Qiwi entered the Russian advertising market

Realweb specializes in digital advertising. The purchase price was not disclosed. Realweb co-owner Emin Avetisyan told the publication that it was “within market value.”

Qiwi reached an agreement to acquire 78% in Realweb, the company will buy another 22% within six months.

A Forbes source close to Realweb says that before the start of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, the agency negotiated a deal with a major European ad player, “then the company was valued at an eight-figure dollar amount.” After the events of February, the deal fell through.

The purchase of Realweb will allow Qiwi to diversify its business and enter the advertising market immediately in a leadership position, Qiwi CEO Andrey Protopopov explained to Forbes. Now Qiwi is developing the Qiwi electronic wallet payment system, the Rowi financial system for small and medium-sized businesses, and the Flocktory marketing automation platform.

• Realweb was founded in 1998, the company positions itself as a “full-cycle digital agency” (media and video advertising creation, contextual advertising placement, SEO promotion, SMM and other services). Among the clients are VTB, Alfa-Bank, Huawei, HeadHunter and others.
• In 2013, Realweb raised a $3.5 million investment from iTech Capital and received a $12 million valuation. In November 2021, the company became one of Telegram’s few partners after the messenger launched its ads feature.