Three large banks are creating a unique QR code, Aquarius will launch corporate routers – the main thing on June 28

World

• Meta* is testing AI avatars on Instagram. For now, they will appear primarily in messages and will be indicated by the AI ​​tag. They were created by users of the new Meta AI studio.

• Pavel Durov visited Kazakhstan: the country’s Ministry of Digital Development has joint projects with the businessman based on the results of his visit. The department notes that the republic “has something to show.”

Russia

• The Council of Legislators will study the initiative of regional deputies “On Amendments to the Federal Law on the Development of Small and Medium Businesses in the Russian Federation.” The further submission of the project to the State Duma of the Russian Federation is expected to be completed on August 1. If the project is adopted, self-employed workers will be equated to microbusinesses and will be able to participate in public procurement.

Finance

• Sber, Alfa-Bank and T-Bank decided to join together in a consortium to create a unique QR code. Meanwhile, NSPK is also jointly testing its universal QR.

• VTB earned 16 billion rubles from the sale of part of the blocked assets. This is the first such transaction on the Russian market. VTB does not name the buyer or the volume of assets sold. It is known that the transaction was made at a significant discount.

• The Russian-French “Brand Quad” paid its former investor Skolkovo Ventures 187 million rubles and filed a motion to withdraw the claim for 852 million rubles.

Business

• At the end of 2024, Russian electronics manufacturer Aquarius will begin producing corporate routers. The software for them will be developed by Wimark national systems. Approximately one billion rubles will be invested in the project.
• Wildberries was the first in Russia to register a colour gradient as a trademark. The market also received legal protection for the violet monochromatic colour.
  According to Tatyana Bakalchuk, the company logo has changed over the years, but the purple color always remains at Wildberries.

• The producer of the Ozempic analogue, the biotechnology company Promomed, will hold an initial public offering on the Moscow Stock Exchange in July. The offerings will be secured by shares issued as part of the additional issue. Earlier, the media wrote about Promomed’s intention to raise up to 10 billion rubles.

• Moscow’s Lublinsky Court suspended the work of “District Kitchen” for 90 days after a mass botulism infection. Company representatives requested to hold the meeting without the media, but the court refused to close it. Earlier this week, the first poisoning victim died in Kostroma.

Services and Technologies

• Aeroflot has introduced the Sleep+ service on its own flights. Passengers can purchase a block of 3 window seats or a block of 4 seats in the middle row in the economy class cabin for a comfortable sleep. The cost of this option starts from 6800 rubles.
• The Association of Micromobility Operators and Yandex Go, Whoosh and MTS Urent services have announced the launch of a network of bicycle lanes in Moscow. As a pilot project, bicycle lanes have already been implemented on the 1.3 km long Tsvetnoy Boulevard. By the end of the season, another 4.6 km of bicycle lanes will be installed on 6 streets in Khamovniki, Donskoy district and Flacon cluster.

• Yandex’s Neuro service, which combines search capabilities and a large generative model, is now available in Kazakhstan. “Neuro” analyzes the Kazakh-speaking segment of the Internet and supports its answers with links to sources. “Neuro” responds in both Russian and Kazakh.

*Meta and its Facebook and Instagram members are recognized as extremist organizations whose activities are prohibited in the Russian Federation.