UrBC, Yekaterinburg, May 14, 2018. The Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development’s Visa cardholders keep making contactless payments increasingly more often - with the help of their smartphones. The number of NFC transactions (through Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay) has increased by nine times since the day of the initial launch, the bank’s press service reports. According to Visa, Russia is one of the world’s top three countries in terms of Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Android Pay users. This has to do with both extensive infrastructure (over 80% of POS terminals can process NFC

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, May 14, 2018. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) won the 16th IT Leader National Prize in Ferrous Metallurgy, the plant’s press service reports. The prize was awarded for MMK Group’s large-scale software infrastructure upgrade project uniting over sixty different companies. The IT Leader Award was set up in 2002 in order to draw the professional community’s attention to changes in the new digital era and the most successful IT projects in the country. This year’s emphasis was on Managing The Digital Future, which signifies the industry’s turn to digitalization and

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, May 14, 2018. Ural Airlines’ passenger traffic rose by 22% in the first four months of the year, up to 2,286,900 people, the air carrier’s press service reports. The airline operated 16,800 flights in January-March 2018, including 9,300 domestic ones, 3,900 flights to and from the NIS member states, and 3,600 international flights. This was 18% more than one year previously. As for the month of April alone, 638,000 people flew with Ural Airlines last month (up 19% on a year earlier). The airline operated 4,700 flights altogether, including 2,600 domestic ones and 1,000

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, May 14, 2018. RUR 114.3bn worth of taxes got transferred from Sverdlovsk Region to Russia’s consolidated budget in January-April 2018; this exceeded the figures for one year earlier by 9.4%, Russia’s Federal Tax Service’s Sverdlovsk Region division reports. RUR 37.7bn got directed to the federal budget (up 8.2%, or RUR 2.3bn, on a year earlier). Most of the payments (79.5%) stemmed from VAT payments charged on goods and services produced or rendered within the Russian Federation. The VAT payments amounted to RUR 30bn all in all, which was 4.3%, or RUR 1.2bn, more than in

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, May 14, 2018. Sverdlovsk Region division of Rospotrebnadzor (the federal consumer rights watchdog) inspected 277 hotel websites and 279 locations by May 7, 2018 to determine that in eleven cases, hotels were trying to overcharge their potential guests during the World Cup days, the division’s press service reports. The checks are part of an action plan to prevent any violation of the Russian Government’s Decree On State Regulation of Hotel Accommodation Services in FIFA World Football Championship 2018 and FIFA Cup 2017 Hosting Federal Constituencies. As a result, four

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, May 11, 2018. SKB-Bank completed its QuickPay System prototype and had the new system certified successfully, the bank’s press service reports. FinTech and the Bank of Russia have already presented SKB-Bank’s new concept that will allow for one-tap transactions with only your phone number, your email address, or other simple ID. QuickPay transactions will now be available through social networks, messenger services, online shops, and mobile banking systems. ‘SKB-Bank is a proactive participant in this project alongside a number of other FinTech Association member banks.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, May 11, 2018. The upcoming World Football Championship 2018 did not boost rental or housing prices in the games-hosting cities, domofond.ru reports. Existing home prices only went up by 19.6% in Sochi, by 17.5% in Saint Petersburg, and by 15.5% in Kazan, where they can now be had for RUR 103,000 per m2, RUR 115,000 per m2, and RUR 71,000 per m2, respectively, Kommersant states. As for all the other World Cup hosts, housing prices actually went down. In Yekaterinburg, the asking price of existing homes decreased by 5% against the year 2013, down to RUR 71,000 per m2 on

УрБК, Екатеринбург, 11.05.2018. Ural Federal District turned out to be the only part of Russia where people had to cut down on their spending last year, RIA Novosti refers to Romir’s research findings as indicating. Ural Federal District’s residents had to cut back on their spending by 5.4% between April 2017 and April 2018; in Siberian Federal District, North-Western Federal District, and Southern Federal District, the spending was actually up by 5.4%, 15.1%, and 8.4%, respectively. However, most Russians still had to spend less in April 2018 than one year previously; in Ural Federal

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, May 11, 2018. Sverdlovsk Region’s residents deposited RUR 661.9bn with the banks as of April 1, 2018, which exceeded the figures for one year earlier by 6.4%, the Bank of Russia’s Ural division reports. The overall amount of ruble deposits rose by 8.7%, whereas that of foreign currency ones declined by 8.1%. As of April 1, 2018, the average interest rate came to 5.7% a year for ruble deposits and to 1.4% for U.S. dollar deposits. ‘Inflation rate kept going gradually down throughout the year 2017. The Bank of Russia’s monetary policy has been making a positive impact on

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, May 11, 2018. The number of Sverdlovsk Region-based private farms and sole traders dealing in livestock produce went down by 4.8% between 2013 and 2017 and was down to 420 as of January 1, 2018, Sverdlovskstat reports. In 2017, 660 farms and sole traders reported they had some crops planted, and 686 went through with harvesting as well. Local farmers produced RUR 5.1822bn worth of goods (in actual prices) last year, which was the lowest figure among all Ural Federal District-based federal constituencies. RUR 3.844.7bn came from crop farming and RUR 1.3375 came from

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, May 10, 2018. The workers of EVRAZ Holding’s Nizhniy Tagil Integrated Metallurgical Works (MMK) coordinated a series of cleanup days in Nizhniy Tagil streets as well as on the plant’s premises. Some five hundred people took part in the cleanups in the last two weeks, EVRAZ Holding Ural’s PR Department reports. ‘EVRAZ NTMK’s young employees got ready for Victory Day celebrations by cleaning up the premises of the plant’s Military Glory Museum: they removed all the old foliage and shrubbery as well as dirt, got the flower beds ready for planting, and cleaned and painted the

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, May 10, 2018. Calculated in accordance with the International Accounting Standards, the net profit of Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) amounted to $279m in the first quarter of the year, which exceeds the figures for one year earlier by 15.8%, the company's report states. MMK’s revenues reached $2.055bn in January-March 2018, which was 23.8% more than in the first quarter of 2017. The company’s EBITDA came to $560m, up 23.9% on a year earlier.

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, May 10, 2018. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) Mekhanoremontny Kompleks took part in the 22nd International MiningWorld Russia 2018 Exhibition in Moscow, MMK Information, PR & Advertising Department reports. ‘This is the first time Mekhanoremontny Kompleks took part in this exhibition. Visitors to the stand could take a look at one of MMK Group’s largest companies’ production potential and have their questions answered in every detail by our tech and commercial teams,’ the Department says. According to MMK representatives, visitors took a special interest in

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, May 10, 2018. ChelPipe Group congratulated war veterans and the Group’s employees, as well as Chelyabinsk and Pervouralsk locals, on Victory Day (May 9), the company press service reports. These days are usually dedicated to a series of festive events coordinated by Chelyabinsk Pipe Rolling Plant and Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant’s white-coated metallurgical workers. The emphasis is placed on ChelPipe Group’s 1,500+ war veterans and home front workers. ‘May 9 is a very special day in this country. Our fathers and grandfathers made this victory happen, both in the battlefield

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, May 10, 2018. Sverdlovsk Region’s road police are paying closer attention to the condition of local roads and highways now the spring has set in, their press service reports. The focus is on the streets provided for bus routes and high-speed highways. In the last two weeeks, road construction companies have been allocated more than 3,500 problem spots that need fixing; 648 warrants have beens issued, as well as thirteen administrative offense reports relating to Article 19.5 of the Russian Federation Administrative Offense Code (Failure to Meet An Authorized Government

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, May 7, 2018. Ural Airlines are offering their customers reduced-price tickets for Venice flights on May 3-October 27, 2018, the air carrier’s press service reports. You can now book your Moscow-Venice flight for RUR 5,900, your Saint Petersburg-Venice flight (with a stopover in Moscow) for RUR 8,000, and your Yekaterinburg-Venice flight (with a stopover in Moscow) for RUR 8,000. This is the price of a one-way ticket, all fees included. The offer for flights operated from Saint Petersburg and Yekaterinburg holds for departure dates May 3-June 9 and September 29-October 27,

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, May 7, 2018. Yekaterinburg Council’s Transport & Traffic Committee is coordinating an online auction in order to find a contractor for the city’s new traffic scheme. According to the terms and specifications, the city council needs a new strategic plan for the city’s urban transit development. The contractor who lands the contract will have to look into the city’s vehicle and pedestrian traffic and present three urban transit scenarios (the worst-case one, the best-case one, and something in between). As a result, the city council expects to have a new urban transit

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, May 7, 2018. MMK Group hosted the regional Best Social Partnership/Job Safety Contest on its site in Magnitogorsk, the company press service reports. ‘The city gathered together workers from the local mining and metallurgical enterprises (the best job safety experts and trade union representatives for job safety) on the eve of International Workers' Memorial Day. Representatives of both the employers and the trade union organizations demonstrated excellent skills and expertise and proved outstanding team members with great understanding of job safety’s importance,’

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, May 7, 2018. Based on last year’s data, Sverdlovsk Region was among the Russian Federation constituencies with the most dangerous roads and riskiest traffic conditions. The rating was carried by Road Safety, an interregional public group and center. The center looked into the traffic situation in fifty federal constituencies. Nineteen constituencies, including Sverdlovsk Region, were rated Red (high traffic risk). Sverdlovsk Region came 32nd in the rating. The neighboring Chelyabinsk Region, which was also rated Red, was given the 50th position in the rating (that is,

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, May 7, 2018. EVRAZ Holding’s fourth annual sports race will take place in Nizhniy Tagil on June 3. All those willing to join the race can sign up on www.evraz-sport.ru starting May 3. 1,200 sports players (400 children and 800 adults) will be taking part in the event. This year, one hundred additional children’s slots have been introduced to meet the demand. The children can compete in the race free of charge; adults are expected to make a 100-ruble donation online when signing up for the event on evraz-sport.ru. The money will get directed to putting up a new playground