Oleg Tinkov,&nbsp; founder of Tinkoff, who less than a
month ago confirmed a possible deal with Yandex, is negotiating with other
potential buyers. MTS or MTS Bank, members of AFK Sistema of Vladimir
Yevtushenkov, can “kill” the deal with the Internet company. According to the
newspaper, there are no final agreements yet.<a></a>

 
 Back in July 2020, an acquaintance of Yevtushenkov informed
the publication about the discussion of the deal. Negotiations continue, but
Yevtushenkov has not made a decision yet.<a></a>

 
 Oleg Tinkov estimated the likelihood of concluding a
deal with Yandex as 50/50 in a post on Instagram on October 4. In the post he
argued that Tinkoff Bank aims to achieve the target of 20 million active
clients and $1 billion in net profit [as of October, the bank has 11 million
customers, net profit for 2019 was 36.1 billion rubles, or approximately $470
million.<a></a>

 
 According to the sources of the publication,
negotiations between the businessman and Yandex are continuing and are going
slowly, the parties have not yet reached a final agreement.<a></a>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/the-bell-tinkov-vedet-peregovory-s-mts-po-prodazhe-tinkoff-banka/">Original (in Russian)</a><a></a>

The Bell

Oleg Tinkov is negotiating with MTS on the sale of Tinkoff Bank

Sber launched <a target="_blank" href="https://sberanalytics.ru/landing">SberAnalytics</a>&nbsp;cloud-based analytical
platform for business and public authorities.<a></a>

 
 It is a digital service that allows users to receive
analytical and statistical reports that are based on anonymized and aggregated
data.<a></a>

 
 The platform includes industry solutions and services,
recommendation models, information and analytical reports and monitoring in
various industries.<a></a>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/sber-zapustil-oblachnuiu-analiticheskuiu-platformu-dlia-biznesa/">Original (in Russian)</a><a></a>

Sberbank

Sber launches a cloud-based analytical platform for business

Geropharm and Cleverbots launched a widget for testing children speech defects using artificial intelligence.<a target="_blank"></a><a target="_blank"></a>

 
 To implement the
project, a machine learning model that analyzes recorded speech in the form of
audio files and identifies pronunciation defects in children, was used. This allows to hold initial consultation and make diagnosis. The Spectrogram widget looks like a test
in a chatbot that can record audio files, and
the child is tested in the form of games.<a target="_blank"></a><a target="_blank"></a>

 
 Currently the
neural network automatically determines the probability that there
is a speech defect in the audio recording and presents the corresponding information to the speech therapist
in the administrator panel to speed up the process of checking the audio
recordings.<a target="_blank"></a><a target="_blank"></a>

 
 Several hundred
testing questionnaires have already been collected with the help of the widget, and the accuracy of speech defects
recognition is more than 80% for high-quality audio. In the future, the plans include a complete transition from the human-in-the-loop
model, where a person’s participation in diagnostics is necessary, to the complete automation of the process with the help of a retrained model.<a target="_blank"></a><a target="_blank"></a>

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/gerofarm-i-cleverbots-zapustili-vidzhet-testirovaniia-defektov-rechi-u-detei/" target="_blank">Original (in Russian)</a><a target="_blank"></a><a target="_blank"></a>

ComNews

Geropharm and Cleverbots have launched a widget for testing children speech defects using AI

The Central Bank of the Russian Federation (The Bank of Russia) is considering the possibility of issuing a digital ruble and is currently assessing the prospects of its introduction. The digital ruble will be an additional form of the national currency and will be issued by the Central Bank in digital form; it will combine the characteristics of cash and non-cash rubles.

 
 “All three forms of the Russian ruble will be absolutely equal: 1 ruble in cash is equivalent to 1 non-cash ruble, and 1 digital ruble will be equivalent to each of them”, - the regulator explained.

 
 The digital ruble can be used to pay for goods and services, make payments to organizations and the state, funds transfers, pay for transactions with financial instruments and digital financial assets.

 
 QR codes or biometric technologies can be used to make payments using the digital ruble. Companies will be able to use the digital ruble to complement the existing cashless payments system.

 
 The Central Bank points out that introduction of the digital ruble can contribute to the creation of a secure environment for the functioning of smart contracts and settlements without the use of substitutes, and will also stimulate innovations. The Central Bank has not yet announced the time frames for issuing the digital ruble.

 
 <a href="https://www.cbr.ru/StaticHtml/File/112957/Consultation_Paper_201013.pdf" target="_blank">“Digital ruble” report (in Russian)</a>

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/tsb-izuchaet-vozmozhnost-vypuska-tsifrovogo-rublia/" target="_blank">Original (in Russian)</a>

Bank of Russia

The Central Bank of the Russian Federation is exploring the possibility of issuing a digital ruble

Herman Gref, CEO and Chairman of the Management Board
of Sberbank, is stepping down from the board of directors of Yandex. RBC reports
about this with reference to the <a target="_blank" href="https://ir.yandex/node/13226/html">statement</a> of the Internet company.<a></a><a></a><a></a>

 
 “The term of Mr. Gref expires in 2020, and he is not standing
for re-election”, - the document says.<a></a><a></a><a></a>

 
 Shareholders will be able to re-elect Yandex co-founder
and CEO Arkady Volozh and the former CTO of the company <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/mikhail.parakhin.9">Mikhail Parakhin</a> to the
board of directors.<a></a><a></a><a></a>

 
 In July Sberbank reported that Herman Gref would
remain a member of Yandex’s board of directors until the shareholders’ meeting
which would elect a new board of directors; but in the future he did not expect
that he would participate in the governance board of the company.<a></a><a></a><a></a>

 
 Sberbank and Yandex closed the deal on the division of
assets at the end of July and announced the end of partnerships on joint
projects - Yandex.Market and Yandex.Money.<a></a><a></a><a></a>

 
 Herman Gref has joined Yandex’s board of directors in
May 2014.<a></a><a></a><a></a>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/german-gref-pokinet-sovet-direktorov-iandeksa">Original (in Russian)</a><a></a><a></a><a></a>

Herman Gref, CEO of Sberbank, is stepping down from board of directors of Yandex

The value of communication services provided to
enterprises in July 2020 compared to July 2019 increased by 6%; compared to
June 2020, the value decreased by 0.8% and amounted to 178.4 billion rubles. The
data are presented in the “Branches of the Russian economy: production,
finance, securities. Communications” report
(bulletin) (No. 1392).<a></a><a></a>

 
 The value of paid communication services to the population in July 2020 amounted to 115 billion
rubles, it
has decreased by 8.2% compared to July
2019, and increased by 2% compared to the
previous month. The value of
communication services to the population in the period from January to July 2020
decreased by 6%. Revenues from communication services in Russia in January-March 2020 decreased by
1.5% compared to 2019 and amounted to 403.5 billion rubles.<a></a><a></a>

 
 According to
Rosstat, tariffs for communication services in the Russian Federation in July
2020 increased by 4.2% compared to the same period of 2019, and also increased by 0.2% compared to June 2020. In the
first seven months of 2020, tariffs increased by 1.4% compared to the previous year.<a></a><a></a>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://akmanalytics.ru/index.php?route=product/product&amp;product_id=207">Report “Branches of the Russian
economy: production, finance, securities”. Communications” (No. 1392).</a><a></a><a></a>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/obem-uslug-sviazi-okazyvaemykh-predpriiatiiam-vyros-na-6">Original (in Russian)</a><a></a><a></a>

AK&M

The value of communication services provided to enterprises in Russia grew by 6%

Kommersant

Mail.ru Group increased its share in Skillbox and invested in the Tetrika online school

Alibaba Group is launching a cloud platform Alibaba
Cloud in Russia.<a></a>

 
 According to one of the sources, Alibaba has occupied
more than half of the capacity in the IXcellerate data center, which can
accommodate about 1.5 thousand racks. According to another source, Alibaba needs
the platform to support its growing businesses in the region - AliExpress
Russia (owned by Alibaba, Mail.ru Group, MegaFon and RDIF) and its logistics
partner Cainiao Network.<a></a>

 
 Alibaba Group and IXcellerate refused to comment.<a></a>

 
 In order to develop the cloud platform, the group
registered “Alibaba Cloud (Ru)” LLC in November last year, and on September 24,
the company received the necessary licenses from Roskomnadzor, according to Kartoteka.ru
database.<a></a>

 
 According to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/mberezin13">Maxim Berezin</a> from CROC Cloud Services,
the Russian market is crowded with offers from Western, Asian and domestic
companies, and it will be difficult for new players to occupy a significant
share. According to Nikolay Bogaty, Marketing Director of SberCloud, the prices
of cloud services in Russia are much lower than in the other countries of the
world, and the launch of Alibaba Cloud with its global list of prices is
unlikely to capture the interest of companies in Russia. At the same time, global
cloud platforms still surpass Russian ones in terms of the number of services
and their functionality, says Dmitry Yashin, CEO of ActiveCloud Russia (part of
Softline Group).<a></a>

 
 Chinese cloud companies became interested in the
Russian market last year. In February 2019, it was <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/3874565">reported</a> that the large
Internet holding Tencent had installed more than 600 racks with equipment at
the IXcellerate site in Moscow in order to comply with the data localization
law and provide cloud services in Russia. Meanwhile, Huawei planned to enter
the top 3 players in the Russian cloud services market.<a></a>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/alibaba-group-vyvodit-na-rossiiskii-rynok-svoiu-oblachnuiu-platformu/">Original (in Russian)</a><a></a>

Alibaba Group launches its cloud platform in Russia

The US-UK alliance on AI, the prospects for unmanned
vehicles in Russia, the focus on road safety and other topics - ICT.Moscow has collected
the most significant topics of September about artificial intelligence from
<a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/ict_moscow_ai">@ict_moscow_ai</a> telegram feed in one digest.

<hr />
<h2>
 New Alliance in AI<a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a>
</h2>

 
 At the end of September, the United States and the United
Kingdom <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-britain-ai/u-s-uk-sign-agreement-on-artificial-intelligence-idUKKCN26G33H">signed</a> a declaration on cooperation in artificial intelligence. According
to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.state.gov/declaration-of-the-united-states-of-america-and-the-united-kingdom-of-great-britain-and-northern-ireland-on-cooperation-in-artificial-intelligence-research-and-development-a-shared-vision-for-driving/">declaration</a>, cooperation involves the joint development of the
economy and healthcare, improving the quality of life of citizens, joint
development and research in artificial intelligence and the creation of a technology ecosystem that will stimulate innovation
by integrating AI into the economy.

 
 ICT.Moscow <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/global-ai-experts-on-country-cooperation-in-artificial-intelligence/">asked</a> AI experts what could change for the industry, including the Russian
segment, after the declaration was signed. Executives and managers of AI companies have a rather positive view of the declaration: such alliances stimulate research
and promote development, which has a positive impact on the market. The authors of the
Russian Concept for the Regulation of AI and Robotics note that this is not the first document of such kind, and Russia should also
engage in similar cross-country partnerships.

 
 According to <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/ict_moscow_ai/1112">preliminary data</a> of the poll in the telegram-feed, more than one third of the respondents believe
that the signing of the declaration between the United States and the
United Kingdom will not
affect the Russian IT industry. A quarter of the respondents think
there are barriers to
the sale of Russian developments in foreign markets, and even more than 15% believe that such an initiative can hinder
the development of the technology in general. Thus, industry representatives’
views of
the new initiative are
rather negative or
neutral.

<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
 Read more expert opinions on the signing of the declaration on cooperation in the <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/global-ai-experts-on-country-cooperation-in-artificial-intelligence/">special material of ICT.Moscow</a>
 </div>
<h2>
 Route for autonomous vehicles was built<a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a>
</h2>

 
 Autonomous vehicles were notable in the AI ​​landscape in September.
At the beginning of September Yandex and Sberbank (now called “Sber”) came into the
spotlight. With a
difference of several hours both companies announced that their
autonomous vehicles
departments would be spun off into separate companies - <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/ict_moscow_ai/1020">Yandex Self-Driving Group (SDG</a>)
and <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/ict_moscow_ai/1021">Sber Automotive
Technologies.</a>

 
 In September, the topic of unmanned control systems for rail
transport was actively discussed. Trains with artificial intelligence are already being <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/ict_moscow_ai/1008">tested</a>
by Russian Railways, and the Ministry of Transport is <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/ict_moscow_ai/1056">looking for</a> a developer
of a standard computer vision system (according to the plan, the technology
will already be
ready in December this year). The Moscow Department for Transport has <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/ict_moscow_ai/1071">announced</a> plans to test
unmanned trams (Yandex will be responsible for the development of the
technology), and to<a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/ict_moscow_ai/1103"> use</a> unmanned vehicles as parkons, which will automatically
monitor compliance with parking rules in Moscow.

 
 Autonomous
vehicles segment
is also
being developed in other types of transport. At the
end of the month, several ministries and relevant departments<a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/an-experiment-on-the-operation-of-unmanned-vessels-on-rivers-and-seas-in-russia-will-start-in-october/"> approved</a> a draft decree of the Russian government on testing
autonomous sea vessels. And Gazprom Neft continues to introduce unmanned
technologies: the company’s unmanned helicopter was <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/ict_moscow_ai/1073">tested</a> in the Arctic
for delivering cargo to oil fields.

<h2>
 Roads will become safer<a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a>
</h2>

 
 Another piece of news about autonomous
vehicles is dedicated
to road safety control.
In the first half of September, the testing of an autonomous air monitoring system
for road safety was <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/ict_moscow_ai/1040">launched</a>. Within six months, the drones will fly over the
M-4 Don highway under the control of the operator, and then the system
will operate
autonomously.

 
 Glonass-BDD <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/ict_moscow_ai/1061">uses</a>&nbsp;computer vision technologies for other tasks,
in particular, for
digitizing Russian roads. By analyzing the data from the driving video recorders, the system evaluates various road
characteristics and makes recommendations for improving safety on specific road sections. So far, 3 thousand kilometers of Russian
roads have already been digitized.

<h2>
 Healthcare industry is confident in AI<a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a>
</h2>

 
 Artificial intelligence in
the Russian healthcare is growing steadily. The number of
medical images analyzed in clinics in September <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/ict_moscow_ai/1067">exceeded</a> 300 thousand. It took
less than two months, while the first 150 thousand images were processed within
three
months (from April to
July).

 
 Also, in early September, the first AI system for
analyzing medical images
from Celsus company was<a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/ict_moscow_ai/1035"> included</a> in the register of domestic software. This
will allow the developer to implement the solution in government medical
institutions.

 
 Meanwhile, doctors are getting accustomed to using artificial intelligence in everyday
tasks. The STC group (Speech Technology Center), which analyzes the level of doctors’ trust in the system for filling out medical documents by
voice, claims
that there is
a significant <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/ict_moscow_ai/1003">increase</a>
in this indicator. A month after the launch of the corresponding project in Moscow medical
institutions 40% of doctors
were skeptical about the technology, but after three months the
percentage of doctors who were skeptical decreased to 6%.

<h2>
 The AI ​landscape in Moscow is expanding<a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a>
</h2>

 
 In addition to autonomous vehicles and healthcare, AI is being developed in other areas
in Moscow. For example,
in education: at the beginning of the month, students of the State University
of Management <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/ict_moscow_ai/1019">tested</a> the Examus online exam control system, which analyzes the
student’s behavior in the video frame, can determine student absence, and is also able to
recognize voices of other people in the room.

 
 According to
the Moscow
Department for Transport
and Road Infrastructure, security cameras <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/ict_moscow_ai/1007">installed</a> in metro cars will monitor the train load and transmit this
information to city mobile applications, so that users will
be able to choose less
crowded subway cars.

 
 Visa <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/ict_moscow_ai/1014">launched</a> a voice payment service created on the Yandex.Dialogs platform in 32 restaurants and cafes of Moscow.
Its is intended to reduce contacts between visitors and waiters: using the
system, customers can contactlessly order food and drinks, pay for them and
leave a tip.

<h2>
 Watching the progress<a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a>
</h2>

 
 In September, the stories about the success of Russian AI
developers and startup founders, including the stories
about the successful development abroad, appeared in the media. For example, MedTech-AI startup
Deep Longevity led by Russian developer and entrepreneur Alexander Zhavoronkov
<a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/deep-longevity-medtech-ai-startup-was-acquired-by-hong-kong-investment-company-regent-pacific/">joined</a>&nbsp;the Hong Kong corporation Regent Pacific just a few weeks after the
launch, the deal amounted to $3.79 million, and Oleg Stavitsky’s Berlin-based startup Endel <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/ict_moscow_ai/1085">raised</a> $5 million from
investors.

 
 Moscow-based NtechLab also <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/ntechlab-raised-over-13-million-for-the-development-of-its-product-line/">raised</a>&nbsp;$13 million&nbsp; from RDIF and
several foreign funds for future developments in the field of computer vision. The
developments
of the company are already
being used in the Moscow
city video surveillance system, and at the end of September it was
announced that they
would be <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/ict_moscow_ai/1088">scaled</a> to 10 other cities, including Nizhny Novgorod.

 
 The government also
decided to support the
development of Russian AI startups. Mikhail Mishustin says that over the next four years, a
total of$92.2 million&nbsp; will be <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/the-ministry-for-digital-development-communications-and-mass-media-will-allocate-92-2-million-for-grants-for-it-projects/">allocated</a> to 1200 startups.

 
 In terms of
wins in the
competitions, it is important to mention the <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/itmo-university-scientists-won-an-international-competition-to-create-ai-for-diagnosing-inflammatory-disorders/">first place</a> of the team from ITMO
University in two stages of international competition organized by PMI Science.
The scientists
have developed the most efficient AI system for diagnosing inflammatory disorders.

 
 In September the results of two Russian contests - “Best Russian Social Projects” and “Innovator of Moscow”
- were summarized. The <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/ict_moscow_ai/1072">winner</a>&nbsp;of the
first competition was Beorg Smart Vision platform, which is used for crowdsourcing in
corporations. Care Mentor AI, MONQ and SearchInform ProfileCenter were
<a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/ict_moscow_ai/1054">recognized</a> as the best innovators from Moscow in the field
of artificial intelligence.

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/ai-digest-september20/">Original (in Russian)</a>

The US-UK alliance on AI, the prospects for unmanned vehicles in Russia, the focus on road safety  and other topics about AI in September

ICT.Moscow

Digest about AI in Russia: top news in September

Sberbank has created and patented an AI system for checking
the legal capacity of legal entities. The robot checks contractors by
recognizing and extracting legally significant information from documents. The system
checks information on bankruptcy, liquidation and reorganization of legal
entities, the correctness of the information contained in the extract from the
Unified State Register of Legal Entities, whether a signatory is authorized to
conclude a deal and many other parameters. The system analyzes information from
more than 10 types of documents.<a></a>

 
 The legal capacity check provides findings on a
customer’s key risk metrics.<a></a>

 
 The company representatives note that the solution may
be in demand in different areas of business.<a></a>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/sber-sozdal-ii-sistemu-proverki-iurlits-na-pravosposobnost/">Original (in Russian)</a><a></a>

Sberbank сreated an AI system for checking legal capacity of companies

According to a survey conducted by RBC Marketing and SAP
CIS, most companies (51%) with a turnover of 3 to 100 billion rubles used
special software to restructure business processes during the pandemic. Most
respondents who chose the answer “Yes” work for industrial companies (62%),
pharmaceutical companies (61%) and companies engaged in logistics and cargo
transportation (59%).<a></a>

 
 To restructure business processes during the pandemic,
68% of companies used their own software development, 25% bought software, 7% answered
“not sure”.<a></a>

 
 “The COVID-19 pandemic has helped Russian companies to
start restructuring their business and accelerated digital transformation. In
addition, the crisis prompted companies to make difficult decisions to optimize
the existing business models (43%), find ways to reduce costs (45%), and
develop new business areas (27%)”, - the study claims.<a></a>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/issledovanie-bolee-poloviny-kompanii-v-pandemiiu-ispolzovali-po-dlia-perestroiki-biznes-protsessov/">Original (in Russian)</a><a></a>

Research: More than half of companies used software for restructuring business processes during the pandemic

Moscow startup Briskly which develops the B-Pay contactless payment platform raised $2 million to finance its first project in Europe and strengthen its positions in Russia. Among the investors there are Maxim Poletaev (the stake is 13.29%), Gauss Ventures (moreover, Nikita Chesnokov from the fund joined the board of directors of Briskly), a British venture fund and another private investor.

 
 According to Gleb Kharitonov, co-founder of the project, Briskly will soon complete preparations for the launch of retail outlets in Croatia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. The company plans to develop a network of smart autonomous outlets in these countries together with regional partners.

 
 In 2019, Briskly conducted two funding rounds for a total of $370,000 and doubled the valuation to $20 million.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/briskly/" target="_blank">Briskly</a> card on ICT.Moscow

<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
 Contacts:
 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gleb.tec" target="_blank">Gleb Kharitonov</a>, CEO of Briskly.online
 
 </div>
 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/briskly-privlek-2-mln-dlia-vykhoda-na-zarubezhnye-rynki/" target="_blank">Original (in Russian)</a>

RB.ru

Developer of the self-service platform for stores and restaurants Briskly raised $2 million to enter foreign markets

Moscow developer of solutions for smart cities <a target="_blank" href="https://alphaopen.com/products/platform/">Alphaopen</a> raised $3,3 million. The investors are venture funds of VEB.RF (Veb Ventures) and Rosatom (Orbita Capital). The structure of the deal was not disclosed, but Alphaopen claims that the founders will retain control.<a></a><a></a><a></a>

 
 The company will use the funds to develop Alphalogic software platform, which combines various solutions (“smart sensors”, video surveillance, lighting, alarm systems, etc.) into a single control environment.<a></a><a></a><a></a>

 
 According to TMT Consulting, the IoT market in Russia will almost double over the next five years, from $2.1 billion rubles in 2019 to $4.1 billion in 2024. At the same time, the software segment in this area will grow at a high rate: from $648 million in 2019 to $1,5 billion in 2024.<a></a><a></a><a></a>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/alphaopen-privlek-260-mln-rub-na-razvitie-platformy-po-upravleniiu-sistemami-zdanii/">Original (in Russian)</a><a></a><a></a><a></a>

Smart city solution developer Alphaopen raised $3,3 million to develop a platform for facility management

Amendments to the law that increase the number of uses for biometrics and clarify requirements for data security are likely to be adopted by the end of 2020. Izvestia writes about this with reference to Anatoly Aksakov, head of the State Duma committee on the financial market. This will allow banks to commercialize facial recognitions payments in shops and cafes. In terms of clarifying the rules for storing and processing data, credit institutions and Rostelecom (acting as the operator of the EBS) will be given time to bring the systems in line, explained the head of the financial market committee.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a></a>Rostelecom is counting on the adoption of the bill by the end of 2020, the company said.
<a></a><a></a><a></a>

 
 
In the first reading, the bill was approved in July 2019, and then its consideration was frozen. Now&nbsp; face and voice data from the state unified biometric system can be used only for remote opening of deposits.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a></a><a></a>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/oplatu-po-biometrii-mogut-zapustit-do-kontsa-goda/">Original (in Russian)</a><a></a><a></a>

Izvestia

A bill expanding the scope of biometric data can be passed by the end of 2020

Yandex agrees to buy 100% of <a target="_blank" href="https://k50.ru/">K50</a> company from the current owners - venture capital fund AddVenture Capital and management. It is a platform for managing contextual advertising. The cost of the deal was not disclosed. K50 provides services for improving the effectiveness of contextual advertising.

The deal will enable K50 to scale its business using Yandex technologies and infrastructure. As a result of the deal, the IT company will help advertisers use digital channels more efficiently.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a></a><a></a><a></a><a></a>

 
 Advertising is Yandex's main source of income. In the second quarter of 2020, the company's advertising revenue&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/vyruchka-iandeksa-za-vtoroi-kvartal-sostavila-41-4-mlrd-rub/">decreased</a> by 15% compared to the same period in 2019, to 24.8 billion rubles.<a></a><a></a><a></a>

 
 All K50 employees will join Yandex, and the company's CEO <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/mary.opritova">Maria Opritova</a> will continue to lead the team.<a></a><a></a><a></a>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/iandeks-pokupaet-100-reklamnoi-platformy-k50/">Original (in Russian)</a><a></a><a></a><a></a>

Yandex is purchasing 100% of the online advertisement automation company K50

Specialists of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation (Bank of Russia) are
developing an algorithm to detect manipulations in the financial markets. This
was stated in an interview with Bloomberg by the head of the research and
forecasting department of the regulator <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cbr.ru/about_br/bankstructute/dip/morozovag/">Alexander Morozov</a>.<a></a><a></a>

<div class="incut-block ">
 
 It can take about an hour to determine the anomaly in manual mode, and the algorithm does it within 15 minutes. This allows you to identify possible manipulation or flash crashes, identify the growth of the problem and respond to it in time.
 
 <div class="quote-owner">
 <div>
 
 Alexander Morozov
 
 Head of Research and Forecasting Department of the Central Bank
 </div>
 </div>
</div>
 
 The algorithm being developed
will signal an employee of the regulator about an anomaly in the financial
market and the need to take action; it has already been tested on the data of
the dollar / ruble exchange rate collected since 2018.<a></a><a></a>

 
 The regulator also develops
algorithms for processing data on price dynamics that come to the relevant
department of the Central Bank from online cash registers. In addition to data
on the banks themselves, the Central Bank plans to create a system that will
analyze publications about credit institutions and companies that they lend in
the media.<a></a><a></a>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/tsb-razrabatyvaet-algoritm-dlia-vyiavleniia-manipuliatsii-na-finansovykh-rynkakh/">Original (in Russian)</a><a></a><a></a>

Vedomosti

Central Bank of the Russian Federation is developing an algorithm to detect manipulations in the financial markets

VisionLabs
received a certificate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Luna
biometric platform. Now the technology can be used in projects in transport
security systems at railway stations, sea and river ports, bus stations and
airports.<a></a><a></a>

 
 The tests for product certification were carried out
by the specialists of the Ministry. The document confirms that Luna Platform complies
with the requirements Russian Government Decree No. 969 in terms of functional
properties of video surveillance equipment in transport. The requirements cover
various aspects, such as the provision of video verification, visual control,
programming of operating modes, determination of significant parameters of
detected situations (nature, location, direction of movement of objects), etc.<a></a><a></a>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/luna-platform/">LUNA Platform</a>&nbsp;card on
ICT.Moscow<a></a><a></a>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/visionlabs-poluchila-sertifikat-mvd-na-svoiu-biometricheskuiu-platformu/">Original (in Russian)</a><a></a><a></a>

CNews

VisionLabs received the certificate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for its biometric platform

Sberbank announced that it had signed a memorandum of
intent between a mobile virtual operator SberMobile (the brand of Sberbank-Telecom LLC), Tele2 and
Huawei. As part of the agreement, a working group will be created to study the
technological possibilities of 5G.<a></a><a></a><a></a><a></a>

 
 Desk study will be conducted in several phases in
order to develop new business models in 5G networks, as well as the ways to
monetize the technology and the options for scaling and use in various segments
and industries. The tests will be carried out jointly with Sberbank ecosystem
companies, including Cognitive Pilot, using SberMobile platforms, Tele2
infrastructure and Huawei developments.<a></a><a></a><a></a><a></a>

 
 The partnership will study possible application of 5G for
a smart analytics platform based on artificial intelligence, autonomous
vehicles fleet management, transport infrastructure and monitoring of
agricultural processes. 5G technology will allow to transmit of data video
stream from unmanned vehicles for real-time interaction of the vehicle fleet,
remote control of equipment and providing an accurate picture in real time
based on visual data from the site.<a></a><a></a><a></a><a></a>

 
 Another area of ​​research is the creation of a
digital twin of the city during the construction of the smart quarter in Rublevo-Arkhangelskoye
district in Moscow. With the help of Internet of Things technology, a unified
situational center for the management of buildings and infrastructure of a
smart quarter will be created, as well as systems for monitoring construction
work at the sites in real time.<a></a><a></a><a></a><a></a>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/sbermobail-tele2-i-huawei-protestiruiut-5g/">Original (in Russian)</a><a></a><a></a><a></a><a></a>

Mobile virtual operator SberMobile, Tele2 and Huawei will test 5G

Deloitte analyzed more than 300 banks around the world
and prepared an index of digitalization of banking services. Three Russian
banks out of 15 included in the ranking were among the leaders. The experts
compared over 1.1 thousand digital functions - from the ability to open an
account online and order a card in the application to creating an investment
portfolio. The names of the banks were not disclosed. The full customer journey
from looking for a bank to closing an account was also studied.<a></a><a></a>

 
 15 Russian banks were included in the study, and none
of them was in the “Latecomers” category. Moreover, in general, Russia is among
the top ten countries, which are the leaders of digital banking, along with
Japan, Singapore, Norway, etc. Russian banks have surpassed the world average
figures in terms of information search (51% in Russia vs. 45% - the global
average), daily interaction with a client (49% vs. 42%), opening an account
(47% vs. 40%) and using services (32% vs. 24%). Russian banks are lagging
behind in terms of client on-boarding (3 p.p. lower than the average). 
<a></a><a></a>

 
 The weakest point for Russia and the whole world (15%)
was the process of account closing. In addition to account closing,
digitalization market leaders are ahead of Russia in terms of using services
for opening account, managing cards and personal finances, in ecosystem and
aggregation of services, investment services, non-banking products and
insurance.<a></a><a></a>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/tri-rossiiskikh-banka-voshli-v-chislo-liderov-reitinga-deloitte-po-tsifrovizatsii-bankovskikh-uslug/">Original (in Russian)</a><a></a><a></a>

Three Russian banks are among the leaders in the Deloitte index of banking services digitalization

The results of the BioMedTech track of the Moscow Accelerator have been announced. 20 pilot projects have been approved, more than $649 thousand of investments have been raised, and contracts worth over $162 thousand have been concluded.

 
 For example, Moscow cloud-based AI platform for medical projects related to long-term treatment of patients <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/sinapse/" target="_blank">Sinapse</a> will launch a pilot with ChemRar company. The decision support system for optimizing drug dosage <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/pgx2/" target="_blank">PGX2</a> will launch a pilot project with Invitro. And Immunify, a digital personalized platform for promotion of vaccination services, will conclude an agreement to launch a pilot project with the Invitro network of medical laboratories and VSK Group insurance company.

 
 Moreover, DocCard (“Karta Vracha”/“Doctor’s Card”) startup, which presented a platform for training and exchange of experience for doctors, raised 10 million rubles. <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/medme/" target="_blank">Med.me</a>, a platform for exchanging medical data and making appointments, won a grant of 5 million rubles from Skolkovo. Health management startup Checkme raised $375 thousand from Altergate company, which is based in Singapore , and other investors.

 
 Checkme, <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/rosmed-1/" target="_blank">Rosmed</a> (an online platform for digitalizing the monitoring and laboratory diagnostic programs) and four other projects have concluded sales contracts. The total amount of the contracts exceeds $162 thousand.

 
 BioMedTech track started in July and ended in September. More than 380 applications for participation were submitted.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/startapy-zapustiat-20-pilotnykh-proektov-po-itogam-biomeditsinskogo-treka-moskovskogo-akseleratora/" target="_blank">Original (in Russian)</a>

Startups will launch 20 pilot projects according to the results of the biomedical track of the Moscow Accelerator 

According to IDC, the value of the market of data
storage systems (DSS) and server equipment in Russia decreased by 3.4% in the
third quarter.<a></a><a></a><a></a><a></a>

 
 In the first half of the year these segments were growing
actively: in January-March - the segments grew by 30%, and in April-June - by
more than 10% compared to the same period last year. Analysts claim that the growth
was caused by the massive transition to remote work, when the large corporate
segment, small and medium-sized businesses actively invested in infrastructure,
and after that they began to cut down expenses.<a></a><a></a><a></a><a></a>

 
 The leader in terms of the number of supplied data storage
systems in the second quarter with a 56.5% share is Yadro (part of IKS
Holding), and in monetary terms it ceded leadership to Huawei and occupied 18.1%
of the market, while Huawei occupied 19.7%.<a></a><a></a><a></a><a></a>

 
 According to experts and analysts, the fourth quarter can
compensate for the negative dynamics of the third quarter. IDC assumes that the
projects which have been planned earlier may still be launched by the end of
the year, and the dynamics in the data storage and server market will return
back to normal and by the end of the year will be considered “neutral-positive”.<a></a><a></a>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/issledovanie-obem-rynka-skhd-i-servernogo-oborudovaniia-v-rossii-snizilsia-na-3-4/">Original (in Russian)</a><a></a><a></a>

 
 <a></a><a></a><a></a><a></a>

Research: the value of the data storage system and server equipment market in Russia decreased by 3.4%

In 2019 the value of investments in Russian software
companies amounted to at least 50 billion rubles (approximately $773 million). Nevertheless,
external financing accounts for only about a fifth (18%) of the total &nbsp;amount of investments. According to RUSSOFT, the
main sources of investment in the software industry are the funds of companies
and their owners.<a></a><a></a><a></a>

 
 At the same time, software developers estimate that
the need for effective investments is 60% higher.<a></a><a></a><a></a>

 
 According to the forecasts of developers, this year
the amount of investments from various sources will decrease slightly, and in
2021 it will grow sharply. The proportion of external financing will reach 74%
in 2021, and it will cover 84% of investment needs.<a></a><a></a><a></a>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/issledovanie-obem-investitsii-v-rossiiskie-softvernye-kompanii-v-2019-godu-sostavil-50-mlrd-rub/">Original (in Russian)</a><a></a><a></a>

 
 <a></a><a></a>

Research: the value of investments in Russian software companies in 2019 amounted to $773 million

According to “<a target="_blank" href="https://www.bcg.com/publications/2020/payments-industry-fast-forwards-into-the-future">Global Payments 2020: Fast Forward into
the Future</a>” report prepared by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) analysts, Russia
entered the top 5 world leaders in terms of the speed of transition to non-cash
payments during the pandemic.<a></a><a></a>

 
 Analysts calculated the net change in consumer cash
payments, derived the following way: the proportion of consumers who used cash
more frequently during the pandemic minus the percentage of consumers who used
it less. In Russia it was estimated at -48%, only Great Britain (-62%), Canada
(-59%) and Australia (-53%) are ahead of Russia in terms of this indicator.<a></a><a></a>

 
 According to the Bank of Russia, in the second quarter
of 2020 the proportion of non-cash payments increased to almost 70% - this amount
of non-cash payments was expected by the Central Bank only at the end of 2020.<a></a><a></a>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/rossiia-voshla-v-top-5-stran-po-tempam-perekhoda-na-beznalichnye-platezhi/">Original (in Russian)</a><a></a><a></a>

Russia entered the top 5 countries in terms of the pace of transition to cashless payments

LLL Venture, a factory (venture builder) for digital and preventive medicine startups, was created in Moscow. One of the founders of the project, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/evgeniy.larionov.5" target="_blank">Evgeniy Larionov</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/evgeniy.larionov.5/posts/3795669717157176" target="_blank">wrote</a> about this on his Facebook page.

 
 The fund is ready to allocate up to 6 million rubles for the development of each startup, and it acquires 10-30% stake in the company. Acceleration is also offered as part of support for startups.

 
 LLL Venture is interested in projects in digital health and preventive medicine, which are at the stages of pre-seed and seed development and started to test their hypotheses, and are also ready to reach the next round of investment in 6-9 months. The company plans to collect 15-20 projects within a period of three years.

 
 The development of the LLL Venture project started in 2019, and the promotion of startups within the factory started in April 2020. The founders are <a href="https://www.facebook.com/anton.merkulov.7399" target="_blank">Anton Merkulov</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/evgeniy.larionov.5" target="_blank">Evgeniy Larionov</a>.

 
 According to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, the owners of “Laboratoriya dolgoletiya” LLC (“Longevity Laboratory” LLC) are Anton Merkulov and Evgeniy Larionov - they own 30% and 70% of the company’s authorized capital. The CEO is Anton Merkulov.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-rossii-zapustili-fabriku-dlia-startapov-v-oblasti-tsifrovoi-meditsiny/" target="_blank">Original (in Russian)</a>

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