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January 2021 www.intellinews.com I Page 18
not clear. The central bank has thus far outlined two models by which it could implement the
digital currency. In the first, the CBR will open digital ruble accounts for Russians at the central bank itself, and commercial banks will act as intermediaries between the CBR and clients. In the second scenario, the CBR will open digital ruble accounts at Russia’s commercial banks, which
will operate the accounts themselves. According to Russia’s central bank, the digital currency could eventually operate as an alternative to SWIFT and be used by the government to pay pensions.
Coronavirus pandemic delays launch of 5G tender in Serbia
Serbia has been forced to delay the launch of
5G network due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic with tenders for frequencies expected to be launched at the end of 2021, according to Tourism and Telecommunications Minister Tatjana Matic, eKapia reported on January 13.
Serbia is working on development of the network and has pledged with the US not to use 5G equipment that is supplied by untrusted vendors, seen as a reference to Chinese companies. Despite that, the government is maintaining good relations with China’s Huawei.
In August 2019, Huawei proposed to Serbia’s government a possible cooperation on establishing 5G network in the country. Huawei is also Serbia's partner in developing the Safe and Smart City system.
According to Matic, the Serbian telecoms industry needs a 5G network but is not able to support
its implementation at the moment due to the coronacrisis.
Romanian chatbot builder Druid completes $2.5mn series A financing round
Druid, a Romanian startup specialised in developing intelligent virtual assistants (chatbots)
for enterprise organisations, announced that it has raised $2.4mn through a series A financing round.
Druid has become one of the best-capitalised startups in Romania, with total investments worth $5.8mn raised since its launch in 2018.
Local venture capital fund GapMinder Ventures led the latest funding round, with an investment of $2.2mn. The rest of the money came from Early Game Ventures and private investors.
"We will use the new round of financing to launch new conversational automations, develop artificial intelligence components further and accelerate international expansion. Druid's ambition is to become the most important conversational AI provider from Europe and to deliver a virtual assistant for every employee. We are incredibly confident and motivated to amaze the whole world with our technology," said Druid founder and CEO Liviu Dragan.
The startup has a global partnership with Romanian-born robotic processing automation (RPA) leader UiPath.
Druid's recurring revenues increased by 580% in 2020 compared to 2019, according to the company, which hasn't released the revenue level.
Available in over 45 languages, Druid offers hundreds of conversational templates that serve specific roles and processes within any industry.
Russia’s largest Russian online retailer Wildberries has launched sales in Germany
Russia’s largest Russian online retailer Wildberries has launched sales in Germany, the company said in a statement on January 14.
"Wildberries opened sales in Germany. Germany has become the tenth country of presence of our company. In the near future, Wildberries plans to