PYMNTS Daily Data Dive: Moscow’s Tech Prospects

Moscow, believe it or not, is a global hub for startups with ambitions to one day be a world leader in blockchain. More than 13,000 entrepreneurs and investors gathered at the Open Innovations forum to discuss tech advancements in the nation in late Oct. 2016.

Russia’s GDP is $2.022 trillion and growing, making it the seventh-largest in the world. It has 66 million internet users, making it the largest online market in Europe.

The population in Moscow is 12.2 million, and the 2015 Global Startup Ecosystem Ranking listed it as the 13th best city in the world to launch a startup. Russia currently has 500,000 blockchain users.

Here are the numbers:

133.044 trillion | Russia’s GDP in Russian rubles ($2.022 trillion)
66 million | Number of internet users in Russia
500,000 | Number of blockchain users in Russia
13,000 | Number of people who attended Russia’s Open Innovations forum in 2016
12.2 million | Population of Moscow
13 | Moscow’s rank in the 2015 Global Startup Ecosystem Ranking