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encryption and privacy policies, agreed to provide the IP address and phone numbers of users suspected of terrorism if ordered by a court ruling. Telegram, founded by Russian self-exiled digital entrepreneur Pavel Durov, has been waging a war with Russian communications watchdog Roskomnadzor since April . The watchdog has unsuccessfully been trying the block the messenger on Russian territory after Durov ignored the court ruling obliging the Telegram to pass the encryption keys to the Federal Security Bureau (FSB). Durov commented on the latest relaxing of the privacy policy and argued that it will not change the stand-off with Russian authorities, which is demanding not only the phone number of suspected users, but an indiscriminate access to the correspondence of all its users. Roskomnadzor also confirmed that a block on the app in Russia remains in effect, although in practise the state body has been unable to enforce the ban.
Russia's second-largest VTB Bank will start using robots to collect overdue debt , according to the deputy head of VTB Anatoly Pechatnikov as cited by Vedomosti d aily on July 31. VTB has currently announced a number of digitally-driven initiatives, including a possible alliance with Chinese AliBaba group , trying to catch up with market leader Sberbank that adopted an ambitious digital strategy and keeps a stable rollout of high-tech and AI products and services. Pechatnikov argued that tests of the automated debt collection at early stages of overdue loans have showed better performance and lower costs than that of human collectors, while not being susceptible to stress and emotional wreckage of the job.
French online car pooling service BlaBlaCar will acquire its rival in Russia BeepCar owned by internet services major Mail.ru Group , Kommersant d aily reported citing the announcement of the companies. The deal will start a partnership under which BlaBlaCar will be promoted across Mail.ru platforms. Car pooling is an emerging segment in Russia's rapidly growing digitally-enhanced transportation market. Boosted by the economic crisis, BlaBlaCar wants to modernize travelling in Russia . The French intercity online car sharing comes to Russia's regions . Mail.ru and taxi-aggregator Vezyot have recently concluded a convertible loan agreement in preparation for a new investment round. Earlier in 2018 Mail.Ru Group along with MegaFon mobile major invested in taxi-aggregator CityMobil, with Mail.ru purchasing 26% for $12mn. Sberbank CIB expects the car-pooling market in Russia to expand by RUB377bn by 2025, as it will compete with traditional public transportation and by RUB474bn by replacing personal transportation. The total car sharing and taxi market in 2017-2025 is seen growing 2.5-fold to RUB1.6 trillion. BlaBlaCar plans to double the activity in Russia after the acquisition of BeepCar, according to the CE of BlaBlaCar Nicholas Brusson. An estimated number of users in Russia for the French company stands at 15mn users out of 65mn globally. BeepCar had 2mn registered users as of end of 2017 and had over 5mn app downloads on iOs and Android devices. Yandex also wants to compete in the car pooling market with its pilot Yandex.Poputka app launched in the beginning of 2018 in Krasnoyarsk and Rostov-on-Don, with about 10,000 downloads in Google Play. The analysts were sceptical of Mail.ru taxi market ambitions given the given the considerable first-mover advantage given the first-mover advantage of rival Yandex whose Yandex.Taxi service closed a mega-deal with Uber in Russia and CIS . Another rival on the market online taxi booking service Gett said in June it raised extra $80mn for operations in Russia from Access Industries of Leonid Blavatnik, Baring Vostok, MCI, and Volkswagen Group among the investors.
Carsharing service Yandex.Drive of Russia's Internet major Yandex bought out the Toplivo v Bak (TvB) start-up that specialises on operating mobile on-demand gas stations, the companies said on August 8. Carsharing, car pooling and online taxi booking is an emerging market in Russia, attracting investment and fierce competition. The total car sharing and taxi market in 2017-2025 is seen growing 2.5-fold to RUB1.6 trillion ($24bn) by
113 RUSSIA Country Report September 2018 www.intellinews.com