eCom21 – the first international e-commerce conference aroused huge interest among professionals in Russia and other CIS countries, as well as in Europe. According to the participants, this forum could be organised regularly in the Latvian capital city - making it the European centre of e-commerce.
The conference has assembled more than 250 participants from Russia and other CIS countries, Europe, the USA, Israel, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Its patron is the largest private bank in Latvia, Rietumu Bank, and its partners are leaders of the instant payment market QIWI and the Russian processing company PayOnline.
The primary goal of eCom21 was to organise a discussion platform to consider topical issues of practical activities in the field of e-commerce, and establishing useful business links. According to the participants, this focus on practical issues was a major advantage and ‘business card’ of the Riga conference.
Upon completion of the forum, the First Vice-president of Rietumu Bank, Ruslan Stecjuk, said: “With regard to the development of technologies and the speed of internet connection, Latvia is currently one of the world leaders – that is why it was also chosen as the venue for eCom21. By considering the huge interest in this forum among the business community, it may become a regular event. Any such wide-scale event would undoubtedly attract increasingly more e-commerce international businesses and capital to Latvia, and the country has every opportunity to become the undisputable European centre of e-commerce.”
In turn, the Chairman of the Board of the QIWI Group, Andrey Romanenko, summarising the results of the forum, noted: “The eCom21 conference is the first event devoted to e-commerce issues which has united East and West. It has allowed participants not only to find out the current position of various companies and the general tendencies of development in this industry, but also to find new partners and new solutions for their current tasks. The business format of the conference was ideal to provide participants with an atmosphere of dialogue and cooperation.”
Special interest of delegates was stimulated by reports about the specific features of tax regulation concerning e-commerce in the EU and Russia, opportunities for using Latvia as ‘a platform’ for this type of business, amendments to Latvian laws and regulations taking effect in 2013, and anticipating the maximally favourable regime for international holdings, including e-com companies, as well as organising the structure of e-commerce business management on the basis of European trade accounts.
It is assumed that the topics related to the advantages of European taxation and outlooks for the Latvian holding regime can become key issues for the next conference in Riga next year.
Other eCom21 accentuated issues were tendencies of transferring offline business into an online one, the attraction of venture capitals in e-commerce, issues of developing, licensing and regulating the electronic payment market, the specifics of using electronic money, the outlook of payment platforms, opportunities of data processing and storage centres, securing the safety of online operations, and other aspects which are topical for practical activities.
The conference speakers were representatives from Visa Europe and MasterCard, Rietumu Bank, Latvian Law Office Prime Consulting, QIWI Group and a number of other recognised Russian and international companies, including Deloitte, PayOnline, PayFair, Third Rome Black River Ventures, DucasCopy, OptimalPayments, DEAC, Tieto, etc.
Conference participants were professionals of the e-commerce market, experts in tax legislation and lawyers, managers of European and Russian banks, investment, audit and service companies, hotel and transport businesses, financial advisors and journalists.
The conference was held in the Latvian capital city over two days, and was arranged in the business centre of the Radisson Blu Latvija Hotel.
Eleonora Gailisha Mass Media and Public Relations
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