Tech
Zynga to buy mobile game maker Peak for $1.8bn in Turkey’s first technology “unicorn exit”
Deal sealed while games industry riding high on locked-down consumers staying at home with few live-entertainment options amid pandemic.
ICT minister unveils Iran ‘Netflix’ plan
Aim is to connect 5mn households to internet television and video-on-demand services.
Estonia and Latvia among first countries to use coronavirus tracing app based on Apple/Google tech
Tracings apps are intended to allow identification and fast isolating of people suspected of carrying the virus and testing of those who might have been in contact with them.
Estonian ride-hailing service Bolt raises €100mn in latest financing round
The capital injection comes in spite of Bolt suffering a severe decline in demand under lockdown. CEO Markus Villig says the long-term drivers of on-demand mobility continue to grow.
Romanian firm develops first flat screen recycling line in region
Green WEEE says new recycling line is part of the company's strategy to diversify and increase production capacity.
Russia's Yandex.Taxi's IPO still on, as it struggles to stay profitable
Yandex.Taxi, the ride-hailing arm of Russian online giant Yandex, is pushing ahead with its plans to organise its highly anticipated initial public offering (IPO), while struggling to remain profitable despite the crisis
Russia's IT segment looks at losses in Q2
Hit by the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis and lockdown measures aimed at curbing the pandemic, the Russian IT segment expects losses in the April-June period, unless support measures are offered by the government.
EV battery company InoBat Auto acquires site for Slovakia R&D centre
InoBat Auto says the factory will reduce EV manufacturers’ dependence on Asia and contribute to a strong European energy production and storage infrastructure.
Hungary's government rolls out new subsidy scheme for EVs, e-scooters
Price advantage of combustion engine cars to disappear after Budapest announced €141mn of subsidies for purchases of fully electric vehicles and scooters.
Government may delay Yarovaya data law requirements for one year, due to pandemic
The government may delay imposing part of the investment obligations on telecoms companies under the so-called Yarovaya law for a year to ease the pressure during the pandemic crisis that would have cost $1bn.
Russian tech amid the pandemic: Impact and response
bne IntelliNews partners East-West Digital News released a nice round up of their stories on corona and its impact on the tech business on May 14 with links to their top stories since the end of February, which we reproduce.
North Macedonia ranks 2nd in Europe for quality of mobile services finds Germany’s Connect
Macedonians are extremely satisfied with the standard of telecoms services from the local operators and at the same time enjoy some of the highest quality services in Europe.
E-grocery surges in April, could more than triple in 2020
The volume of orders for grocery deliveries online surged in April and could more than triple this year to $1.8bn, according to the data released by e-commerce consultancy INFOLine,
Estonia passes law to scrutinise telecommunication service providers for security
The law was passed as the tech-savvy Estonia is gearing up to roll out 5G services, offering unprecedented speed of data transfer but also potentially opening up new possibilities for cyber attacks or espionage.
Police detain 64-year-old Hungarian for Facebook post critical of PM Viktor Orban
Man taken into custody on suspicion of fear mongering as he claims relaxing lockdown will "send thousands to their deaths".
Hungary’s online retailers overwhelmed by upswing in new orders
The coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on sales as demand for food, cleaning products, vitamins, and medicines surged.
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Will Telegram’s blockchain project turn into legal, technical and financial failure?
Last week Telegram, the messaging app founded by Russian tech genius Pavel Durov, yet again postponed the launch of its blockchain platform TON and cryptocurrency Gram. The release is now scheduled for April 2021.
Microsoft to invest $1bn in building Poland’s “Digital Valley”
US software giant will invest $1bn over seven years to develop a data centre and associated cloud computing services for business in Poland.
Uber Eats exits all but core CEE markets
The express food delivery service will only stay in markets where it is already number one or two in terms of market share, or can see a clear path to achieving this status.
Revolut launches bank in Lithuania
Earlier this year, Revolut said it would shift the management of its payment operations from the UK capital to Ireland and Lithuania because of Brexit.