How many it companies are in Belarus? Hi-Tech Park - alphabetical list of HTP resident companies. Photos from the bike path
It is important that I will write specifically about Minsk, and not about the whole of Belarus. What is written below is just my vision of the situation; perhaps I didn’t see everything somewhere.
If you have any questions, write in a personal message or in the comments to the post.
IT and job search
In Minsk there are about 10-15 strong IT companies with Moscow salary levels. All of them are presented on our classic job search sites. Mostly here, of course, is something related to the web and outsourcers. They often and successfully relocate employees to Minsk.If you come from Moscow, no one looks at you as a “specialist from Moscow”, you will be at the same level as the rest. But! There is a clear shortage of qualified employees - this is a fact.
Another very important fact: the domestic market of Belarus is insignificant compared to the domestic market of Russia. This means that they are looking for a client here “over the hill” and are not spoiled by easy budgets. The level of production culture and products here is also high and modern. And the level of customer service, the level of ability to work at the proposal stage, etc. is higher than in Russia (apparently due to the search for clients in Europe).
Accordingly, English is almost the norm for local IT workers, so keep that in mind.
In my case, I found it first and then moved. I think this is the best option.
Legal side
Everything here is very simple and comes down to a few sequential steps.1. You must rent any housing under a rental agreement. Almost everyone who rents out an apartment themselves does not mind doing it legally. You agree on a price, then go to the local (each district of the city has its own) housing department, take a standard contract form, sign it on both sides. There were no queues, the employee was aware of all the nuances and explained everything in quite detail.
A common practice is to write into the contract a lower rental price than it actually is. This is done to reduce the owner’s income tax; it is worth discussing such things in advance. Who will actually pay this tax?
2. Having received the rental agreement in your hands, you can officially find a job. In short, at this stage the employer signs an employment contract with you.
3. Next, you need to take a cardboard folder with the title “Case”, a couple of photographs, a copy of the rental agreement, your passport and employment contract and go to the local FMS office. I didn’t notice any queues here either. Everything went quickly, but I had to pay a fee of about $40.
4. After about 10 days, still at the same FMS, I received a small green piece of paper confirming my registration. It is given for a certain period, in my case - a year. I took a copy of this registration to work.
No one on the street ever asked for documents or registration. There are generally significantly fewer police officers here.
The only bonus of this registration was the opportunity to buy a “normal” local tariff from a cellular operator, instead of a “guest” tariff, which is not very profitable.
Why Minsk?
Before moving here, I visited this city several times and liked it. I was well aware that I didn’t see all the “inside” and stuff, so in many ways it was a gamble, but in the end I’m very glad that I did it. I wanted a calmer, cleaner, well-groomed city - and I got it. In addition, it is an excellent opportunity to grow as a specialist in a new place of work.On the other hand, I didn’t want to go far; after all, relatives and friends are an important part of my life. And here Minsk looks like a very tempting idea. What is needed is almost the same mentality, but a little more European.
It’s hard to explain, on the one hand, everything here is very similar to my home, as if you went to a neighboring city in Russia, on the other hand, “the devil is in the details.”
People
The average Minsk resident, compared to the same average Muscovite, is a little more hardworking, a little less aggressive, and a little more calm. Add more modesty here (I haven’t seen “golden boomers” and tinted “boy cars with a bass” yet). Plus, it’s worth adding that the locals are a little quieter. There is something about them from the Baltic peoples in the good sense of the word.In general, there is one word in the Belarusian language, the translation of which I cannot literally say and no one has really been able to do this for me yet. This word is “pamyarkouny”. It sounds, of course, hackneyed, but the meaning of the word must be felt. And if you feel the meaning, it means you have already at least a little understood the peculiarities of Belarus.
People here lead a more measured and less hasty life. When I walk down the street, my speed is 15-20 percent higher than others (this is already happening now). I can’t say that I see more smiles, but I definitely see less sullenness in faces.
Language
The Belarusian language is dying out - this, unfortunately, is a fact. Almost everyone I asked said that this has been going on for a long time and has simply become a natural process. The native language is known in villages and in academic circles. This is how the gap turned out.You won’t have any problems if you don’t know the language, although many of the names are written in Belarusian. If you take a word without context, it is sometimes difficult to translate, but in context the meaning is always clear. I have never used a translator yet. Many Belarusians asked me if their language seems funny to them - for some reason I don’t. The language is like a language, but it’s still more similar to Ukrainian or Polish, it seems to me.
Prices
If you want to go to Minsk because it's cheap, then it's too late. Prices for food, goods and services (with the exception of) are not much lower than in Moscow. However, I would like to add that there is one difference when it comes to food. There is very tasty locally produced food here. For example, all sorts of Danones stand in the store and nervously smoke.Although this is no longer about prices, I wanted to write about it. Trams, trolleybuses, computers at customs officers and much more are all locally produced. MAZ is working, farmers are coming to the market.
At first there was a complete blowout with prices. Now I'm getting used to it. At its simplest, you divide by 10,000 to get the price in US dollars. By the way, it’s very cool if your salary is tied to the dollar exchange rate in Belarus. Inflation is still noticeable here. For example, I save money and keep it in local currency.
Housing
Renting an apartment in Minsk is not a problem now. Interesting offers constantly appear and disappear very quickly. I don’t know what is causing this boom. A good one-room apartment, renovated, in the center, near the metro costs $500-$600. This is generally considered not cheap. You can find it for $200-$300, but with a “Soviet” renovation and not in the center. They prefer to receive rent in dollars. I recommend looking for housing with an agent, he will take half the cost of the month. If you start searching on your own, you will get tired of going through offers. Oh, yes, you can always bargain, that’s normal here.But the “communal apartment” makes me happy. All utilities for a one-room apartment, including a telephone, cost about $35. The streets and courtyards are clean, garbage is taken out, in general, I haven’t encountered any problems here yet. I pay all my utilities via the Internet. It's convenient and simple here.
Prices for “buy” housing are comparable to those in the Moscow region. Why this is so and who buys it - I don’t know. They don’t give mortgages in Belarus now.
Public transport
According to my calculations, it is at least twice as cheap. Runs on schedule and the ride is comfortable. Although the intervals between trains in the metro surprised me at first and was not familiar, as was the depth of the stations (it seems that I just went down into an underground passage) - hence, by the way, a different culture of behavior on the escalator.About the metro. It probably happens rarely that there is no free space during peak hours. And the point is not that I occupy it, but that sometimes they still remain.
But standard Google Maps and Yandex Maps do not want to build routes for public transport in this city.
I often take a taxi, it’s cheap here and very convenient to call. I have never waited more than 5-10 minutes anywhere in the city.
Car traffic
There are significantly fewer cars. What local drivers consider a traffic jam, we consider slow traffic. Apparently this is the origin of a different driving culture - less aggressive. No, really, the “Muscovites” are immediately visible. There are almost no VAZs here; buying a used foreign car is more profitable. And drivers let people pass at crossings even in the very center. The pedestrian really has the advantage here. There are no problems with parking in the courtyards, but this is not because of the thoughtfulness of the courtyards, but because of the number of cars.I’ve almost never seen such a trick as securing a place in the yard, only next to institutions.
Bicycles
It seems to me that there are much more cyclists here than in Moscow. On the one hand, it is more convenient to move around the city - traffic is easier, on the other hand, there is the eternal problem of curbs.By the way, a very steep, modern bike path runs through the whole of Minsk from northwest to southeast. Approximately 30 km long along the Svisloch River. You can buy a bike just for this bike path.
Photos from the bike path
Literally after about 20 minutes of driving you will see a forest, a swamp, and grazing horses. At first, I couldn’t even believe that a big city lived somewhere just a couple of kilometers from me. Very picturesque places.
By the way, since the laws here are slightly different and there really is consumer protection, after purchasing a bicycle, the first maintenance for the bicycle is free.
But in this photo we are passing for a “bicycle license” that we received at one of the events.
And today, 20 minutes by bike from the center, in some fields I saw live fawns, peacefully rushing about their business. The place where this happened can be found at link.
Services
Competition among local entrepreneurs is less than in Moscow. This greatly affects the level of service. No, they won’t be rude, but no one will beg you for anything. Everything takes longer (the slowest McDonald's in the world, it seems to me, is in Minsk).Probably comparable to provincial cities in Russia. Companies that start working on the service are immediately noticeable.
Typical story. I call a taxi, say that I’m standing at such and such a shopping center, she asks for the address, I give it. And I must say, this shopping center is a famous point in Minsk. The girl says in a very dissatisfied voice that this shopping center has a different address.
Yes, you are right, maybe I was wrong.
- First figure out where you are, then call - and he hangs up.
I smiled and called another taxi.
Internet
There is no 4G. 3G works worse than in Moscow, which is very noticeable by how the phone battery drains. The coverage area itself is not bad. You can check your email and social networks almost anywhere.But home Internet is a disaster. It is almost twice as expensive here, dedicated lines are not available everywhere, ADSL is very popular. I think that this is also temporary. Still, there is some progress in this direction. Now for a 10 (which systematically decreases or falls) I pay about $25.
If you rent an apartment, find out about this right away. Some houses don’t even have ADSL and won’t have it. Moreover, this is not related to the year of construction.
Greenery
Minsk is green and clean. The heat here is easier to bear than in Moscow. And not only the central streets are cleaned, but even the fields outside the city. I am now very afraid that the city will begin to grow according to the principle of Moscow - everything is compacted and cut down. There are wide streets and a lot of space. There are places to swim even within the city, with showers, buoys, etc.The parks here are truly islands of nature.
I haven’t figured out yet whether people actually litter less, or clean up more often, or maybe both.
Conclusion. Is it worth it or not?
It is clear that all this is individual and everyone must answer this question for themselves. But Minsk is definitely an excellent modern city where you can live comfortably and earn money. This is not a radical change in culture, it is simply an opportunity to live in a more pleasant place. There will always be more money, opportunities and speed in Moscow. Minsk is not suitable for everyone - but this, I think, is good.P.S. A Few Noticed Facts
- There are very few red-haired people
- Few men have a beard
- Beggars and homeless people are not visible
- Fewer city madmen and freaks
- 4 hours by train to Vilnius
- There are significantly fewer non-working holidays here
At the end of last week, Jan Kols, the head of the IT company Be-Mobile, which belongs to the largest cellular operator in Belgium, Proximus, arrived in Belarus. The company spent a long time looking for a contractor to develop its products and, after studying several countries, chose the Belarusian CactusSoft. An Onliner.by correspondent met with the head of Be-Mobile and his colleague Ines Mercart and found out what the Belgians think about the Belarusian IT industry.
Developer cost is not the main factor
- So, you were looking for developers in seven countries, correct?
Yes, that's right. Be-Mobile operates throughout Europe, as well as in the USA and Latin America - the business is growing strongly and we needed developers. Among Belgian companies, we did not find highly qualified people in a short time, so we started looking outside the country.
Three options were considered. The first is the south of Europe. This is Portugal, Spain, because there were economic crises there. The second is Eastern Europe: Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland and Belarus. And the third option is Brazil, since we have our office there, and the country is also in crisis, just like in southern Europe. As a result, we settled on Belarus. The country met our criteria, and it’s not just a matter of price. I want to emphasize that the cost of developers is not the main factor for us. What is important is the quality of education, discipline and reliability of people, reviews from other companies with which we work, as well as ease of work - language, time zone.
- Still, it’s hard to believe in some uniqueness of Belarusian developers...
In terms of education, Belarus is truly at a very high level. We also believe that you have a “high-tech spirit”, which is not so pronounced, for example, in Poland. Yes, they also have a lot of IT companies, but this feeling is not there.
In addition, you have a lot of product companies with big names, for example MSQRD. We felt that Belarus has a good combination of education and cultural proximity. And don't forget the influence of the government: it has done an amazing job and has been able to stimulate IT companies.
Differences between Indians, Belarusians and Belgians
- What about developers from India and China?
A couple of years before we chose Belarus, we considered the possibility of working with India, Pakistan, and China. But, to be honest, everything is completely different there. Based on our experience and the stories of colleagues, the cultural differences are too great - this is the first thing. Secondly, there is a strong difference in communication, a time difference. Thirdly, direct contact with the team is important, the understanding that you are working on the same thing. It's hard to explain, but with Indians and Chinese it's different.
- How exactly do differences in work manifest themselves?
You literally have to stay on top of them [Asian developers] to make sure they're doing everything right. They don’t give feedback until you decide to check the results yourself. Therefore, the result may be completely different from what the original task was. They never ask: “Am I doing everything right?” They just do it and don't think. This is the main difference between Indians and Belarusians. True, I’ll correct myself that I only work with CactusSoft, so I don’t know how things are with other companies. Belarusians also think during development and try to find the optimal solution.
Now let's talk about the difference between Belgians and Belarusians. In Belgium, people are more involved in product development, they are more entrepreneurial and proactive. If they think it should be different, they will tell you so right away.
Here I am the boss in my company, but people can tell me absolutely anything, and I will not take it badly - on the contrary, I encourage them to express their opinions. Otherwise, employees will become frustrated. And in Belarusian companies, the boss is the boss. It seems to me that you have more hierarchy and procedures. Although this happens here too: for example, in government agencies and banks everyone listens to the boss - after all, he must be right. Here, the size of the company matters more than any cultural aspects. That's why we prefer to work with medium-sized companies.
Why there won't be a Hi-Tech Park in Belgium
- Now we have begun to pay more attention to product companies rather than outsourcing companies. How are things going with this in Belgium?
The situation is a little similar, but what you said started earlier in Belgium. There are an abundance of venture funds and private capital here - they invest in companies developing products, web services, and SaaS solutions.
Then we have huge outsourcing companies that do not develop their own products, but provide services for traditional businesses - banks, telecom operators, government organizations that need to digitize their processes. And the salaries of such developers are really very high. Here I see great potential for Belarus: I think you need to do more projects for traditional businesses.
- Is there anything similar to the Hi-Tech Park in Belgium?
We have a couple of things that the Hi-Tech Park gives to your companies: grants, subsidies for innovative companies. But this is incomparable with the capabilities of HTP. For example, Be-Mobile is a technology company and we pay 34 percent taxes. Imagine: if an employee receives a thousand, the company will have to pay almost three thousand, taking into account taxes and social contributions.
It seems to me that the transfer of businesses of Russian and Ukrainian IT companies to Belarus is only a matter of time.
- The appearance of an analogue of the HTP in Belgium will not harm your economy?
Belgium has many things and mechanisms that do not exist in Belarus: for example, a very expensive social insurance system, companies and citizens pay high taxes. I don’t think that our government now has the opportunity to launch a High Technology Park with the same conditions as yours. It will cost too much. On the one hand, then more companies would immediately appear, but on the other hand, these missing taxes would have to be collected from someone else.
Impressions about Belarus
- When did you first come to Belarus?
Two years ago, when we were looking for a company suitable for us. It turned out to be very easy to find contact with potential partners, but after meeting CactusSoft we decided on it. Since then I’ve been here for what seems like the tenth time.
- What did you know about Belarus before your first visit here?
I knew about Belarus from a company in my field called Gurtam. We have already worked with her for about 4-5 years. What we do: we calculate information based on the GPS position of moving vehicles, and we have a contract with Gurtam - the company works in a similar field.
Just having met Gurtam, I was already impressed by the professionalism and ambition of your companies.
Our classic request for foreigners: share your general impressions of Belarus. Without touching business.
For us, Belarus was truly an unknown country, and this is very unfortunate. It is close: only 2.5 hours by plane, like from Brussels to Paris or Amsterdam. The mentality is somewhat similar to the Belgian one: we are also a small country, and therefore we have to be open - otherwise we won’t be able to build a business. The countries' populations are also comparable - Belgium has about 11 million people. You, like us, are open to foreigners, ready to learn, and know English very well compared to other Europeans. Seriously, even the French who live next door to the British speak much less English than Belarusians.
Today, residents of the Hi-Tech Park, who develop software products and provide IT services to clients from more than 67 countries, is 751 companies.
If you are interested in finding a partner or IT service provider, we suggest using the database of HTP resident companies.
Search by HTP resident companies
Softmax telemetry systems
The Softmax Telemetry Systems company is a domestic software developer organization. The company was founded in 2012 and specializes in the development of software products and provision of services for the implementation of automated systems in such areas as gas distribution, trunk transportation of gas, hydrocarbons and their products, and telecommunications. The work uses Java, C#, Objective-C, Swift, PHP, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, T-SQL, 1C, etc. More than 20 domestic and foreign enterprises cooperate with the company.
*INSTINCTOOLS
Development of custom software and web applications using the offshore model.
We provide teams of specialists to carry out the entire cycle of work related to software development: analytics, consulting, design, development, testing, documentation, as well as setting up business processes for managing IT projects.
*instinctools is:
· Stable teams, the ability to directly interact with specialists.
· Absolute transparency in work and daily reporting.
· Full adaptation and involvement in processes.
· Wide range of specialists from analytics to operations.
· Favorable prices.
· We are open to visiting our offices.
· Information Technology
· Marketing and sales
· Healthcare
· Education
· Cryptocurrency
Technologies:
· Java Frameworks
iOS/Android/Windows Mobile
· Front-End/UI Platforms
Blockchain Development
Go Programming language
They want a lot from us - we do more!
1C-Bitrix
The company has been operating in Belarus since 2013. The company has 7 employees, the main task is to publish Bitrix24 software, a cloud service and a boxed version, 1C-Bitrix: Site Management and 1C-Bitrix: Mobile application, written in php, including their localization and marketing promotion. Products have Declarations of Conformity. The company's products are actively used by more than 8,000 clients throughout Belarus, including large retail chains, online stores, banks, service enterprises, manufacturing companies, and car dealers.
ATON Engineering
ATON Engineering company is a domestic engineering and implementation organization. The company was founded in 2008, specializes in the adaptation and refinement of software products for computer-aided design, provision of services for the implementation of CAD/CAM/CAE software products in industry, and engineering development. Currently the staff consists of 6 employees in Minsk. More than 50 domestic and foreign enterprises cooperate with the company.
IBA IT PARK
IBA IT Park is the leading Belarusian development center of the international holding IBA Group, uniting over 2,600 professionals from more than 20 enterprises in 11 countries with its head office in Prague (Czech Republic).
The IBA IT Park company (until August 2013, IP "IT Park") was created in 2006 to expand the export capabilities of the IBA Group and represent the interests of the holding in the HTP, of which IBA IT Park has been a resident since 2007.
IBA IT Park employs about 1,600 specialists with extensive expertise in software development and maintenance on the platforms of IBM, SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, Check Point, PTC and experience in international projects.
Main activities:
- Custom software development on the Java/Web platform
- Development of corporate portals
- Localization, integration and vertical solutions on SAP ERP, SAP HANA, SAP S/4HANA
- Development of analytical systems, transaction processing systems and Big Data based on SAP HANA, SAP S/4HANA
- Migration and maintenance of business applications
- Design and development of software for the IBM Mainframe and FujitsuMainframe platforms, client-server architecture software for various platforms
- Solutions for enterprise asset management (EAM), banking retail, product life cycle (CAD/CAM/CAE and PDM/PLM), IT infrastructure (OSS/BSS), IT services (ITSM/ITIL), regulatory and reference information ( MDM/MDG), technical support service for IT infrastructure users (ServiceDesk), maintenance and repair (MRO), transport and transport logistics
- Electronic document management systems, business process and corporate content management (Workflow/BPM/ECM), electronic document archives
- Creation of data warehouses, business intelligence and budgeting systems (DWH/ETL/BI/CPM)
- Mobile application development
- IBAGroup data center services: hosting of information resources, backup, archiving and data recovery.
Compliance of the QMS with the standards STB ISO 9001 and DIN EN ISO 9001, information security with STB ISO/IEC 27001, software development and maintenance processes with maturity level 4 of the SEI CMMI® model.
IBA IT Park is a laureate of the Government of the Republic of Belarus Prize for achievements in the field of quality and the owner of a special award in the “Social Responsibility” nomination for “conducting a socially responsible business and creating conditions that ensure the social security of all stakeholders: staff, consumers, partners, society.”
IBA Group takes leading positions in prestigious international competitions and ratings: TheGlobalOutsourcing 100 of the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP), Software 500 of one of the largest publications in the global IT industry SoftwareMagazine, GlobalServices 100 of the publishing house GlobalServices, European IT & Software Excellence Awards of the European publication IT Europa, GSA European Awards of the Global Sourcing Association, CEE Shared Services and Outsourcing Awards published by CEE BusinessMedia.
ITECHART GROUP
iTechArt Group is a leading software development and consulting company specializing in web and mobile programming. We offer our clients a traditional IT outsourcing model coupled with project-oriented services, which allows our clients to establish and coordinate a dedicated team in one of our development centers in Eastern Europe.
The Republic of Belarus is one of the countries where doing business in the IT sector has undeniable advantages. Such advantages include not only the benefits that are given residents of the Hi-Tech Park. But what is also important is the availability of a qualified workforce, in the selection of which HR specialists specializing in this field will be ready to help. This publication of our blog, as well as other publications, links to which you will find at the end of this publication, will help you learn everything about the procedure for creating an IT company in Belarus.
The creation of an OJSC will be of interest to large IT companies that subsequently intend to carry out an initial public offering. However, for representatives of medium-sized businesses aimed at growth, there is no point in immediately creating an OJSC. It is easier, if necessary, to carry out reorganization in the form of transformation.
What to pay attention to when developing a charter?
The second important non-procedural issue for registering an IT company in Belarus will be the development of a charter . Of course, it is worth noting here that there is no special charter for an IT company. However, there are a number of aspects that are worth considering.
Firstly, since the main value, along with employees, in an IT company is the results of labor - objects of intellectual property. It is worth developing in the charter a special regime for approving transactions on the alienation of intellectual property. After all, sometimes it is difficult to find out whether a particular transaction is large. But all transactions, except for large transactions and transactions involving affiliates, can be carried out by the sole executive body of the company (more often the director plays this role).
The charter may provide for a restriction for the manager to carry out any transactions with intellectual property objects that entail their alienation or the issuance of an exclusive license. Having established that such transactions can only be made with the consent of the general meeting of participants or the board of directors.
Also, the charter of an IT company often requires the use of such mechanisms as the disproportionality of the contribution to the authorized capital of the LLC to the share of the participant or the number of votes, as well as the share in profit. The use of these mechanisms also requires legal literacy, otherwise certain provisions of the charter may be considered contrary to the law. Since in the Republic of Belarus the institution of options is developed only within the framework of the HTP, mechanisms for protecting the rights of minority founders are also in demand.
They can be entered later, but it should be remembered that it may be more difficult to do this later. Thus, registration of changes to the charter is the prerogative of the head of the company. Which may not always have sufficient interest in this procedure.
What should be the size of the authorized capital?
For a limited liability company, the minimum authorized capital is not established. However, deciding on the size of the authorized capital cannot be made at random. A contribution to the authorized capital of a business company is the main mechanism for investing in a company at the initial stage of activity. It is especially important to correctly calculate the size of the authorized capital for a startup that does not yet have customers or secondary investors.
What about the loan agreement? So beloved by Belarusian business, it allows you to return the investments of the founders through tax-free loan repayment. Everything would be fine, but it is worth remembering that HTP may not evaluate an applicant with a negative balance sheet structure. Therefore, if registration of a company also involves joining the HTP, we advise you to make initial investments by contributing to the authorized capital of the company.
The founders of an IT company that does not plan to join the HTP after registration should remember that in the event of liquidation of a company with an outstanding loan, an object of taxation will be created as non-operating income. The tax authorities that have arisen will definitely need to either be satisfied or go into bankruptcy with the possibility of bringing the founder and former manager to subsidiary liability. into the newly created company is described in detail on this website.
And the world’s reputation as a leading “IT country” in the Eastern European region has been firmly established. According to the Global Services 100 rating, the Republic of Belarus took 13th place among 20 leading countries in the field of IT outsourcing and high-tech services. In addition, the TOP 100 of the world's largest companies in this field included three companies with Belarusian roots: EPAM Systems, IBA Group and Intetics Co. In the UN IT ranking, Belarus ranks 48th.
The direction of software development has existed in the republic virtually since 1998. However, the key “starting point” from which the development of the IT sector in Belarus began is considered to be September 2005, when the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 12 “On HTP” laid the legislative basis for the successful operation of the “Belarusian Silicon Valley” - the High Technology Park - and attracting investments into the software development industry.
Today, Belarusian companies operating within the HTP are distinguished by progressive management and effective marketing solutions. The industry is characterized by client maturity, the complexity of the projects being implemented, a global service delivery network, a diverse “portfolio” of products and services, and the ability to work in niche markets.
Achievements of the Belarusian High Technology Park
In September 2012, HTP announced its first billion dollars earned. And by 2020, according to forecasts, this amount will flow into the budget from HTP residents annually. According to the forecast of the International Finance Corporation, by 2020 the income of the IT industry in Belarus could reach $3-4 billion, or 4-5% of the country’s total GDP for 2012. During the existence of the Park, about 6 thousand jobs were created with the participation of foreign investors.
Today, 49% of HTP residents are companies with Belarusian capital and 51% with foreign capital. At the same time, experts predict an increase in the number of companies with foreign capital, since today ICT is one of the priority areas for foreign direct investment.
80% of the software produced in the Park is exported. 45% is supplied to the USA and Canada, 30% to European countries, 20% to Russia and the CIS.
In terms of the volume of exports of computer and information services per capita, Belarus occupies a leading position in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. This figure was more than $35 per person in 2012. At the same time, the indicator in Belarus exceeds identical indicators in Russia and Ukraine by two or more times
Software consumers developed by residents of the Hi-Tech Park, became well-known world corporations, automobile concerns Peugeot (France), Mitsubishi (Japan), media holdings British Telecom (Great Britain), T-Mobile (Germany), Reuters (UK-USA); fuel and energy concerns British Petroleum, (Great Britain), Rosenergoatom, RAO UES, London Stock Exchange, World Bank, Deutsche Bank, Central Bank of the Russian Federation, world-famous commodity producers Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive (USA), Samsung (Korea).
Investment options in the Belarusian IT industry
Significant amounts of money can be profitably invested in IT projects in Belarus. The main foreign investors in the Belarusian IT sector are companies from the USA, Great Britain, Israel, Germany and Russia.
According to representatives of foreign companies, foreign venture funds are ready to invest up to $1 million in the development of IT projects, and the initial stage of project implementation is of greatest interest to them. Thus, in 2012, $62.5 million of foreign direct investment was attracted to the High Technology Park (HTP) over the past year.
Today, the most common option for investors to enter the Belarusian IT industry is to create a new software development company in Belarus from scratch. In 2012, the number of HTP residents increased by 13 such companies and reached 118 organizations.
Another investment option is to attract specialized strategic investors who specialize specifically in the IT sector. In this case, foreign companies enter the market by acquiring Belarusian businesses.
Another example of attracting investment was the placement of shares (IPO) of EPAM Systems on the New York Stock Exchange. In just the first hour of trading, these shares increased in price by 20%, from $12 to $14.4 per share.
Climate for investors
According to the conditions for Park residents, established by Presidential Decree No. 12 in 2005 and valid until 2020, HTPs are exempt from paying taxes, fees and other obligatory payments to the republican budget, state target budget and extra-budgetary funds paid from proceeds from the sale of goods, tax on profit and VAT from the sale of such products, land tax for the construction period (up to 3 years) and real estate tax.
Among the beneficial preferences are exemption from customs duties and VAT when importing goods necessary for business activities, and a reduced income tax for employees to 9%. These benefits are provided to Park residents whose main activities are the development and implementation of information and communication technologies and software, both in the domestic market and for export. Benefits are available to another 12 high-tech areas of activity - from the creation of products for micro- and nanoelectronics to aviation and rocket and space technology.
Selected successful Belarusian projects
Information and communication technologies are also among the priority areas where it is planned to attract investments. The number of companies operating in Belarus and producing intellectual products that are in demand throughout the world is growing rapidly.
In 2011, the massively multiplayer online game World of Tanks, developed by the Belarusian studio Wargaming.net, achieved a record officially registered by the Guinness Book of Records. The MMO action game was able to simultaneously gather on one server the largest number of players in history - more than 90 thousand people. By the end of 2012, the authors of World of Tanks plan to receive $200 million in profit.
Among Belarusian game developers, Viaden Media also stands out - the country's largest in the field of gaming applications for mobile platforms and social networks. One of its latest programs is the sports app All-in Fitness, which is among the top most downloaded in dozens of countries around the world.
The position of Belarusian developers is also strong in the category of communication applications. For example, the authors of the popular Viber program, which competes with Skype in the mobile market, are Israelis. The main office of the company, whose product is already used by more than 100 million people in the world, is also located in Israel. However, all Viber software developments are carried out in Belarus. Among the main advantages of Belarusian programmers: the company's management highlights the ability to think and act outside the textbook, to find non-trivial solutions.
Belarusian companies are traditionally among the leading providers of business solutions. Among automated ERP (enterprise resource planning) class systems in the CIS countries, the product of the largest developer of ERP systems in the region, the Galaktika Corporation, whose central office is located in the Belarusian capital, stands out. Today, the company's software is used by more than 6 thousand enterprises in the Commonwealth countries, representing various sectors of the economy.
The alliance of IT companies “IBA Group”, created 20 years ago in Minsk, is today one of the largest developers of solutions and services in the field of high technology in Central and Eastern Europe. More than 20 companies operate under the IBA brand in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, the USA, Germany, Great Britain, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan and Cyprus.
The IBA Group portfolio includes over 1.5 thousand projects completed for customers on 5 continents and solving problems in various sectors of the economy, including information technology, telecommunications, transport and energy.
One of the leading players in the Belarusian IT market is EPAM Systems, the largest provider of services in the field of development of design (custom) software and solutions in Central and Eastern Europe. Created in 1993, today the company has representative offices in 12 countries.
The scale of the company allows us to work with the largest customers on the most complex and interesting projects, many of which are innovative in nature. A special place among EPAM projects is occupied by software development for world leaders in the software industry. The company successfully cooperates with leading universities in our country. The result of such cooperation is joint IT laboratories.