Business news

MINSK, 7 April (BelTA) – The Hi-Tech Park can export as much as $1 billion worth of services in 2016, BelTA learned from Valery Tsepkalo, Director of the Hi-Tech Park administration, on 7 April.

“When ten years ago we came up with the figures to justify the presidential decree on establishing the Hi-Tech Park, we expected to raise export to $300-350 million within ten years. And back then the figure looked very optimistic. In 2015 export exceeded $700 million. If we keep up the pace we’ve been maintaining for the last ten years, this year we will approach $1 billion this year,” noted Valery Tsepkalo.

The Hi-Tech Park administration director said that the export of computer services per capita totaled $74 in Belarus in 2015, which is a very good figure. “Apart from that, four of our resident companies are in the world’s top 100 outsourcing companies. About one billion people in 150 countries use Belarusian mobile apps,” he said.

BelTA reported earlier that in 2015 export accounted for 91.5% of the Hi-Tech Park’s total output. In 2006 the figure stood at 46%. The top three exporters in 2015 were EPAM Systems, Game Stream, and IBA IT Park. Resident companies of the IT park compensated for losses caused by falling sales in Russia by selling more in the USA, the UK, Korea, and Switzerland.

According to Valery Tsepkalo, at present slightly more than 24,000 people work in the Hi-Tech Park, with 3,000 jobs created in 2015.

At present Belarus’ Hi-Tech Park is home to 152 resident companies. Of them 62 ones have been founded by Belarusian investors, 54 ones by foreign investors, and 36 ones are joint ventures.