 7 out of 9 mentions of AI in strategies refer to the documents released in 2017 and later. The COVID-19 pandemic has also become a significant driver for revising the Smart City concept In 2020. We can already see how cities are updating the global agenda taking into account this experience.&nbsp;

 
 ICT.Moscow tried to figure out how a smart city is defined today and what place is given to technology in this concept by discussing these issues with experts from Singapore, Vienna, Helsinki, Taipei, Sydney, Moscow and other cities.

<div class="incut-block ">
 
 Smart City is not just about pushing technology for the sake of digitalisation. We need to translate the use of technology to people’s happiness, people’s jobs, and people’s access to services. Our goals and objectives have to absolutely be grounded by real-world results.
 
 <div class="quote-owner">
 <div class="quote-owner__logo">
 <img alt="Mr Tan Chee Hau" src="https://ict.moscow/static/f146b0d8-1a7d-5ef2-a7e6-5289c1e84c53.dms">
 </div >
 <div>
 
 Mr Tan Chee Hau
 
 Director of Planning and Prioritisation at the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO) (Singapore)
 </div>
 </div>
</div>
<div class="incut-block ">
 
 With multiple dynamic megatrends constantly challenging us a long term smart city concept cannot be set in stone. On the contrary, cities have to be agile and adaptive to turn into sustainable more livable habitats in the coming years. Having said that, it remains of vital importance to implement strategies consequently and coherently. Being agile does not mean to skip strategies whenever a problem requires adjustments.&nbsp;
 
 <div class="quote-owner">
 <div class="quote-owner__logo">
 <img alt="Nikolaus Summer" src="https://ict.moscow/static/b667bae7-f46c-51eb-b645-35d8e70de951.jpg">
 </div >
 <div>
 
 Nikolaus Summer
 
 Senior Expert of Smart City Agency (Vienna)
 </div>
 </div>
</div>
<div class="incut-block ">
 
 Smart cities was a convenient label to describe any city that takes advantage of ICT to boost sustainability and liveability for its citizens. Big tech could use this label to push a digitalisation agenda via IoT sensors, big data capture, urban analytics, and activation (smart traffic lights etc.). What we are really talking about is ‘urban futures’ and how this will change for city dwellers as the digitalisation of everything continues apace.&nbsp;
 
 <div class="quote-owner">
 <div class="quote-owner__logo">
 <img alt="Mark Burry" src="https://ict.moscow/static/eb6fd01a-11a6-56b2-b3b6-f1785bbd7572.png">
 </div >
 <div>
 
 Mark Burry
 
 Director Smart Cities Research Institute (Australia)
 </div>
 </div>
</div>
<div class="incut-block ">
 
 For Moscow, the “smart city” concept has for a long time already been not a theory, but a practice. Without the introduction of modern technological solutions, the management of a multi-million megacity becomes simply impossible. That is why digitalization affects all sectors of the urban economy and the social sphere of Moscow. At the same time, in terms digitalization, the city is always guided by the “technology is for people” principle: any IT solution that is implemented in the capital should improve the city management, the quality of life and doing business.
 
 <div class="quote-owner">
 <div class="quote-owner__logo">
 <img alt="Eduard Lysenko" src="https://ict.moscow/static/e2c13716-07da-5095-ae46-0c5a33e90dc6.png">
 </div >
 <div>
 
 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eduard.lysenko.7" target="_blank">
 Eduard Lysenko
 </a>
 
 Head of the Department of Information Technologies of Moscow
 </div>
 </div>
</div>
 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/maas-in-global/">Read full article →</a>

<hr />
 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/ai-digest-november-20/">Digest about AI in Russia: top news in November</a>

 
 ICT.Moscow has collected the most notable topics for November about artificial intelligence in one digest: successes of medical AI, the race between the United States and China, the hype around autonomous vehicles and other topics of the month.

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/ai-digest-november-20/">Read full issue →</a>

<hr />
<h2>
 DIGITAL SOLUTIONS FROM MOSCOW<a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a>
</h2>

 
 a showcase of some smart city solutions&nbsp;

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/nash-gorod/" style="">Gorod.mos.ru</a>

 
 Information portal to control urban improvements

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/ag/">Active Citizen</a>

 
 Electronic citizen poll system

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/obshchegorodskoy-kontakt-centr/">City wide contact center</a>

 
 Robotic voice notification service for citizens

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/cards/?tags=smartcity">More solutions&nbsp; →</a>

<hr />
 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/?filterCategory=Tech-in-Moscow">Previous Tech in Moscow&nbsp;newsletters</a>

Tech in Moscow #17 (7  - 13 December 2020)

Pampadu, an online insurance startup from Moscow, raised $400 thousand. The funds were received in round A from the Admitad Projects startup studio. Investments will be directed to new product launches, team strengthening and hypothesis testing.

 
 Pampadu is an online insurance service through which small and medium businesses, webmasters and website owners, as well as individuals can act as insurance intermediaries and issue electronic insurance policies remotely.

 
 The technology of the service allows users, including self-employed, to register and to issue insurance products online. Pampadu marketplace was launched in 2019. Seed round investments amounted to about 8 million rubles (equivalent to $109 thousand). According to our own data, over 170 thousand policies were sold for 15 months of work.

<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
 Contacts:
 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010251182806" target="_blank">Sergey Loktev</a>, founder of the Pampadu project
 </div>
 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/moskovskii-startap-po-onlain-strakhovaniiu-pampadu-privlek-400-na-razvitie/" target="_blank">Original (in Russian)</a>

RB.ru

 Moscow-based online insurance startup Pampadu raised $400 thousand for development

Ozon announced the completion of the IPO: in total, the online retailer placed 42.45 million shares and raised $1.27 billion or $1.2 billion after deducting the costs of the placement and underwriting fees.

 
 Ozon currently has a total of 208.2 million common shares. AFK Sistema and Baring Vostok acquired Ozon American Depositary Shares (ADS) in a private placement for $135 million and received 33.1% and 33% of the company's shares, respectively.

 
 Other current shareholders (each with less than 5%) own 15.7% - 32.7 million shares. New investors received a total of 18% - 37.95 million shares.

 
 The Russian marketplace held its first public offering on the Nasdaq and Moscow Exchange on November 24. The retailer started trading under the ticker “OZON”. The shares traded at $30 per share and rose 40% after the start of trading to $42.85. The market capitalisation of the company reached $8.6 billion, taking into account changes in the share price, increase in volume, convertible loans and options.

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/ozon-po-itogam-ipo-privlek-1-2-mlrd/">Original (in Russian)</a>

Ozon raised $1.2 billion following its IPO

A service for attracting investments in technology start-ups, <a target="_blank" href="https://i.moscow/investicionnaya-upakovka">Investment Packaging</a>, has been launched in Moscow. It is available on the i.moscow platform of the Moscow Innovation Cluster.

 
 The service allows to unite supply and demand for investments on a single digital platform. It can be used by founders of technology projects with a prototype or minimum viable product (MVP) ready to go to market.

 
 An investor deck and financial model will be developed for the selected startups. Then projects will be presented to an investment committee consisting of investors, scientific, technical and investment experts, as well as the Moscow Innovation Agency and the Moscow Export Center representatives.&nbsp;

 
 Each entrepreneur will be offered a calendar of events and meetings with investors that will help raise funding and facilitate entry into other markets.Startups that have passed additional examination will be able to apply for up to 36 million rubles. (equivalent to $491 thousand) from the Moscow Venture Investment Development Fund. An important requirement is that the project must have co-financing from an external investor, the amount of which depends on the requested amount.

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-moskve-zapustili-servis-dlia-privlecheniia-investitsii-v-tekhnologicheskie-startapy/">Original (in Russian)</a>

mos.ru

A service to attract investment in technology startups was launched in Moscow

Cognitive Pilot, a joint venture between Sberbank and Cognitive Technologies, plans to begin mass production of unmanned train control systems in 2021. These systems will be equipped with artificial intelligence and will reduce the accident rate due to the human factor. The company plans to manufacture more than 2 thousand systems.

 
 According <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000826626015">Olga Uskova</a>,&nbsp;CEO of Cognitive Pilot, potential clients are Russian Railways (RZD) and European carriers.&nbsp;

 
 In September, it was announced that Russian Railways began testing the first Russian trains with artificial intelligence to reduce accidents. According to Uskova, Russian Railways has already begun preparations for equipping its locomotives with intelligent Cognitive Rail Pilot systems, orders have been received for this technology from France, Denmark and Germany, and the first contracts have been signed with European customers.

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 We received a certificate of conformity on trial operation, which means that we have driven the required number of hours on real (rail) roads. Now we are passing certification as part of controlled operation, when the developer is not present at all in the experimental circuit, the customer operates everything himself, we plan to pass it by December 31. And this all prior the worldwide distribution of this product, next year there will be a tremendous scaling.
 
 <div class="quote-owner">
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 <img alt="Olga Uskova" src="https://ict.moscow/static/8ba705f1-87be-530e-8eee-00361d213e43.png">
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 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000826626015" target="_blank">
 Olga Uskova
 </a>
 
 CEO of Cognitive Pilot
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 In November 2019, Sberbank and Cognitive Technologies announced the conclusion of a legally binding agreement to create Cognitive Pilot, a company specializing in the development of unmanned technologies in the fields of transport, agriculture, computer vision and artificial intelligence.

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/cognitive-pilot-nachnet-massovoe-proizvodstvo-avtopilotov-dlia-poezdov-v-2021-godu/">Original (in Russian)</a>

TASS

Cognitive Pilot to start mass production of unmanned train control systems in 2021

The Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation has completed the processing of applications from IT companies for inclusion in the list of programs for pre-installation on smartphones and TVs with Smart TV options before being sold in Russia and has compiled a rating of programs by their popularity based on IT companies' own data. 

 
 In total, the Ministry received about 100 applications from software manufacturers and compiled a list of applications recommended for pre-installation.

 
 Among browsers, search engines, navigators and cloud services, Yandex products are in the lead, Mail.ru Group leads in the "email", "news aggregator", "social networks" categories, Kaspersky among antiviruses,&nbsp; "My Office" in the office software&nbsp; category. In addition,&nbsp; Gosuslugi and MIR payment systems to be pre-installed.&nbsp; 

 
 The list must be approved by the government, after which the applications with the largest number of unique users will be pre-installed on smartphones, tablets, TVs, laptops and PCs. "At the same time, users will always be able to install programs of similar categories at their own choice," - representatives of&nbsp; the Ministry of Digital Development added.

 
 In early December, Roskomnadzor presented a list of video services that will be able to apply for pre-installation of their applications, including ivi, Megogo, More.tv, Channel One, Match TV and others.


 
 
The pre-installation law, which was signed in December 2019, was due to take effect in July 2020. However, this deadline was first shifted to January 1, 2021 due to the pandemic, and at the end of November the Ministry of Finance supported the postponement of the law for three months - until April 1, 2021.

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/mintsifry-sostavilo-reiting-prilozhenii-dlia-predustanovki-na-gadzhety/">Original (in Russian)</a>

The Ministry of Digital Development has compiled a rating of applications for pre-installation on gadgets

Coursera has presented the final version of the Global Skills Index, a global survey of the training level of IT professionals in various fields.

 
 Russia is placed first in the&nbsp; "Technology" and "Data Science" categories, and 9th in the "Business". Analysts note that Russian specialists occupy first places in international competitions, ahead of the USA and China, and also produce the largest number of specialists - about 450 thousand per year.

 
 Analysts also assessed what are the professional skills, as well as the qualifications of personnel in 10 different industries, including IT and telecom, healthcare, and the automotive industry. Here are some research insights:

<ul>
 <li>Working with cloud computing and&nbsp;artificial intelligence algorithms are the most trending skills in the IT field.</li>
 <li>The telecom industry has demonstrated the highest professionalism of experts in the field of machine learning, which is associated with the high penetration of technology into almost all segments of this area;
In the healthcare sector, analysts saw an average level of preparedness of IT specialists, including in the field of machine learning and big data, only the security engineering skills of developers were highly rated;&nbsp;</li>
 <li>The automotive industry has demonstrated a high level of preparedness of the IT staff, which is associated with developments in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles.&nbsp;</li>
 <li>In the Data Science category, the automotive industry came in third, and analysts expect more investment in this segment.<a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn" target="_blank"></a></li>
</ul>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.coursera.org/gsi">Global Skills Index</a>

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 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
 src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/f1943d0d-8e86-5c21-9cc9-acc010e6cb2c.jpeg">
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 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/coursera-rossiia-prodolzhaet-zanimat-1-e-mesto-v-kategoriiakh-tekhnologii-i-data-science-v-global-skills-index/" target="_blank">Original (in Russian)</a>

Coursera

Coursera: Russia continues to rank #1 in the Technology and Data Science categories in the Global Skills Index

Sberbank and Microsoft Research have developed&nbsp;an AI&nbsp;robot control system.&nbsp;It allows robots to be trained to interact with the physical world.

 
 The key goal of the research project was to develop a solution that can interact with people, freeing them from mechanically complex routine work and providing a high level of security. The system can be applied in various fields - from logistics to rescue operations. Work on the project was carried out at the Robotics Laboratory of Sberbank in Moscow and at Microsoft in Berkeley and Redmond in the USA and lasted from May 2019 to May 2020. The developers had to create a technology for unloading cash collector bags with coins weighing up to 6 kg using a robotic arm from mobile carts for their subsequent processing in calculating machines. Real-world tests of the system have shown that it can operate with an accuracy of 95%.

 
 Work on the project took place in three stages. The first stage involved the development of a simulation of a robotic installation and deformable bags of coins, taking into account their physical characteristics. The second stage involved integrating simulators with a machine learning framework and conducting experiments in a simulation environment. At the final third stage, the intelligent agent trained in simulators was transferred directly to a physical robot. <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/sberbank-i-microsoft-razrabotali-ii-sistemu-upravleniia-robotami/">Original (in Russian)</a>

Microsoft

Sberbank and Microsoft have developed an AI robot control system

Mail.ru Group will buy 25% of the Russian educational service for schoolchildren <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/uchi-ru/" target="_blank">Uchi.ru</a> for 3.75 billion rubles (equivalent to $51.1 million).

 
 The Internet holding will be able to increase its share to a controlling one through an option. The first option to increase the stake to 49.5% can be exercised at the end of 2021. The founders of Uchi.ru will remain shareholders and will continue to develop the platform.

 
 The Mail.ru Group specified that according to the plan in 2020, the revenue of the Uchi.ru platform will amount to over 2.5 billion rubles ($34.1 million). This service brings 90% of the company's total revenue, which is expected to be about 3 billion rubles ($40.9 million). This is almost three times more year-on-year. Uchi.ru's foreign revenue is projected to exceed $2 million in 2020. Uchi.ru is not the first educational project for Mail.ru Group.

 
 The group already has stakes in the <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/skillbox/" target="_blank">Skillbox</a> educational platform, the <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/skillfactory/" target="_blank">SkillFactory</a>, as well as the <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/geekbrains/" target="_blank">GeekBrains</a> online school and Algorithmics, a service-developer of educational programming courses for children.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/mail-ru-group-investirovala-v-servis-uchi-ru-i-poluchit-25-kompanii/" target="_blank">Original (in Russian)</a>

 Mail.ru Group has invested in the Uchi.ru service and will receive 25% of the company

Former AI evangelist at ABBYY Ivan Yamshchikov has joined the <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/skillfactory/" target="_blank">SkillFactory</a> Data Science and Programming School team. He became the director of the school's strategy and will be engaged in its development, as well as strengthening the directions of programming and analytics.

 
 According to Yamshchikov, SkillFactory is the leader in the data science training segment, and he intends to help the school become the best in Russia in the field of analytics and programming.

 
 Prior to joining ABBYY, Yamshchikov headed the new product research group at Yandex. Now Ivan also works as an artificial intelligence researcher at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig and combines his research activities with work in technology companies.

<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
 Contacts: 
 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kroniker" target="_blank">Ivan Yamshchikov</a>
 </div>
 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/ii-evangelist-abbyy-ivan-iamshchikov-stal-direktorom-po-strategii-v-skillfactory/" target="_blank">Original (in Russian)</a>

Former AI evangelist at ABBYY Ivan Yamshchikov became Chief Strategy Officer at SkillFactory

By 2023 Rosstat plans to launch the Population Central Analytical Platform, which should become a data mart for citizens and businesses. Kommersant writes about this with reference to the department's digital transformation plan.

 
 Companies will be able to get free access to the platform and to indicators of fertility, mortality, marriage, divorce, as well as upload data for their own purposes. The department explains that now companies can receive the department's data on request, but this is a long process. Unlike the current system of Rosstat, which records indicators on a monthly basis, the new platform will do this in real time.

 
 According to Pavel Smelov, Deputy Head of Rosstat, Yandex and Sberbank are already interested in access to the platform. “Enterprises will be able to access the system via API (application programming environment) and make unique requests. If you want, for example, to open a store in a certain place, you can see the characteristics of the population that lives here, "Smelov explained.

 
 Yandex itself explained to the publication that they are not yet familiar with the capabilities of the platform, but “companies can make products and services more convenient for users using the accumulated information”. Experts note that the integration and visualization of data only by 2023 is a very long time in today's environment. The head of the "Smart City" committee of the "Russoft" association Viktor Subbotin believes that the largest companies have already collected all the information for detailed portraits of clients, and small and medium-sized businesses know their consumers without statistics.

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/rosstat-sozdast-platformu-s-dannymi-o-naselenii-i-otkroet-k-nei-dostup-dlia-biznesa/">Original (in Russian)</a>

Rosstat plans to launch an analytical platform “Population” with free access for business

Smartphones with a protected operating system from Kaspersky will appear in 2021, the head of Kaspersky Lab Eugene Kaspersky told RIA Novosti in an interview. According to him, the company has already agreed to install the new OS with a Chinese smartphone manufacturer. However, Kaspersky does not disclose the name of the company.

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 Now we have two or three dozen "pilot projects" both in Russia and abroad - Europe, Asia, the CIS countries. What we are already ready to supply is an operating system for the Internet of Things - industrial and any other. And for phones and tablets it will be ready next year.
 
 <div class="quote-owner">
 <div class="quote-owner__logo">
 <img alt="Eugene Kaspersky" src="https://ict.moscow/static/af4a8bc4-0ba7-5161-9eba-3cae7f370e94.png">
 </div >
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 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EugeneKaspersky" target="_blank">
 Eugene Kaspersky
 </a>
 
 CEO of Kaspersky Lab 
 </div>
 </div>
</div>
 
 A smartphone with the Kaspersky operating system will have basic applications and its own browser. The presence of an application store on such an OS is not yet expected. “So far, we do not assume that we will have any AppStore, but something similar should appear in the future. Most likely, first we will make our own, and then we will be ready to attract other app stores. We understand that this project will not take off without a large ecosystem, so we are ready to attract partners" said Kaspersky.

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/laboratoriia-kasperskogo-predstavit-smartfon-s-zashchishchennoi-os/">Original (in Russian)</a>

Kaspersky Lab will present a smartphone with a secure OS

Since the beginning of the pandemic, doctors at the telemedicine center in Moscow have completed more than 820 thousand consultations for patients with coronavirus infection and participants of the post-marketing study of the COVID-19 vaccine. This is reported by mos.ru with reference to Anastasia Rakova, Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Social Development.

 
 In particular, more than 155 thousand consultations were conducted for the participants in the vaccine study, and more than 660 thousand for patients with COVID-19.The telemedicine center was created this spring specifically for patients with COVID-19 who are mildly ill and are being treated at home. All information about the course of the disease and the dynamics of the patient's vital signs are recorded in an electronic medical record and are available to the doctor in real time.

 
 Earlier, Moscow's digital projects to combat the COVID-19 pandemic <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/moscows-digital-projects-to-fight-the-covid-19-pandemic-receive-a-runet-prize/" target="_blank">received</a> the Runet Prize.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/vrachi-telemeditsinskogo-tsentra-proveli-bolee-820-tys-konsultatsii/" target="_blank">Original (in Russian)</a>

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