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22 I Companies & Markets bne August 2020
Microsoft sets up new development centre in Romania
Vladimir Kozlov in Moscow
US technology group Microsoft announced it has taken over Movial, a Romanian software engineering and design services company specialising in mobile and embedded devices.
Thus, the Movial office in Iasi will become the fourth technology development centre in the region for Microsoft.
“Microsoft announced the completion of a transaction with Movial ... to expand employment offers to people in Movial offices in Romania, Taiwan and the United States,” reads the press release sent by the company.
Spotify to enter Russia, other emerging Europe markets in
new expansion drive
bne IntelliNews
The world's leading music streaming service Spotify will expand to Russia and several other emerging Europe markets with both the free and subscription version available to users, the company announced on July 14.
Spotify's expansion drive includes another 12 markets
– Albania, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Ukraine – bringing its reach to a total of 92 markets worldwide.
“Today’s launch opens the door for nearly 250mn fans to start discovering new music from around the world on Spotify, and for artists in the region to reach the increasingly connected global audience of fans,” said Gustav Gyllenhammar, Spotify VP, markets and subscriber growth.
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As a result of the transaction, 60 Movial employees from the company's office in Iasi joined the Microsoft Devices organisation to continue its investment in Android platform development efforts.
"We are excited to continue to expand Microsoft's presence in Romania and would like to welcome these new employees of Microsoft Romania," said Violeta Luca, CEO of Microsoft Romania.
This expansion is based on the sustained effort of Microsoft in Romania in the last two decades and comes to recognise the talent and expertise of Romanian specialists in the field of technology, the company said in its press release.
“Launching in these 13 markets is an important moment in Spotify’s journey, especially as we welcome fans and artists in growing music markets like Russia, where streaming is being widely adopted and where we see a significant opportunity for Spotify.”
Spotify’s press release says that consumers in the region are embrace streaming, and cites figures from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) that show Russia is the 17th-biggest streaming market in the world and on track to move up to 10th place by 2030. More than 87% of fans in Russia now access music through streaming, it says, well above the global average of 61%.
In Russia, the move by Spotify will put pressure on local internet majors.