Russoft proposes support for exports of Russian IT services
MOSCOW. Oct 11 (Interfax) - The Russoft association of software developers has proposed to create instruments of state support for exports of information technology services by Russian companies to the markets of friendly countries.
Russoft president Valentin Makarov made the proposal at a roundtable in the Federation Council on redirecting exports of Russian goods to the markets of friendly countries.
"There is [currently] no provision for promoting services on the markets of friendly countries, and IT, software are services. This means that we cannot use any REC instruments to promote platform IT solutions for these markets," Makarov said. The Russian Export Center (REC) provides organizational, financial and marketing support to promote Russian goods on foreign markets.
"My proposal is to actually see to it that IT exports become one of the priorities of Russian exports, perhaps within the context of the Digital Economy national program, with the support of the Federation Council. Without this, in this new technological order we will not be able to claim the role of a leader in principle," Makarov said.
He said friendly countries are now interested in acquiring platform solutions, not individual products. "This is safer, more efficient and this is what they are prepared to acquire. This is like a nuclear plant, essentially, just for a shorter period. Therefore, the proposal is to make IT exports a priority of Russian exports," Makakov said.
He also proposed using the foreign infrastructure of Russian corporations as platforms for promoting Russian IT solutions.
By friendly countries Russoft means India, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, and countries in Latin America and the Middle East. The association said earlier that they are all now open to partnership with Russian software developers and acknowledge that they need Russian solutions, a new model for doing business, secure platform solutions with the possibility of training their employees to work with these technologies.
Russoft drafted a roadmap for the development of Russian IT exports that proposed to compile a catalog of platform solutions for promotion through Russia's trade missions in other countries. It also proposed working out a mechanism for input VAT credit for exports of Russian IT services similar to that for exports of goods, and organizing grant support to offset the costs of promoting software in friendly countries and financial support for the development and operation of Russian IT companies' foreign websites.
Russoft reported that 9.6% of Russian software companies have become interested in foreign markets this year, compared to 5.3% in 2021. India, countries in South and Central America and the Middle East are seen as the most attractive markets, with, respectively, 7.2%, 7.8% and 8.4% of companies interested in them.
At the roundtable, Makarov also proposed using the solutions of Russian IT companies in the area of blockchain technology in order to support payments bypassing SWIFT.
"We have solutions to be able to ensure payments outside of SWIFT. The problem is that the Central Bank is only just slowly beginning to move in the direction of allowing these technologies. Therefore, an experimental legal regime would be every important here...We need to test new technologies for P2P financial transactions without entering the banking system, as they say, so as to provide payments for ourselves and all Russian exports and imports. And an experimental legal regime needs to be used here," Makarov said.