Prospects for the international development of Russian digital business ecosystems

the article analyzes the opportunities and challenges associated with the international expansion of Russian digital business ecosystems in the context of a saturated domestic market and a changed geopolitical environment. Based on data on technological competitiveness, financial opportunities and the choice of target markets for 2022-2024. The key factors determining the export potential of the leading companies have been identified: Sberbank, Yandex, MTS and VK. The assessment of technological readiness showed that the market's flagships demonstrate a high level of R&D intensity: Yandex and Sberbank invest more than 12% of their revenue in development, which is comparable to international standards. However, overall patent activity in the international arena remains low, with 709 PCT applications from Russia in 2024, which highlights the limited scale of technological exports. An analysis of financial resources revealed a significant gap: the net profit of Sberbank (353.1 billion rubles) and Yandex (100.9 billion rubles) provides them with sufficient reserve to launch foreign projects independently, while MTS has more modest opportunities, and VK is facing losses. Despite the sanctions barriers, the CIS countries, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, as well as the expanded BRICS bloc, offering alternative financial and technological alliances, are promising areas for expansion. The study shows that market leaders (Sberbank, Yandex) have the resources for global expansion, but geopolitical risks and insufficient depth of R&D activity in the country as a whole remain key barriers.

digital ecosystems, international expansion, R&D intensity, BRICS, sanctions