Page 136 - RusRPTOct21

MTS AI, the artificial intelligence arm of Russian telco MTS, is launching an international acceleration program and venture fund to invest in AI startups across the world. Dubbed ‘Intema', the platform plans to invest some $100mn in startups from late seed up to Series, reports East-West Digital News (EWDN). The investments focus on language, image andehavior analytics, edge computing and logistics, Alexey Posternak, CFO of MTS AI, told Forbes.
The Russian investment club Promising Projects and the AI Cluster of the Novosibirsk Akademgorodok have teamed up to launch a $100mn fund focusing on AI, ML, data mathematics and cybersecurity. Dubbed ‘AI 1 Ventures’ and incorporated in Luxembourg, the new fund targets such areas as Eastern and Western Europe, including thealtic states, as well as Israel. Tickets from $250,000 to $5mn will be invested in some 40 startups at the Seed and Series A stages over the next four years. Russian investors are asserting themselves more and more actively on the domestic and global markets. Several new funds emerged lately, as reported by East-West Digital News.
Russia’s leading Moscow Exchange (MOEX) announced it will launch the “Finuslugi” marketplace for consumer loans in October, the exchange said on September 24. MOEX has tied up with the leading retailanks including Sber (formerly known as Sberbank), Tinkoff, Otkritie, Alfa-Bank and Sovcombank among others, to offer the loans. The transactions will be registered with the Financial Transaction Registrar operated by MOEX, reports Sber, which already registers retail deposits placed via Finuslugi. MOEX plans to start offering mass online consumer finance lending via Finuslugi.ru (which means “financial services” in Russia) and pilot loans have already been issued this week.The offers can already be viewed on the marketplace's website. Finuslugi haseen offering deposits since last year, and motor insurance was added earlier this year. “If MOEX's marketplace proves able to acquire clients in the lending space, the advantages enjoyed by TCS Group's established digital platform could be eroded, whileanks with less developed in-house platforms would likely benefit the most,” Sberbank CIB said in a note.
M.Video has announced the acquisition of a 100% stake in Direct Credit,
a fintech platform, for RUB 1.3bn. The platform is Russia's largest creditroker, accounting for 25% of the country's POS lending market. In 2020, it issued 2mn loans worth RUB 74.2bn, with 34% conducted via the online channel. Last year, 17% of M.Video’s GMV was made via credit sales (RUB 85bn). The deal is toe finalised by YE21, and has already been approved the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service.
Softline, an international solution and service provider with Russian roots, is pursuing its international expansion with two deals announced
136 RUSSIA Country Report October 2021 www.intellinews.com