Putin puts government to work to develop national messenger
MOSCOW, July 1. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has tasked the government with supporting the development of a Russian messenger, integrating public and banking services into it.
"The Government of Russia, along with the Bank of Russia, in accordance with previous instructions given, shall organize work to support the development of a Russian instant information exchange service (messenger), including ensuring the citizens’ access through its use to the most in-demand public services and services, provided by credit and other organizations," one of the points in the list of instructions, published on the Kremlin’s website, states.
The president expects a progress report on the matter by August 15.
The bill on the creation of a multifunctional information exchange service was adopted by the State Duma on June 10. Russian tech giant VK’s messenger Max was proposed as a candidate for the platform. Max is developing as a domestic alternative to WeChat, combining chats, calls, mini-apps and bots. Its functionality provides the possibility for further integration with "Gosuslugi" (Public Services Portal of the Russian Federation) to resolve all matters within one application.
