Eastern Europe / Tech
Employees claim Bulgarian Facebook moderators controlled by Russia
Moscow is suspected of using multiple tools for hybrid attacks on democracy in Bulgaria, including spreading disinformation and financing political parties.
Russia to slash AI development support
Russia will slash its support for the development of AI technologies more than 10-fold after the fallout of the military invasion of Ukraine.
Russian government offering incentives and penalties to lure back IT professionals that fled into exile
Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development in Russia is actively seeking ways to bring back IT specialists who have fled the country since war in Ukraine began.
Remittances between the EU and Ukraine expected to recover in 2023 after 10% fall in 2022
Remittances between the EU and Ukraine will expand in 2023, after declining by between 5% and 10% in 2022, according to money transfer system Tempo France.
Survey: 12% of Ukrainian startups shut down, 30% moved abroad at least partially during the war
Much has been said about the “resilience” of the Ukrainian tech sector amid the war, but what do entrepreneurs themselves say about the challenges they have faced since February 2022?
First post-invasion IPO of Russian e-scooter Whoosh raises $33mn
Russian e-scooter-sharing service Whoosh's IPO on the Moscow Exchange raised RUB2.1bn from a 10% free float.
In major Russian fintech deal TCS banking group eyes Tochka
Banking group TCS, operating Russia’s only purely online bank Tinkoff, is considering buying Tockha fintech service for SMEs and entrepreneurs for RUB20bn ($317mn), Kommersant daily reported citing unnamed banking sources.
Russian investors seek assistance in darknet to recover blocked crypto assets
Service offers to release Russian investors’ assets blocked on international crypto exchanges are springing up in the darknet, reports East West Digital News.
More than 80 Ukrainian Web3 startups raise $1bn over the past four years
While Ukraine ranks third worldwide in the 2022 Global Crypto Adoption Index, Web3 startups with roots in this country have raised nearly $1bn in investments over the past four years
Slush revokes €1mn tech prize for UK start-up Immigram because founders are Russians
The Slush 100 programme is a pitching competition for tech startups in their early stages of development but this year's winners of a €1mn prize, UK registered Immigram, was stripped of its award simply because its founders are Russian.
Luxoft opens development centre in Serbia, Yandex to follow
International IT companies that have quit the Russian market setting up in Serbia alongside Russian tech companies.
Former Tinkoff head rebuffs “libellous” allegations by billionaire banker Oleg Tinkov
The former CEO of digital bank Tinkoff has taken to his blog to rebut allegations from the bank's former owner that he is continuing to work for the bank in breach of sanctions.
