Latest news with #Sber
Zawya
2 hours ago
- Zawya
Moscow sees increase in UAE tourists; offers tailored experiences for Gulf visitors
MOSCOW - Evgeny Kozlov, Chairman of the Moscow City Tourism Committee, confirmed that the Russian capital witnessed a notable rise in the number of tourists arriving from the UAE, with 62,100 visitors in 2024 compared to 18,000 in 2019. In statements to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Kozlov highlighted the tourism offerings available in Moscow, especially those tailored for visitors from the Gulf region. He pointed out that the city is home to lots of halal restaurants, and that Arabic-speaking services are readily available to enhance the comfort of Gulf visitors. For example, five tourist information centres have been opened in the capital, including locations in the city centre, at the river stations, and in the Dream Island amusement park. Tourists' information centre specialists provide support in English and Arabic. A new Tourist Information Centre with Sber's banking services has opened, where travellers can get a Tourist card and support. In 2024, a Muslim-Friendly Guide to Moscow was prepared for travellers from the Middle East, which features recommendations on restaurants and hotels, popular winter and summer activities, sights, parks, and shopping sites. Kozlov also highlighted the availability of electronic visas (e-visas), which have simplified the entry process for citizens of many countries, making travel to Moscow more convenient and accessible. He further noted that Moscow offers a variety of cultural, fashion, and culinary experiences, in addition to year-round entertainment and international events. This summer Moscow has launched a vibrant season of festivals and cultural events. The Moscow Estates Festival offers immersive programmes hosted at more than 40 historic estates across the city. Theatre Boulevard will feature 600 performances by 3,000 artists across 14 outdoor venues with a record-breaking 92-day run. The Gardens and Flowers Festival turns city spaces into blooming landscapes with rare plants and floral art. "Street. Dance and Street. Art" projects bring open-air dancing, musical evenings, and plein-air art sessions to life in central Moscow, with free master classes and exhibitions on Strastnoy Boulevard. In addition, Moscow offers a rich variety of cultural and historical landmarks for visitors. Key sites include the Kremlin, Red Square and Alexander Garden. Tourists can explore the Bolshoi Theatre and visit the Moskino Film Park, offering immersive cinema tours. Moscow-City adds a contemporary touch with skyscrapers and one of Europe's highest observation decks. International visitors can also explore 14 'Made in Moscow' art pavilions, offering locally crafted souvenirs and unique gifts. The Green Market showcases more than 700 top brands from the "Made in Moscow" initiative. Kozlov mentioned that Moscow is one of the greenest megacities, with over 140 parks and natural reserves. Projects like Zaryadye Park and Gorky Park combine ecological design with public engagement. Smart lighting, waste management systems, and ecological transport contribute to sustainability goals. Moscow, he added, remains committed to providing a welcoming, comfortable and modern tourism environment for travellers from across the world.
Al Etihad
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Al Etihad
Moscow sees increase in UAE tourists; offers tailored experiences for Gulf visitors
10 June 2025 12:25 MOSCOW (WAM) Chairman of the Moscow City Tourism Committee, Evgeny Kozlov, confirmed that the Russian capital witnessed a notable rise in the number of tourists arriving from the UAE, with 62,100 visitors in 2024 compared to 18,000 in to WAM, Kozlov highlighted the tourism offerings available in Moscow, especially those tailored for visitors from the Gulf pointed out that the city is home to lots of halal restaurants, and that Arabic-speaking services are readily available to enhance the comfort of Gulf visitors. For example, five tourist information centres have been opened in the capital, including locations in the city centre, at the river stations, and in the Dream Island amusement information centre specialists provide support in English and Arabic. A new Tourist Information Centre with Sber's banking services has opened, where travellers can get a Tourist card and 2024, a Muslim-Friendly Guide to Moscow was prepared for travellers from the Middle East, which features recommendations on restaurants and hotels, popular winter and summer activities, sights, parks, and shopping also highlighted the availability of electronic visas (e-visas), which have simplified the entry process for citizens of many countries, making travel to Moscow more convenient and further noted that Moscow offers a variety of cultural, fashion, and culinary experiences, in addition to year-round entertainment and international summer Moscow has launched a vibrant season of festivals and cultural events. The Moscow Estates Festival offers immersive programmes hosted at more than 40 historic estates across the Boulevard will feature 600 performances by 3,000 artists across 14 outdoor venues with a record-breaking 92-day Gardens and Flowers Festival turns city spaces into blooming landscapes with rare plants and floral art."Street. Dance and Street. Art" projects bring open-air dancing, musical evenings, and plein-air art sessions to life in central Moscow, with free master classes and exhibitions on Strastnoy addition, Moscow offers a rich variety of cultural and historical landmarks for visitors including key sites such as the Kremlin, Red Square, and Alexander Garden. Tourists can explore the Bolshoi Theatre and visit the Moskino Film Park, offering immersive cinema tours. Moscow-City adds a contemporary touch with skyscrapers and one of Europe's highest observation visitors can also explore 14 'Made in Moscow' art pavilions, offering locally crafted souvenirs and unique gifts. The Green Market showcases more than 700 top brands from the "Made in Moscow" mentioned that Moscow is one of the greenest megacities, with over 140 parks and natural like Zaryadye Park and Gorky Park combine ecological design with public engagement. Smart lighting, waste management systems, and ecological transport contribute to sustainability goals. Moscow, he added, remains committed to providing a welcoming, comfortable, and modern tourism environment for travellers from across the world.
Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Indian Express
Indian students among 9 teams to reach final of Global IT Olympiad in Russia
A team of Indian students secured their place among the top 20 teams in the Global IT Olympiad held in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod. The final competition featured eight other teams from Cuba, Thailand, China, Vietnam, Mozambique, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Sri Lanka. Team India was place at one of the top spots in the event with school students from 51 foreign countries and the Russian Federation. It was organised by the government of Nizhny Novgorod region, in partnership with Sber and the international programming and mathematics school 'Algoritmika'. From May 30 to June 3, the Olympiad's final round was held at 'School 21,' where participants solved 10 tasks in five categories. The final showdown featured the best teams competing in a live CTF challenge, tackling cutting-edge problems in artificial intelligence and information security. Alongside foreign students, participants from Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Irkutsk, Sverdlovsk, Orenburg, and Moscow regions, as well as the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, the Republic of Mordovia, and Krasnodar Krai also competed in the Olympiad. The event concluded with an awards ceremony at the 'Digitalization of Industrial Russia' conference, featuring prominent attendees like German Gref and Dmitry Grigorenko. German Gref, President, Chairman of the Management Board of Sberbank, said, 'I sincerely want to congratulate the participants of the IT Olympiad. You have already taken a huge step — you have created a platform and a springboard for your own future. In your lives, there may be various situations where you will doubt whether you can handle certain challenges. Remember that you made the decision to participate in this competition, you went through all the trials, and you even won!' Dmitry Grigorenko, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Head of the Government Apparatus, said, 'The awarding of the finalists of the IT Olympiad is not coincidentally taking place today at CIPR. At the exhibition, we saw advanced digital solutions. But behind all these developments are people. For the IT industry in Russia to develop, we primarily need highly qualified personnel. Soon, you will become such personnel as interested young specialists. You are already part of the industry.' 'Over the past five years, we have managed to increase the number of budget places in universities for IT specialties by 2.5 times. More than 230,000 students have received qualifications in IT profiles. Major companies are actively involved in workforce training. As part of the national project 'Data Economy,' we are launching new programs to train specialists in microelectronics, robotics, artificial intelligence, and unmanned systems,' he said. Winners of the Global IT Olympiad 1st place — Team 0xY1 — a team of three participants from Nizhny Novgorod, the Moscow region, and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. 2nd place — Team CapybarasCTF — a team of five participants from the Moscow region, Yaroslavl region, the Republic of Bashkortostan, and Moscow. 3rd place — Team ZipBomb — three participants from Moscow. Sharma Dhananjay (India), participant of the team stage of the Olympic Games, said, 'I came to participate in the competition and found new friends. The assignments were very interesting. The educational materials and tasks of the Olympiad helped to understand the importance of cyber security for digital products. In the future, I'm sure I'll be able to use the acquired skills in my work.'
Crypto Insight
03-06-2025
- Business
- Crypto Insight
Russia's largest bank Sber offers up Bitcoin-linked bonds
Russia's largest commercial bank, Sber has launched a Bitcoin-linked bond product that tracks the cryptocurrency's change in price and the dollar-to-ruble exchange rate. The product is already available to qualified investors in the over-the-counter market, and Sber plans to list the product on the Moscow Stock Exchange in the future, the company formerly known as Sberbank said in a statement on May 30. The listing will ensure transparency, liquidity and convenience for a wide range of qualified investors, Sber added. Sber said the structural bond could allow holders to earn income from the change in dollar value in Bitcoin and the strengthening of the dollar against the Russian ruble. 🇷🇺 LATEST: Russia's largest bank Sberbank launches structured bonds tied to Bitcoin and USD/RUB, with $BTC futures set to list on Moscow Exchange June 4. — Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) June 2, 2025 The bank said that all transactions are carried out in rubles within Russia's regulatory framework, so investors don't need to rely on crypto wallets or unregulated platforms. Sber said it would also offer exchange-traded products providing exposure to crypto on its SberInvestments platform, starting with a Bitcoin futures product, which the bank said should be listed on June 4 once the Moscow Exchange officially launches the product. Russia's top bank gives the green light to crypto products Sber's move comes as Russia's central bank permitted financial institutions to offer certain crypto financial instruments to accredited investors on May 28. However, a key stipulation of the Bank of Russia's announcement was that financial institutions could not offer cryptocurrencies directly. The Moscow-based T-Bank, formerly Tinkoff Bank, rolled out an investment product tied to Bitcoin's price on the same day, referring to the product as a 'smart asset' that is issued through the Russian state-backed tokenization platform Atomyze. The central bank reported that Russian residents hold around 827 billion rubles ($9.2 billion) worth of crypto on centralized exchanges in its review of the first quarter of 2025. Inflows into Russian crypto platforms also rose 51% to 7.3 trillion rubles ($81.5 billion) over the same timeframe, the same report found. Bitcoin holds a 62% share on Russian crypto exchanges, followed by Ether at 22% and stablecoins like Tether and USDC. Source:
Russia Today
02-06-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Russia's Sber launches Bitcoin-linked bonds
Russia's largest lender, Sber (formerly Sberbank), has introduced structured bonds tied to Bitcoin, according to an announcement on the bank's website. The new financial product tracks both the price of the top cryptocurrency and the dollar-to-ruble exchange rate. Sber says the bond is currently available to a limited pool of qualified investors on the over-the-counter market. The bank noted that the new bond offers potential returns from Bitcoin's price movement in dollars and from the dollar's appreciation against the ruble. According to the bank, investors will not need to open cryptocurrency wallets or use unregulated foreign platforms to buy the new bond, as all transactions will be conducted in rubles 'within Russia's legal and infrastructure systems.' The bank added that it plans to expand its offerings, with full listings on the Moscow Exchange (MOEX) expected soon. '[This] will ensure transparency, liquidity and convenience for a wide range of qualified investors,' the bank said. It announced that a Bitcoin futures product will launch in the lender's SberInvestments app on June 4, following its listing on MOEX. The move follows guidance from the Bank of Russia, which on May 28 authorized financial institutions to offer crypto-linked derivatives, securities, and digital assets to qualified investors. The central bank specified, however, that these instruments must not involve the actual delivery of crypto tokens, and proposed a pilot program limiting direct crypto transactions to specific investor categories. Both MOEX and the St. Petersburg Exchange later said they plan to introduce futures products linked to cryptocurrency prices. Several financial organizations, including T-Bank and Alfa Bank, also started offering products tied to digital assets shortly after the regulator's announcement. Russia has taken a cautious but gradually evolving approach to cryptocurrencies. While digital assets are not recognized as legal tender in the country, the government has moved to regulate their use. A law passed last year banned advertising cryptocurrencies to the general public and limited services facilitating crypto transactions. Another measure classified digital currencies as property, making them subject to income tax. At the same time, the country legalized crypto mining, though it remains restricted in energy-deficient regions until 2031. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called crypto regulation a 'promising area,' urging the creation of legal and technological infrastructure for its domestic and cross-border use. However, the central bank has remained skeptical. In March, the head of the regulator, Elvira Nabiullina, called cryptocurrencies 'very volatile' and urged for their use as a payment method to be banned. She noted, however, that she supports the limited use of cryptocurrencies as an investment tool.
