The Central Bank thinks about increasing the key rate to 5.5–6% by the end of 2021 When in mid-February, Elvira Nabiullina announced the completion of the mitigation cycle of monetary policy, only the most daring of the Bell Analysts surveyed by the key rate of the Central Bank from 4.25% to 5.5% by the end of the year. The forecast of the majority stopped by 5%, and Bloomberg consensus prognosis converged 4.75% of the year.

Chinese authorities have asked Jack Ma's Alibaba Group to prepare a plan to sell off its media assets, told sources the WSJ. The Communist Party considers the concentration of media and online information services in the hands of private capital a challenge to its propaganda apparatus.

Telegram has placed bonds for $ 1 billion - the placement of the company's convertible bonds closed on March 12, RBC learned. The messenger will urgently give most of the money raised to creditors, writes WSJ. According to RBC , on March 12, Telegram placed bonds until 2026 at 7% per annum. The first coupon payment will take place before the end of this year, approximately in September.

The recession in the Russian economy has already ended, HSE experts say. According to them, the crisis in the country was mild - the duration of the investment pause was only two quarters. The bulletin "Comments on the State and Business", prepared by the Higher School of Economics, says that the "barometer of the crisis" is investment, and in 2020 the decline in investment in Russia amounted to only 1.4%.

International corporations were faced with an unexpected challenge - the lack of semiconductors necessary for the production of computers, electronics, car control systems and in other areas. Global corporations - from Tesla to Apple - have already encountered a shortage. Manufacturers loaded for many months in advance can benefit from this.

Novaya Gazeta reported on a “chemical attack” on the building of the editorial office: a persistent, pungent chemical smell remains in the premises, which resembles the one that was used during the attack on Yulia Latynina’s house in 2017. According to the newspaper, an unknown solution was sprayed at the entrance to the editorial building in Potapovsky Lane.

Alfa-Bank hired Alisher Morgenstern as director of youth affairs. This post was made specifically for the Russian rapper. “Alisher [Morgenstern] is determined to do serious work and promised that we would not have to blush for him,” told Alexei Giyazov, director of marketing and communications at Alfa Bank, RBC.

The Russian Central Bank may raise the key rate to 5.5% or even 6% by the end of the year in the face of a surge in inflation and government spending, writes Bloomberg. But at the next meeting of the Central Bank, the rate is likely to remain unchanged. According to Bloomberg sources, the Bank of Russia is considering the possibility of a faster tightening of monetary policy than previously thought.

Fort Ross Ventures, founded by former Sberbank IT director Viktor Orlovsky, has invested $10 million in Standard Cognition, an American developer of retail automation systems. With all of the round's investments, the startup's value exceeded $1 billion, making it the first "unicorn" in the field of checkout stores. Fort Ross Ventures invested $10 million in Standard Cognition, the total round size is $150 million, the fund's press service reported.

State media wrote that Alexei Navalny would serve his sentence in IK-2 in Pokrov, Vladimir Region. A few hours later, Navalny himself confirmed the information. According to Radio Liberty, this colony is known for regular beatings of prisoners and is considered one of the most severe correctional institutions in Russia. The fact that Navalny is in IK-2 in Pokrov was reported to RIA Novosti with reference to court documents.

One of the main gold mining companies in Russia, GV Gold (Vysochaishy), has officially announced plans for an IPO. According to Reuters, the company will list in the second quarter, and the placement volume could reach $500 million. During the IPO, the shares will be sold by the current shareholders of the company, including the founders of the company Sergey Dokuchaev, Natalia Opaleva and Valerian Tikhonov, who now own 61% of the company.

Given the vaccination crisis in the EU, the Union authorities are behind the scenes preparing negotiations on the supply and production of the Russian drug Sputnik V, publicly criticizing the Russian vaccine as a PR of an "undesirable regime", Reuters writes, citing sources in diplomatic and official circles .

The government offered to support the Russian IT business by canceling scheduled inspections for it. The initiative, in whole or in part, should be included in the second industry support package. Russian IT companies can, at the level of the law, be exempted from scheduled inspections by fire supervision, Rospotrebnadzor, the Social Insurance Fund, the labor inspectorate and other organizations, reports Vedomosti .

The Ministry of Digital Development is preparing to expand the law on the mandatory pre-installation of domestic programs on mobile devices, obliging their manufacturers to immediately install Russian search by default in browsers. Market participants believe that this will help Yandex, the company itself claims that it is for free choice.

The government will make a "carrot" for big business cashback on investments At a meeting with big business on March 11, President Putin spoke more about a regulatory "stick" designed to encourage investment in Russia. Today, RBC outlined the contours of the "carrot" that the government will offer businesses to launch a new investment cycle.