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>

Kommersant

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

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

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>

RB.ru

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

The weekly observer of Moscow's tech stories

<hr />
<h2>
 MARKET IN BRIEF
</h2>

 
 main news about Moscow's projects, developers and technologies

 <div>
 <a class="image_link" target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/face-id-to-pay-fare-will-appear-in-the-moscow-metro-in-2021/">
 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
 src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/48f4c15f-3aa6-54f7-9ec7-7da1afce5253.png">
 </a>
 </div>

<ul>
 <li>Face ID to pay fare will <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/face-id-to-pay-fare-will-appear-in-the-moscow-metro-in-2021/" target="_blank">appear</a> in the Moscow metro in 2021</li>
 <li>Moscow's digital projects to fight the COVID-19 pandemic <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/moscows-digital-projects-to-fight-the-covid-19-pandemic-receive-a-runet-prize/" style="background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);" target="_blank">receive</a> a Runet prize</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>Sberbank <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/sberbank-plans-to-open-an-international-institute-of-artificial-intelligence-in-russia/" target="_blank">plans</a> to open an international Institute of artificial intelligence in Russia</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>MTS <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/mts-launched-a-russian-base-station-in-its-network/" target="_blank">launched</a> a Russian base station in its network</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>AI-powered knowledge base service for employee support AutoFAQ is <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/ai-powered-knowledge-base-service-for-employee-and-customer-support-autofaq-is-included-in-the-register-of-domestic-software/" target="_blank">included</a> in the register of domestic software  (Card of <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/autofaq/" target="_blank">AutoFAQ</a>)</li>
</ul>

<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
 GOV AGENDA
 
 A draft law on a tax on cryptocurrency has been <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/a-draft-law-on-a-tax-on-cryptocurrency-has-been-submitted-to-the-state-duma/" target="_blank">submitted</a> to the State Duma
 </div>
 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/" target="_blank">More news →</a>

<hr />
<h2>
 INVESTMENT &amp; IPO DEALS
</h2>

<ul>
 <li>Russian AI company Cleverbots <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/russian-ai-company-cleverbots-attracted-1-million-investment-for-development-in-the-international-market/" target="_blank">attracted</a> $1 million investment for development in the international markets (Card of <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/marketplace-cleverbots/" target="_blank">Cleverbots</a>)</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>The developer of digital farms City Farmer <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/the-developer-of-digital-farms-city-farmer-attracted-investments-from-ibs-in-exchange-for-55-of-the-company/" target="_blank">attracted</a> investments from IBS in exchange for 55% of the company</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>Online English school for children Novakid <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/online-english-school-for-children-novakid-raised-4-25-million/" target="_blank">raised</a> $4.25 million</li>
</ul>

<hr />
<h2>
 ANALYTICS AND INSIGHTS
</h2>

 
 researches, monitorings, reports and other analytics of Moscow and Russian IT market

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/research-70-of-companies-using-ai-say-technology-is-effective/" target="_blank">Rostelecom &amp; Tadviser</a>: 70% of companies using AI say technology is effective →</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/research-only-12-of-russian-companies-intend-to-cut-costs-on-iot/" target="_blank">Megafon</a>: only 12% of Russian companies intend to cut costs on IoT →</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/hi-tech-crime-trends-2020-2021/" target="_blank">Group-IB</a>: the total potential damage of possible ransomware incidents, could exceed $1 billion →</li>
</ul>

<hr />
<h2>
 LONGREAD
</h2>

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/maas-in-global/" target="_blank">The route is built: prospects for the development of MaaS in Moscow and other megacities of the world</a>

 <div>
 <a class="image_link" target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/maas-in-global/">
 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
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 </a>
 </div>

 
 At the beginning of November Moscow authorities announced plans to launch a MaaS-platform (Mobility-as-a-Service, “mobility as a service”) in the city; it will combine all city and several private transport services. By the end of 2021, the concept of multimodality will be implemented, which means that types of transport will be combined in a single digital space, and routes and fares will be personalised for users.

 
 This ambition of Moscow corresponds to the global trend in the field of transport - gradual implementation of MaaS concept in the city. To understand the current state of things and the prospects for the development and application of MaaS in the world, ICT.Moscow studied the experience of the development of this concept by megacities of the world, and also discussed its key features and barriers with experts.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/maas-in-global/" target="_blank">Read full article →</a>

<hr />
<h2>
 DIGITAL SOLUTIONS FROM MOSCOW
</h2>

 
 a showcase of some smart mobility solutions 

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/mosgorpass/" target="_blank">Mosgorpass</a>

 
 Moscow passenger mobile application

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/metro-moskvy/" target="_blank">MosMetro</a>

 
 Moscow Metro mobile application

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/parkovki-moskvy/" target="_blank">Moscow parking</a>

 
 Application for finding and paying for parking

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

<hr />
<h2>
 KEY ACTORS IN IT
</h2>

 
 discover people who stand behind the innovative companies and projects in Moscow

 
 Lev Khasis, First Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of Sberbank | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lev.khasis" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://ru.linkedin.com/in/lev-khasis-73387429" target="_blank">LinkedIn </a>

 
 Vladislav Belyaev, Co-founder & CEO of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/autofaqai/" target="_blank">Autofaq.ai</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/vbelyaev89" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://ru.linkedin.com/in/vlbelyaev" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>

 
 Adam Turaev, Strategy Director at Cleverbots | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/adam.turaev.3" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://ru.linkedin.com/in/adamturaev" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>

 
 Anatoly Karachinsky, President and CEO of IBS Group, Founder of City Farmer | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/anatoly.karachinsky" target="_blank">Facebook</a>

 
 Maxim Azarov, CEO of NovaKid | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/vwpanther" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://pl.linkedin.com/in/mazarov" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a> | <a href="https://www.crunchbase.com/person/maxim-azarov" target="_blank">Crunchbase</a>

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

ICT.Moscow

Tech in Moscow #16 (30 November - 6 December 2020)

Sberbank plans to open an international institute of artificial intelligence in Russia. The plans to open such an institute in January 2021 were announced by the head of Sberbank German Gref on the first day of the AI ​​Journey conference. According to him, the main mission of the institute is to provide an interdisciplinary approach to research to create general artificial intelligence.

 
 A German scientist based in Switzerland, one of the world's most famous specialists in the field of artificial intelligence, Jürgen Schmidhuber, was invited to become an Honorary Director of Science of the Institute. 

 
 At the first stage, the institute will be academic, that is, focused on the symbiosis of fundamental research and their orientation towards applied areas of activity.

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/sberbank-planiruet-otkryt-v-rossii-mezhdunarodnyi-institut-iskusstvennogo-intellekta/">Original (in Russian)</a>

TASS

Sberbank plans to open an international Institute of artificial intelligence in Russia

Successes of medical AI, the race between the United States and China, the hype around autonomous vehicles and other topics of November about artificial intelligence from the @ict_moscow_ai Telegram feed in one digest.

<hr />
<h2>
 Successes of medical AI<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>

 
 At the beginning of the month it was announced than Botkin.AI system for medical images analysis using artificial intelligence from Intellogic had <a href="https://vademec.ru/news/2020/11/05/zaregistrirovano-pervoe-programmnoe-obespechenie-s-ii-dlya-analiza-meditsinskikh-snimkov/" target="_blank">received</a> a registration certificate from Roszdravnadzor and had been admitted to circulation on the Russian market starting from November 3, 2020.

 
 The company <a href="https://old.sk.ru/news/b/news/archive/2019/05/29/botkinai-poluchil-100-mln-rubley-investiciy.aspx" target="_blank">raised </a>100 million rubles (equivalent to $1.3 million)  investment for the startup last year. This solution <a href="https://ict.moscow/projects/ai/news/1215/" target="_blank">became</a> the second medical software using AI that is registered in Russia, the first one was the solution for analyzing images using AI.

 
 Also in November Moscow <a href="https://tass.ru/obschestvo/10098247" target="_blank">reported</a> that more than 500 thousand CT images has been analyzed using AI in the capital, and announced the results of the first year of the experiment for introducing artificial intelligence into the Moscow healthcare system: currently about 300 Moscow medical institutions use artificial intelligence services developed by 21 companies. Next year the authors of the project <a href="https://www.mos.ru/news/item/83143073/" target="_blank">plan</a> to increase the number of types of medical research using artificial intelligence from 4 to 10.

<hr />
<h2>
 China is trying to overtake the USA<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>

 
 CB Insights analysts <a href="https://t.me/blockchainRF/3290" target="_blank">presented</a> a list of the 10 most expensive AI companies in the world: 3 out of 10 are from China, the rest are from the USA. Later, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology <a href="https://ict.moscow/projects/ai/news/1266/" target="_blank">released</a> the China Internet Development Report 2020, which said that China had overtaken the United States in the number of patent applications in artificial intelligence. In total, 694 thousand applications were submitted in the country, and in the period from January to October of this year the number of applications almost reached 102 thousand. This is 56% more than during the same period of 2019.

 
 The news agenda of the last month also included messages on bilateral cooperation between Russia and China. At the beginning of November it was announced that Russia and China <a href="http://duma.gov.ru/news/49910/" target="_blank">had agreed</a> to exchange experience in legal regulation. The areas of exchange include the regulation of digital economy, artificial intelligence technologies, personal data security, and legislative support of information security and scientific and technical cooperation. Russian RVC and Chinese DeepBlue Technology <a href="https://www.comnews.ru/content/211378/2020-11-02/2020-w45/rvk-i-kitayskaya-korporaciya-deepblue-technology-budut-razvivat-proekty-oblasti-umnykh-gorodov" target="_blank">signed</a> a memorandum on cooperation in the field of smart cities and industry 4.0. The first project will be aimed at attracting Russian teams for participation in the Smart City project of the Chinese city of Anshan. Priority search areas are intelligent and robotic systems, visual recognition and intelligent detection systems, solutions in artificial intelligence and big data analysis for manufacturing industries, production security systems.

<hr />
<h2>
 Growing hype around AI and autonomous vehicles<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>

 
 Rostelecom <a href="https://ict.moscow/projects/ai/news/1225/" target="_blank">released</a> another notable report by publishing the fourth annual monitoring of global digitalization trends. For the second year in a row, AI remains the most notable trend. This is also <a href="https://ict.moscow/projects/ai/news/1234/" target="_blank">confirmed</a> by the quarterly review of the most notable media trends in IT by ICT.Moscow. According to the review, artificial intelligence was mentioned from 15.4 to 17 thousand times a month from July to September of this year.

 
 Rostelecom also notes that autonomous vehicles trend has been growing rapidly over the past 5 years. Experts see a significant growth in the market of technologies for unmanned vehicles (merger of VW Group and Ford to create unmanned taxis and delivery services, expansion of the partnership between Uber and Toyota, active investment by large corporations in this area). According to Rostelecom analysts, the main barriers to commercial use are infrastructure and regulations.

 
 NP “GLONASS” also claims that regulation and the lack of uniform technical standards as one of the barriers. In December the Moscow Region will <a href="https://iz.ru/1084300/2020-11-08/v-rossii-zapustiat-testirovanie-sistemy-bespilotnogo-vozhdeniia-v-potoke" target="_blank">launch</a> the testing of the system of transport autonomous driving in traffic using V2X (vehicle-to-everything) equipment from six developers: Fort Telecom, MVS Group, Kaspersky Lab, Sreda Solutions, Keysight and FSUE NAMI. Based on the results of the launch, the domestic Russian standard for data exchange within the V2X infrastructure will be developed.

 
 Regarding the UAVs area, the first center for the operation of unmanned aircraft systems was <a href="https://ict.moscow/projects/ai/news/1214/" target="_blank">launched</a> in Russia on the basis of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI. The unit is the first and only one in Russia and has already been granted an official national status. It was also announced that the Ministry of Transport had ordered to develop an information support system for unmanned aircraft flights in the Russian Federation.

 
 The unmanned vehicles area is actively developing abroad as well. The UK has made an important step in this direction: at the beginning of the month, the testing of six autonomous vehicles <a href="https://bespilot.com/news/913-oxford?fbclid=IwAR0I7hfohhR-kECUZaF9BTa5qnmXhO14Mb9INskfOIELC8Wzus9rdJqX2jQ" target="_blank">began</a> in Oxford under the government’s <a href="https://www.endeavourprogramme.com/" target="_blank">Endeavor</a> program. This is the country’s first autonomous vehicle testing program on public roads. The testing will be conducted during the year in three major British cities, including London.

<hr />
<h2>
 AI monetization<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>

 
 In November, companies continued to announce purchases of start-ups, report on finding new markets and technology profitability. For instance, TechCrunch <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/m-a/20/11/18200266/intel-makes-its-second-ai-acquisition-in-a-week" target="_blank">wrote</a> about another deal by Intel - this time the company purchased the Israeli developer cnvrg.io.

 
 In Russia Sberbank <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/sberbank-expects-ai-profit-expansion/" target="_blank">claimed</a> it expected an increase in profits from artificial intelligence. The technology will generate about 6% of the targeted net profit of Sberbank this year, as the company plans to use this technology in almost all processes in the expanding range of products. On November 30, the same idea was voiced by the first deputy chairman of the board of Sberbank Alexander Vedyakhin at the online presentation of Investor Day: Strategy 2023. He said that the company intended to issue more than 90% of all loans in 2023 using artificial intelligence.

 
 Meanwhile, Tinkoff bank <a href="https://ict.moscow/projects/ai/news/1213/" target="_blank">announced</a> that it would create a separate department for the development of AI technologies. In another segment, Gazprom Neft and Zyfra Group <a href="https://ict.moscow/projects/ai/news/1255/" target="_blank">announced</a> the creation of a separate business - a joint venture for developing digital solutions in the oil and gas sector, including using AI. And VisionLabs (part of the Sberbank ecosystem) has <a href="https://ict.moscow/projects/ai/news/1264/" target="_blank">opened</a> an office in Dubai to promote its AI solutions in the UAE market. The company plans to continue its expansion by opening representative offices in Singapore and the USA, and is also considering the possibility of entering the markets of Latin America and Japan.

<hr />
 
 * * *

 
 Another notable event of November for the Russian AI industry was the <a href="https://t.me/ict_moscow_ai/1226" target="_blank">inclusion</a> of a Russian representative in the work of the interstate group for conducting global consultations in the Ad hoc Committee on Artificial Intelligence of the Council of Europe. Andrey Neznamov, Sberbank’s executive director of the Center for Data Research for Government Bodies, was elected as the chairman of this group.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/ai-digest-november20/" target="_blank">Original (in Russian)</a>

Digest about AI in Russia: top news in November

Sberbank introduced a service for making a diagnosis using neural networks

Sberbank will launch a “superapp” and its own multi-category marketplace in 2021. VC.ru wrote about this <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qJiU0goYkE&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;ab_channel=%D0%A1%D0%B1%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%A2%D0%92">citing </a>Lev Khasis, the First Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of the company. The group plans to become one of the three leaders in the Russian e-commerce market by 2023.

 
 “We are not starting from scratch, we have invaluable experience with Beru”, - Lev Khasis notes. Sber has already made three attempts to build an e-commerce business, all of which have been unsuccessful, he says. Nevertheless, e-commerce should become the flagship business of the group, Lev Khasis adds.

 
 Khasis also announced plans to acquire the majority stake in SberMarket. The company will invest 12 billion rubles in SberMarket, the funds will be used for development. SberMarket was a part of the <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/smi-uznali-o-raznoglasiiakh-sberbanka-i-mail-ru-group-v-ramkakh-sovmestnogo-predpriiatiia/">joint venture</a> between Sberbank and Mail.ru Group.

 
 In July Sberbank and Yandex <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/yandex-announced-the-division-of-assets-with-sberbank/">split</a>&nbsp;joint projects - Yandex.Market and Yandex.Money. The media reported about possible negotiations between Sberbank and Ozon on the purchase of a stake in the company. But in the IPO prospectus in the fall the retailer <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/ozon-unveils-a-new-ipo-prospectus-and-plans-to-raise-up-to-948-million/">warned</a> investors about possible legal proceedings with the bank.

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/sberbank-zapustit-sobstvennyi-marketpleis-v-2021-godu/">Original (in Russian)</a>

VC.ru

Sberbank will launch its own marketplace in 2021

Tech in Moscow #15 (23 - 29 November 2020)

Sberbank acquired 8% in Brand Safety LLC, the company that manages the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.watchout.ai/">Watchout!AI </a>service. It analyzes content and only embeds ads in brand-friendly context. The entire company was valued at 125 million rubles. (equivalent to $1.6 million).

 
 The service will be integrated with Sbermarketing solutions, including for servicing external customers.

 
 The project started in 2019 and was included in the list of finalists of the Sberbank accelerator and 500 Startups. The service recognizes text and reveals the negative using artificial intelligence, the declared accuracy is 96%. The company names the Israeli Cheq and the American GumGum among foreign analogues.

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/sberbank-priobrel-doliu-v-ii-servise-dlia-razmeshcheniia-reklamy-s-analizom-konteksta-kontenta/">Original (in Russian)</a>

Sberbank acquired a stake in an AI service for placing ads with content context analysis Watchout!AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) will bring Sberbank about 6% of the planned net profit this year. This was reported by Reuters with reference to Alexander Vedyakhin, the first deputy chairman of the bank's board and head of the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.

 
 According to Vedyakhin, about 30 billion rubles (equivalent to $395 million) were invested in AI in 2020. The benefits of artificial intelligence are expected to exceed 350 billion rubles ($4.6 billion) in the next three years. In 2020, AI technologies should bring an additional $788 million to Sberbank's profit.

The company plans to apply the technology to nearly all processes in its expanding ecosystem of products. At the same time, the banking business will remain the main driver of profit for the company for now.

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/sberbank-ozhidaet-uvelicheniia-pribyli-ot-iskusstvennogo-intellekta/">Original (in Russian)</a>

Reuters

Sberbank expects AI profit expansion

Rostelecom buys 51% in the Big Three company, which specializes in waste processing automation, for $16.6 billion. 

 
 The operator has already signed an agreement for the purchase of 1% and call options for 50% of the shares, which it is selling in the first half of 2021. The Big Three will become part of the Rostelecom group as a subsidiary, while retaining the team.

 
 The main product of the Big Three is the Waste Management platform. This solution will complement the waste processing technologies that Rostelecom already has.

 
 According to Igor Zimin, Vice president for Applied Projects of Rostelecom, the deal solves for the operator the strategic problem of creating another promising business cluster within the company, comparable in potential with such areas as information security and cloud services.

 
 Rostelecom is not the first telecom operator in the waste processing market. For example, MTS has a federal program for the digitalization of waste collection and disposal. The company has developed an ERP system that streamlines the work with municipal solid waste.

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/rostelekom-pokupaet-kompaniiu-po-upravleniiu-pererabotkoi-otkhodov-bolshaia-troika/">Original (in Russian)</a>

Vedomosti

Rostelecom buys waste management company Big Three for $16.6 billion

Machine learning developers explain how LO-shot can revolutionize the field

Longread: will LO-shot revolutionize machine learning?

MTS announced the
sale of 100% of the system integrator NVision Group to its largest shareholder,
Sistema
PJSFC. The value of the deal is 401
million rubles. But the final value may be
adjusted depending on the revised financial results as of the date of deal closure, the operator stated in a press release.

 
 MTS sells NVision
Group’s systems integration assets, excluding those used in the development of the MTS’s product portfolio. MTS will also retain the FORIS BSS/OSS billing system that was earlier an asset of NVision Group.

 
 The mobile
operator acquired NVision Group from Sistema in 2015. Initially, it was
reported that the company would cost the operator up to 15 billion rubles.
However, MTS later indicated that it had paid 11.2 billion rubles for the asset.

 
 According to the
representative of MTS <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001788742697">Alexey Merkutov</a>, the
difference between the current valuation of
NVision Group and the amount that the operator paid for the company five years
ago is due to the fact that MTS retains a
billing system that allows invoicing for communication services to subscribers
and formed the basic value of the
asset in 2015. Merkutov noted that the main purpose of the NVision Group
acquisition had been the integration of its
own billing system into the MTS perimeter.

 
 According to
Merkutov, the sale of the remaining part of NVision Group is due to the fact
that the company’s assets “are not related to the
formation of a product portfolio, require additional investments and are not considered a priority in terms of implementing the company’s strategy”.

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/mts-prodaet-envizhn-grup/">Original (in Russian)</a>

MTS sells 100% of the system integrator NVision Group to Sistema PJSFC

Mail.ru Group will
sell 100% of the MAPS.ME map service for 1.6 billion rubles. (equivalent to $20.5 million)

 
 The buyer is Daegu Limited, a member of the Parity.com group (a
global instant money transfer system that provides services to corporate
clients in insurance, tourism, e-commerce, finance, etc.). The
headquarters of the Parity.com Group is located in Switzerland.

 
 The sale of MAPS.ME is a part of Mail.ru Group’s strategy to focus on the development of core assets, where the service is
perceived as non-core.

 
 Mail.ru Group
acquired MAPS.ME in 2014 for $6.9 million. The service has surpassed the
mark of 140 million installs and 10 million monthly
active users. In 2019 MAPS.ME revenue amounted
to $2 million.

 
 Contacts:

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/eugene.lisovskiy">Eugene Lisovsky</a>, CEO of MAPS.ME

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/mail-ru-group-prodaet-maps-me-shveitsarskoi-parity-com/">Original (in Russian)</a>

Mail.ru Group sells MAPS.ME for $20.5 million

Megafon will acquire
33.8% in Digital Media Holding LLC (DMH), the parent company of the Start video
service. This information was reported by RBC
with reference to representatives of the parties.

 
 The operator is
ready to invest up to 5 billion rubles in service during the next three years. Start will use the raised
funds to increase the production of original content and
the development of new related business areas.

 
 The value of the deal was not disclosed. According to the
publication, it could amount to 2–2.7 billion rubles, since a source in the online movie theater market estimated
Start at
from 6 to 8 billion rubles.

 
 According to a representative of Megafon, the company sees great prospects in the online
cinemas market: “The creation of original content is a growth driver for the OTT
market in Russia”.

 
 According to the company’s own estimates, Start
has over 1 million paying users. According to TelecomDaily estimates, this
online cinema showed the most significant revenue growth in the first half of
the year - the figure increased by 362.9%
compared to the same period in 2019.

 
 Contacts:

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/julia.mindubaeva">Julia
Mindubaeva</a>, CEO of Start&nbsp;

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/megafon-stanet-sovladeltsem-onlain-kinoteatra-start/">Original (in Russian)</a>

Megafon will become a co-owner of the Start online cinema

Sberbank and R-Pharm will acquire 90% of shares in the Internet pharmacy Eapteka

Sberbank became interested in the smart housing and communal services
market. The bank received a minority stake (5%) in the “Smart Resident” project, which connects citizens and management
companies and allows to automatically collect data from meters
and pay bills.<a></a>

 
 The service was launched in 2016. According to Russian accounting standards, in 2019, the revenue of the company amounted to $198 thousand with a net profit of $116 thousand. In 2019 the company participated in the Sberbank accelerator
and 500 Startups.<a></a>

 
 The company’s solution allows to conduct online voting for residents, communicate with the management company,
order household
services, make payments and transfer data to the management company.<a></a>

 
 Telecommunications
operators - Rostelecom, VimpelCom, MTS and Megafon - are already working in the field of smart housing
and utilities. According to Megafon estimates, by 2022 this market in Russia will reach $15 million.<a></a>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/sberbank-poluchil-doliu-v-zhkkh-proekte-umnyi-zhitel/">Original (in Russian)</a><a></a>

Sberbank received a stake in the “Smart Resident” housing and communal services project

Oleg Tinkov sold
his stake in the financial marketplace Sravni.ru to Baring Vostok and Goldman Sachs funds. The
amount of the transaction and the shares of shareholders were not disclosed.<a></a><a></a>

 
 Sravni.ru in
2009 was founded by Albert Popkov. In 2014, the
project attracted investments from Tinkoff Digital, the owners of which are
Tinkov and Goldman Sachs.<a></a><a></a>

 
 At that time the
sources of RBC in the market, which were familiar
with the details of the transaction, estimated the service at $5 million.
According to one of them, Tinkoff Digital acquired a controlling stake and an option to increase its stake in
the company.<a></a><a></a>

 
 Alexey Solovyov, Managing Director of A Partners investment company, noted in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.vedomosti.ru/finance/articles/2020/10/18/843658-tinkov-sravniru">conversation</a> with
Vedomosti that there had been hardly
any “strong synergistic effects” between Tinkoff Digital and Sravni.ru, so the exit of the investor was unlikely to negatively affect the business.<a></a><a></a>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/fondy-baring-vostok-i-goldman-sachs-uvelichili-doliu-v-sravni-ru/">Original (in Russian)</a><a></a><a></a>

Baring Vostok and Goldman Sachs funds increase their stake in Sravni.ru

Yandex announced
the termination of negotiations on the possible purchase of 100% of the share
capital of Tinkoff. The parties failed to agree on the final terms of the deal,
the company stated in a press release. Immediately after the termination
was announced, TCS Group’s receipts on the Moscow Exchange <a target="_blank" href="https://quote.rbc.ru/news/article/5f8963609a7947a15b40a5b3">fell</a> by more than
6%. The price of securities fell to 1,754 rubles. Yandex shares fell by 3.7%.<a></a><a></a>

 
 According to a
representative of Tinkoff Bank, the company is not negotiating with anyone, and
“Tinkoff will develop independently”.<a></a>

 
 According to
Forbes, the key issue in the negotiations was Oleg Tinkov’s
participation in the management of the merged company.<a></a>

 
 The merger
negotiations between TCS Group and Yandex were <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/reaktsiia-otrasli-iandeks-pokupaet-tinkoff-bank/">announced</a> on September 22. The parties claimed that they had reached
a preliminary agreement.<a></a>

 
 On October 14, The
Bell <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/the-bell-tinkov-vedet-peregovory-s-mts-po-prodazhe-tinkoff-banka/">announced</a> that MTS was interested
in buying TCS Group.<a></a>

 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/iandeks-i-tinkoff-prekratili-peregovory-o-sdelke/">Original (in Russian)</a><a></a>

Yandex

Yandex and Tinkoff terminated negotiations on the deal

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>

Market in Brief