Yandex, Lanit, VTB and computer equipment manufacturer Gigabyte have signed an agreement on the creation of a joint venture at the SPIEF. The new company will build a plant in Russia that will produce servers and storage systems for data centers, and also gateways and components for smart devices, for example, for the Internet of Things. The first servers will be produced in 2022.

 
 Yandex and Gigabyte will provide patents, technologies and their server hardware developments. Lanit will provide the enterprise with distribution services and service centers. VTB will be the investor of the project. Yandex and Lanit will provide investments for the project, but the amount of investments has not been specified.

 
 According to <a href="https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prEUR247560821" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">IDC</a>, the server hardware market in Russia at the end of 2020 was estimated at $1.3 billion and grew by more than 18% over the year.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/iandeks-lanit-gigabyte-i-vtb-sozdadut-sp-dlia-proizvodstva-serverov-v-rossii/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Yandex

Yandex, Lanit, Gigabyte and VTB will create a joint venture to produce servers in Russia

Experts from the FSUE General Radio Frequency Centre scientific and technical center (subordinate to Roskomnadzor) conducted a study on the eSports and gaming industry. The experts drew attention to the need to introduce regulation of the industry, since the risks of legal uncertainty in video gaming in Russia remain high.

 
 According to the authors of the document, the owners of gaming platforms should be obliged to store in Russia information about the transmission of messages and images and information about users and the content of messages, including video and audio.

 
 Similar requirements under the Yarovaya Law have been in effect since 2018 for telecom operators and information dissemination organizers - forums, instant messengers, social networks and dating services.

 
 Moreover, the General Radio Frequency Centre experts believe that in the “context of preventing economic threats”, it is necessary to establish the legal status of game currency, loot boxes (paid virtual containers with random content), streaming platforms and donations (rewards from users).

 
 Nowadays, only China and South Korea have experience in regulating the gaming industry, the General Radio Frequency Centre experts say.

 
 Research study in Russian: <a href="https://rdc.grfc.ru/2021/05/cybersport-and-gaming/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">“Risks and threats associated with the development of the eSports and gaming industry”</a>

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/struktura-roskomnadzora-predlozhila-vvesti-regulirovanie-rynka-geiminga-i-kibersporta/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Kommersant

A department within Roskomnadzor proposed to introduce regulation of the gaming and eSports market

According to Deputy Minister of Digital Development Maxim Parshin, in June the Ministry will launch a program to compensate small businesses for 50% of the cost of the license for cloud services. “The area that we are now developing includes the provision of cloud services for small businesses at a discounted rate. The state will provide compensation in the amount of 50% of the cost of the license for the most popular domestic solutions - logistics, CRM systems, ERP systems for small business,” Parshin said.

 
 In total, 1 billion rubles was allocated for compensation. This year the Ministry will provide 63 thousand licenses within this program.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/maksim-parshin-malomu-biznesu-kompensiruiut-50-ot-stoimosti-litsenzii-na-oblachnye-servisy/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

RB.ru

The Ministry of Digital Development: small businesses will be compensated for 50% of the cost of the license for cloud services

The Ministry of Economic Development published the concept for regulating the activities of companies that develop various digital services based on one ecosystem. The document was <a href="https://www.economy.gov.ru/material/news/federalnye_organy_vlasti_obespechat_usloviya_dlya_razvitiya_cifrovyh_platform_i_bezopasnuyu_sredu_dlya_rossiyskih_kompaniy_i_potrebiteley.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">developed</a> jointly with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Digital Development, the Federal Antimonopoly Service, the Federal Tax Service with the involvement of the Central Bank.

 
 The document states that several ecosystems and platforms are currently being formed in Russia. The goal of regulation at this stage is to maintain competition for all players, develop national ecosystems/platforms under competition with foreign companies, protect the interests of suppliers and consumers of goods and services.

 
 As part of the regulation process, it is planned to:

<ul>
 <li>together with foreign regulators, develop approaches
for admitting foreign ecosystems/platforms to national markets, provided that national
suppliers of goods and services are admitted to them;</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>&nbsp;define the criteria for foreign, national, dominant
digital ecosystems, platforms, market segments (products, services), their
boundaries. Provide FAS control over
the misconduct of ecosystems/platforms;</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>introduce the concepts of openness of ecosystems and
platforms and the rules of the open model;</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>&nbsp;specify the measures to regulate data management,
including their protection, principles of use within and outside the ecosystem,
the client’s right to dispose of his data;</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>provide free transition between ecosystems/platforms
and niche suppliers for consumers, etc.</li>
</ul>

 
 <a href="https://www.economy.gov.ru/material/file/cb29a7d08290120645a871be41599850/koncepciya_21052021.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Ecosystem regulation concept (in Russian)</a>

 
 For the first time, the Central Bank <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/bank-rossii-predstavil-pervye-predlozheniia-po-regulirovaniiu-tsifrovykh-ekosistem" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">published</a> a report on the regulation of ecosystems that unite digital platforms in early April. At the same time, it was <a href="https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4760160" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">announced</a> that the government, upon the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation, was working on the concept for the regulation of ecosystems.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/minekonomrazvitiia-predstavilo-kontseptsiiu-regulirovaniia-ekosistem/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation

Ministry of Economic Development presented the concept of ecosystem regulation

Rosstandart approved the first eight artificial intelligence standards. The head of the department Anton Shalaev announced this at the international industrial forum “Intellect of machines and mechanisms”. According to him, at the moment there are standards in transport and security, and also in the field of recognizing people’s intentions based on biometric data.

 
 The standardization program in “Artificial Intelligence” area was approved by Rosstandart in December last year. It includes the development of 217 standards that regulate the safety of AI systems for people and the environment.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/rosstandart-utverdil-vosem-standartov-v-sfere-iskusstvennogo-intellekta/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

TASS

Rosstandart approved eight artificial intelligence standards

The Russian government has approved the rules for
supporting projects in the field of AI.

 
 In particular, 5.26 billion rubles (equivalent to&nbsp;$71 million) will be
allocated until 2024 to support the businesses that
implement AI projects. Businesses will be able to receive grants not exceeding 100 million
rubles following the results of a competitive selection. Grants can be used to purchase
software and equipment, pay programmer fees, pay for rental of premises, maintenance of workplaces,
etc.

 
 The rules for subsidizing events, at which schoolchildren and students will develop projects in the field
of artificial intelligence, will be also approved. It is proposed to
allocate 1.23 billion rubles for this purpose.

 
 <a href="http://static.government.ru/media/files/vMFqwzpOngp0Za4aNrc3sAccA5lkqVAD.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">RF Government Decree (in Russian)</a>

 
 The government has also
<a href="http://government.ru/docs/42286" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">allocated</a> 985 million rubles (or $13,4 million) to conduct AI hackathons
and lectures on AI until 2024. The subsidies will be allocated to ANO “Russia - the Country of Opportunities”.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/pravitelstvo-rf-napravit-na-podderzhku-ii-proektov-5-26-mlrd-rublei-do-2024-goda/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

The Russian Government

The Russian government will allocate $71 million until 2024 to support AI projects

ICT.Moscow

Smart assistants in Russia: market overview, trends and prospects

The Ministry of Economy published a draft of amendments to the law on information required to create a national data management system (NDSM), a key element of public administration within the digital national project. The document should create a legal framework for the functioning of the&nbsp;NDSM. It introduces the definition of both the state data and the system for managing it, describes the goals and procedure for its functioning. It is assumed that the NDSM will ensure the quality control of state data and the exchange of them both between government agencies and access to them for citizens and businesses.

 
 According to the project, the data management system will be based on three key elements:

<ul>
 <li>the NDSM platform, which will become a unified information environment after the consolidation of data from more than 800 disparate state information systems (GIS);</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>the digital analytical platform of Rosstat, designed to integrate the entire system for collecting statistics in Russia and become a single repository of primary data;</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>showcases of state and municipal data, involving the creation of analytical tools for working with information</li>
</ul>

 
 <a href="https://regulation.gov.ru/projects#npa=115660" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Draft amendments (in Russian)</a> 

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/minekonomiki-podgotovilo-regulirovanie-dlia-sozdaniia-natsionalnoi-sistemy-upravleniia-dannymi/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

The Ministry of Economy has prepared regulation for the creation of a national data management system

Yandex has officially announced the purchase of Acropol bank for 1.1 billion rubles. The deal will be closed after approval by the Bank of Russia, the company filed a request for this on April 28.

 
 The main purpose of the purchase for the IT company is to obtain a universal banking license, on the basis of which it will be able to develop its own financial services. According to the experts who discussed the upcoming deal, Yandex’s further steps in the FinTech segment are still unclear, since the company does not have a ready-made team for developing in this area.

<hr />
 
 In February, after the launch of the Yandex Pay system, Mikhail Popov from TalkBank <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/reaction-yandex-pay/#Popov" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">told</a> ICT.Moscow that there must be a financial institution behind this service. The analyst of Finam Group Leonid Delitsyn <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/reaction-yandex-pay/#delitsyn" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">noted</a> that “classical banking services (of Yandex) can make sense only as auxiliary services”.

 
 This is not the first Yandex’s attempt to acquire a bank: in September last year, negotiations between the IT company and Tinkoff Bank <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/iandeks-predvaritelno-dogovorilsia-o-pokupke-tinkoff/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">were announced</a>. Then the deal did not take place due to the fact that the parties could not agree on the terms.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/iandeks-obiavil-o-pokupke-banka-akropol/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

The Bell

Yandex buys Acropol bank

The head of Sberbank Herman Gref commented in an interview with RBC on
the <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/reaktsiia-otrasli-sberbank-i-mail-ru-group-mogut-razdelit-sovmestnyi-biznes" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">information</a> that had previously appeared in the media about possible
disagreements with Mail.ru Group within their joint venture.

 
 “We have significantly fewer competitive areas with Mail.ru Group (than with
Yandex). We have a very good relationship and find solutions to similar complex
problems that arise. It would be nonsense to say that they do not arise,
because the two ecosystems are in contact”, - Gref explained.

 
 The disagreements between Sberbank and Mail.ru Group within the joint
venture <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/smi-uznali-o-raznoglasiiakh-sberbanka-i-mail-ru-group-v-ramkakh-sovmestnogo-predpriiatiia" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">became known</a> in November last year. The media reported that the parties
could not determine what would become the basis of their common ecosystem: the
financial services of Sberbank or VKontakte, a social network owned by Mail.ru.

 
 In addition, Gref spoke about the need to regulate ecosystems in the
interview. According to him, it is necessary to maintain competition in the
domestic market and enable small players to maintain their competitiveness. “In
this sense, I agree: the big companies should be under control. In no case
should they be allowed to retreat into themselves and close the market to competition.
This is what regulation is needed for. And so far no one knows what kind of
regulation is needed, because the online ecosystem is a new reality”, - the
head of Sberbank said.

 
 Another question was dedicated to the influence of technology giants and
ecosystems on the political and economic processes of states. According to
Gref, this topic is exaggerated and represents a “pure hype”. “No ecosystem
will ever be able to compete with the state. The state can easily deal with any
ecosystem. But this lag in regulation may exist to ensure that ecosystems do
not cross the red lines in some areas... States are clumsy, they study the
situation for a long period of time, but then they make tough decisions that
are binding on everyone”.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/german-gref-s-mail-ru-group-u-nas-znachitelno-menshe-konkuriruiushchikh-napravlenii-chem-s-iandeksom/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

CEO of Sberbank Herman Gref: “We have significantly fewer competitive areas with Mail.ru Group than with Yandex”

The Russian government plans to launch the Gosdoki mobile application in 2021. Until 2024, it will allow electronic submission of up to 30 types of electronic documents, including Individual insurance account number (SNILS) , compulsory medical insurance (OMS), Taxpayer Personal Identification Number (INN), driver's license, etc. Paper equivalents of these documents (except for the passport) will no longer be issued. 

 
 The development of the application is envisaged by the project "Digital Profile of Citizen", for which the National Innovation System working group is responsible. It is assumed that the creation of the application will cost 1.3 billion rubles (equivalent to $17.8 million), developer of the app has not yet been announced.

 
 In mid-February, Russian President Vladimir Putin <a href="https://www.cnews.ru/news/top/2021-02-16_v_rossii_nachnetsya_totalnaya" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">ordered</a> an experiment to replace a number of personal documents with their digital counterparts by the end of autumn 2021.

 
 Prior to that, it was<a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/moscow-plans-to-develop-a-mobile-application-for-an-electronic-passport-by-the-end-of-2021/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> reported</a> that in Moscow a mobile application for an e-passport may appear at the end of 2021. Later, it also became known about the intention of the Ministry of Digital Development to <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/ministry-of-digital-development-plans-to-conduct-an-experiment-to-replace-driving-licenses-with-qr-codes/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">conduct an experiment</a> to replace driver's licenses with QR codes in some regions of Russia this year.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-etom-godu-v-rossii-poiavitsia-prilozhenie-dlia-zameny-bumazhnykh-dokumentov-na-elektronnye/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Vedomosti

An application to replace state paper documents with electronic ones will appear in Russia this year

The Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation has developed a draft government decree on simplifying the receipt of subsidies by Russian AI developers. The implementation period for each project should not exceed six years, the developer will be able to receive up to 500 million rubles (equivalent to $6.4 million) annually. At the same time, he will have to invest his own funds in the project, at least 30% of the total amount.

 
 Applicants for subsidies will be selected through a competition. The company must be registered in Russia, exist for at least three years or be included in the list of strategic enterprises (or be a subsidiary of such an organization). The head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov noted that in 2021 the allocated amount of subsidies could amount to 1.5 billion rubles. (equivalent to ($19.4 million).

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/minpromtorg-predlagaet-uprostit-poluchenie-subsidii-rossiiskimi-ii-razrabotchikami/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

The Ministry of Industry and Trade proposes to simplify the receipt of subsidies by Russian AI developers

The Bank of Russia published the revised Concept of the Digital Ruble which takes into account the outcomes of the public discussion of the previously presented report.

 
 The target model for the introduction of a new form of currency provides that the Bank of Russia is the issuer of digital rubles and the platform operator. Financial organizations pen wallets for their clients on the central bank's platform and conduct operations. 

 
 Stages of project implementation:

 
 December 2021 - creation of a prototype of the digital ruble platform

 
 January 2022 - development of amendments to the legislation of the Russian Federation

 
 I quarter. 2022 - launch of testing a prototype of the digital ruble platform

 
 2022 - testing of a prototype of the digital ruble platform

 
 Based on the testing results, a roadmap for the implementation of the target digital ruble platform will be formed. 

 
 The development of the platform is planned in two stages. The first involves the connection of credit institutions and the Federal Treasury, the implementation of C2C, C2B, B2C, B2B, G2B, B2G, C2G, G2C operations. As part of the second stage - the connection of financial intermediaries, the introduction of an offline regime, the exchange of the digital ruble for foreign currency and the possibility of opening wallets for non-resident clients.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/tsb-opredelilsia-s-kontseptsiei-tsifrovogo-rublia/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Bank of Russia

Russia's Central Bank has decided on the concept of the digital ruble

A number of IT companies affiliated with large non-core businesses are planning to take advantage of the tax maneuver in the IT industry that entered into force on January 1. To do this, companies establish IT departments as separate legal entities: Vimpelcom-Information Technologies (VK-IT), Post Digital, MTS Artificial Intelligence Centre, MTS-IT and MTS Lab, as well as Sberbank-Service and Rusatom - digital solutions. All of these companies are included in the register of companies accredited by the Ministry of Digital Development.&nbsp;

 
 Beeline did not comment on the possibility of obtaining tax benefits. MTS declined to comment. Rosatom, Sberbank and Russian Post did not respond to requests from the publication. In December 2020, the Russian Post admitted that "an independent status will allow the company to qualify for the use of tax benefits."

 
 According to Natalia Vozianova, PwC partner (Tax Services), companies that want to spin off IT divisions need to have business reasons for this, so that tax authorities cannot make claims to companies for receiving unjustified benefits. Obtaining tax incentives should have a business purpose, and operations should be real, confirms Moscow Digital School expert Ekaterina Koretnikova.

 
 The law on conducting a "tax maneuver" in IT <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/razrabotchikam-predlozhili-manevr/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">was signed</a> by the President at the end of July 2020. It assumes a reduction in the insurance premium for IT companies from 14% to 7.6%, the income tax rate - from 20% to 3%. 

 
 The second package of measures to support the industry <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/sostoialos-obsuzhdenie-vtorogo-paketa-mer-podderzhki-it-otrasli/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">was discussed</a> with the business on March 18 at a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko. In the near future, the document will be sent for signature to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. 

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/krupnye-kompanii-nachali-otdeliat-it-podrazdeleniia-dlia-polucheniia-nalogovykh-lgot/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Large Russian companies began to separate IT departments to receive tax incentives

The number of online medical consultations should reach 50% by 2030. This is stated in the order of the Ministry of Digital Development on the approval of methods for calculating the Digital Transformation target indicators. The document was signed by Deputy Minister of Digital Development Oleg Pak.

 
 Remote provision of medical services was allowed by the law on telemedicine, which entered into force on January 1, 2018. However, the possibility of providing such services according to the law is limited by the fact that the doctor must conduct the initial appointment and examination of the patient in person.

 
 In 2020, more than 5 million people received telemedicine consultations in Russia, and the number of users registered with telemedicine service providers already exceeds 10 million at the moment, <a href="https://ict.moscow/actor/anna-meshcheriakova/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Anna Meshcheryakova</a>, General Director of the Third Opinion Company, told the publication. During the pandemic, the market showed record growth dynamics and there is every reason to believe that by 2030, half of the consultations will be provided to patients online, she said. 

 
 As it became known yesterday, doctors of the digital medical service Doctor Ryadom (which is part of the VEB Ventures portfolio) conducted 227.9 thousand consultations in 2020, which is 293% more than in the previous year. The company's revenue increased by 21% to 684.4 million rubles (equivalent to $8.9 million).&nbsp;

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/mintsifry-ozhidaet-rosta-doli-chisla-meditsinskikh-onlain-konsultatsii-do-50-k-2030-godu/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

The Ministry of Digital Development expects the share of online medical consultations to reach 50% by 2030

The Moscow branch of the Russian Bar Association has submitted proposals on the regulation of recommendation services to the State Duma and the Federation Council.

These are services used in social networks, news aggregators, online cinemas and marketplaces, which, according to the Association, should be independently audited and disabled at the request of users.&nbsp;&nbsp;

 
 Users should be able to turn off recommendation algorithms, while maintaining the availability of the service itself, experts of the commission say. In their opinion, it is also necessary to control the use of recommendation algorithms to promote illegal content. As the head of the commission, Alexander Zhuravlev, explained, the algorithms of recommendations artificially create an anomalous interest in goods and immerse a person in an information vacuum in accordance with his beliefs. 

 
 On March 29, the proposals were sent to the head of the Ministry of Digital Development Maksut Shadayev, the head of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Alexander Khinshtein, and the deputy chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Legislation and State Construction, Irina Rukavishnikova.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-rossii-predlozhili-vziat-pod-kontrol-rekomendatelnye-algoritmy-sotssetei-i-marketpleisov/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Regulation of the recommendation algorithms of social networks and marketplaces was proposed to be implemented in Russia

Information &amp; Computer Technologies Industry Association (APKIT) proposed to create an IT ombudsman institute in Russia&nbsp; as part of the second package of measures to support the industry.

 
 Entrepreneurs need protection from undue harassment. In addition, the IT ombudsman can work to increase the satisfaction of companies with the conditions for doing business in Russia, the association believes. 

 
 The press service of the Ministry of Digita Development told the publication that the department included the APKIT proposal in the draft of the second package of measures to support the IT industry, the documents were sent to the government. One of Izvestia's interlocutors, participating in the discussion of the second package of measures to support the IT industry, noted that all the proposals were finalised, now the documents are being coordinated with the federal executive authorities, and they are expected to be consolidated in the form of regulatory documents within the next two months. 

 
 The discussion with the business of the second package of measures to support the IT business <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/sostoialos-obsuzhdenie-vtorogo-paketa-mer-podderzhki-it-otrasli/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">took place</a> on March 18 at a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko. 

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-rossii-obsuzhdaetsia-sozdanie-instituta-it-ombudsmena/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Izvestia

Creation of the institution of IT ombudsman is being discussed in Russia

Rostec State Corporation proposed to invest 41.6 billion rubles (equivalent to $544 million) within the framework of the Roadmap for the development of high-tech areas of the Internet of things until 2024, developed by the Ministry of Digital Science. This was reported by Vedomosti with reference to a source close to the development of the roadmap.

 
 Representatives of Rostec explained to the publication that the implementation of the roadmap is necessary in order to provide developers with tools to build their own digital&nbsp;IoT-based solutions. With investments of $544 million the sales volume of Russian companies will reach 230.9 billion rubles (equivalent to $3 billion) by 2024. (last year this figure was 44.4 billion rubles or $580 million), the state corporation predicts. Funding should be aimed at conducting research, creating a technology platform, supporting developers through development institutions aimed at creating industry platforms, applications and services.

 
 Earlier it became known that as part of the second package of measures to support the IT industry, the government <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/the-government-proposed-to-use-only-domestic-iot-equipment-to-collect-data-in-housing-and-communal-services/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">proposes</a> to oblige companies to switch only to Russian equipment for the Internet of Things for data collection in housing and communal services, fire and environmental safety.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/rostekh-predlozhil-investirovat-41-6-mlrd-rub-v-razvitie-otechestvennykh-tekhnologii-interneta-veshchei/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Rostec proposed to invest $544 million in the development of domestic technologies of the Internet of things

As part of the second package of measures to support the IT industry, the government proposes to oblige companies to switch only to Russian Internet of Things (IoT) equipment for collecting data on housing and communal services, fire and environmental safety. 

 
 The corresponding bill and government decree should be developed by the Ministry of Digital Development with the participation of the Ministry of Economic Development by September. It is also proposed to prepare a legislative basis for the creation of Russian state information systems (GIS) for monitoring the weather, the environmental situation at especially hazardous facilities, as well as controlling the consumption of utilities by budgetary organizations. These solutions should also be based only on Russian IoT technologies. 

 
 According to the deputy prime minister's representative, the main argument for including the proposal in the support package was the high degree of readiness of the domestic market of IoT solutions manufacturers.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/pravitelstvo-predlozhilo-dlia-sbora-dannykh-v-zhkkh-ispolzovat-tolko-otechestvennoe-iot-oborudovanie/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

The government proposed to use only domestic IoT equipment to collect data on housing and communal services

The Russian government has identified the first seven projects for which an experimental digital innovation legal regime can be used. The corresponding bill was submitted to the State Duma on the evening of March 15.

 
 Exceptions to the legislation are proposed to be introduced for the following projects:

<ul>
 <li>provision of medical care using telemedicine (MTS)</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>remote conclusion of contracts for the provision of communication services using biometric technologies (MTS)</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>commercial use of unmanned ground vehicles (Yandex)</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>service of cargo transportation using unmanned aerial vehicles, providing delivery of goods from 0.1 kg to 500 kg (fpi.gov.ru);</li>
 <li>introduction of medical decision support systems using artificial intelligence technologies (National Medical Knowledge Base association);&nbsp;</li>
 <li>service for small and medium-sized businesses for the selection of optimal areas and places of activity based on big data (Big Data Association);&nbsp;</li>
 <li>research of routine clinical practice based on anonymized data from electronic medical records (Data Matrix LLC)&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

 
 The Experimental Digital Innovation Legal Regimes Act <a href="https://www.economy.gov.ru/material/directions/gosudarstvennoe_upravlenie/normativnoe_regulirovanie_cifrovoy_sredy/eksperimentalnye_pravovye_rezhimy/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">entered into force</a> on January 28. It involves testing a range of IT technologies in different industries.

 
 <a href="https://sozd.duma.gov.ru/bill/1129501-7" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Draft Federal Law No. 1129501-7</a>

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/pravitelstvo-predstavilo-sem-proektov-dlia-reguliatornykh-pesochnits/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

duma.gov.ru

Russian government has presented seven projects for regulatory sandboxes

The Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation plans to provide AI developers in the healthcare sector (companies that develop solutions based on artificial intelligence for diagnosing diseases, predicting their course, as well as the epidemiological situation) with access to anonymized medical data of citizens.&nbsp; 

 
 It is planned to collect medical data of Russians in a unified state information system in the field of health care, supervised by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. According to the passport of the federal project, by the end of 2020, 82% of medical organisations in the country should have already been connected to this system. For developers to access anonymized data of citizens, a special repository of medical images and electronic medical records will be created. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/alexey.vyskrebentsev" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Alexey Vyskrebentsev</a>, head of Foresight's presale practice, notes that this initiative may run into problems, since many private clinics are not connected to GIS and cannot ship patients' medical data.

The initiative is currently being considered in the office of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko. It will be discussed among the support measures for the IT industry at a meeting to be held this Thursday.  

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/mintsifry-planiruet-otkryt-ii-razrabotchikam-dostup-k-obezlichennym-meditsinskim-dannym-grazhdan/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

The Ministry of Digital Development plans to open access to anonymized medical data of citizens for AI developers

First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Andrey Belousov approved a set of measures developed by the Ministry of Transport of Russia for testing and phased commissioning of highly automated vehicles (HAVs) on public roads without the presence of a test engineer in the cabin. The instruction to develop such a document was given by the President of Russia. 

 
 The set of measures provides for the pilot commercial operation of the fully unmanned vehices in individual constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The implementation of the measures will allow, in the period from 2021 to 2024, to create the necessary legal conditions for the introduction of&nbsp;HAVs in the transport complex. A prerequisite is ensuring the safety of road users and compliance with established rules and regulations. 

 
 When preparing the document, the positions of the federal executive authorities were taken into account - the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Digital Development, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Federal Security Service, the Federal Security Service, the Bank of Russia, and Rosstandart. The set of measures was coordinated with industry expert associations - the Digital Transport and Logistics Association, the Russian Union of Auto Insurers, as well as organizations of the scientific and technological business community - Yandex, KAMAZ, Sberbank, GAZ Group, Gazprom Neft. 

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-rossii-v-2021-godu-nachnetsia-testirovanie-bespilotnikov-bez-inzhenerov-ispytatelei-v-salone/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Testing of unmanned vehicles without test engineers in the cabin will begin in Russia in 2021

The Bank of Russia expects to present a prototype platform for the digital ruble by the end of 2021 and start testing a new form of currency in 2022,&nbsp;after finalising the solution. This was reported by the Prime agency with reference to the deputy chairman of the regulator Alexei Zabotkin.

 
 According to him, the prototype will be a technological platform, "within which it will not be possible to make real transactions yet."

 
 The Central Bank <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/tsb-izuchaet-vozmozhnost-vypuska-tsifrovogo-rublia" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">presented</a> the concept of the digital ruble in October 2020. It is assumed that this will be an additional form of the national currency, which will be issued by the Central Bank in digital form and will combine the properties of cash and non-cash rubles. 

 
 In early February, it <a href="https://iz.ru/1119685/natalia-ilina/pravlenyi-podkhod-tcifrovoi-rubl-trebuet-redaktcii-chetyrekh-zakonov-i-gk" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">became known</a> that the preparation of amendments to the legislation for the introduction of the digital ruble is planned to begin in the second half of 2021.

 
 After that, telecom operators <a href="https://iz.ru/1124100/natalia-ilina/koshelek-ili-sviaz-tcifrovye-rubli-predlozhili-khranit-na-smartfonakh" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">announced</a> their interest in introducing wallets for digital rubles on smart devices and in creating additional services for the third form of the national currency.

 
 <a href="https://www.cbr.ru/StaticHtml/File/112957/Consultation_Paper_201013.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Digital Ruble report by Bank of Russia (in Russian)</a>

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/tsb-planiruet-zapustit-testirovanie-tsifrovogo-rublia-v-2022-godu/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

PRIME

The Central Bank plans to start testing the digital ruble in 2022

The European technology news portal Seedtable has compiled a list of the top 93 Moscow companies to watch for in 2021. The complete list is published on the website of the publication. Some of the companies included in the list: 

 
 Medicine

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/docdoc/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">DocDoc</a> telemedicine service (SberHealth since 2020)</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>Telemedicine platform and social network for doctors Doktor na rabote</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/botkinai/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Botkin.AI,</a> platform for diagnostics and analysis of the risks of developing diseases using AI</li>
</ul>

 
 Education

<ul>
 <li>Educational platform for the study and practice of a foreign language Lingualeo</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>Skyeng Online English School</li>
</ul>

 
 FinTech

<ul>
 <li>Financial management service in the <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/talkbank/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">TalkBank</a> messenger</li>
</ul>

 
 Delivery and e-commerce

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/dostavista/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Dostavista</a> express courier delivery service</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>Personalization platform for online stores <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/personalizaciya-sajta-retailrocket/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Retail Rocket</a></li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>Online trucking service <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/groozgo/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">GroozGo</a></li>
</ul>

 
 Transport

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/autospot/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AutoSpot</a>, service for finding new cars</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/alfred/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Alfred</a>, cars repair and maintenance service</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/carprice/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">CarPrice</a> service for the sale of used cars through the online auction.</li>
</ul>

 
 The list also includes the leaders of the IT market, including <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/cards/?tags=Yandex" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Yandex</a>, <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/cards/?tags=Tinkoff_Bank" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Tinkoff Bank</a>, <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/citymobil/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Citymobil</a> and others.

 
 In mid-February, the European edition of Sifted <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/eu-startups-has-named-ifarm-as-one-of-the-10-most-promising-startups-in-finland-for-the-second-year-in-a-row/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">included</a> iFarm's automated vertical green farming project in its list of startups to watch for in 2021.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/evropeiskii-portal-seedtable-sostavil-top-93-moskovskikh-kompanii-za-kotorymi-stoit-sledit-v-2021-godu/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Market in Brief