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Advance Capital is pleased to announce the sale of Academ-Online, the leader in the B2B travel market across Russia and the CIS, to Yandex.

Academ-Online is the leading independent business travel platform in Russia and the CIS, specializing in online hotel bookings for corporate clients. The company operates its own online platform, facilitating bookings through direct contracts with hotels as well as integrations with international aggregators. Its portfolio includes approximately 7,500 properties, covering over 50% of all 4- and 5-star hotels in Russia.

The launch of the business travel segment within Yandex Travel will enable hoteliers and property owners to attract guests year-round, including international tourists using Academ-Online’s partner network. Businesses, in turn, will gain access to a wider range of accommodations, including apartments, which are particularly popular among small and medium-sized enterprises.

Evgeny Abramzon, Head of Yandex Travel:

“Russia’s business travel market is experiencing steady growth. According to the Business Travel Agencies Association, its volume exceeded 1 trillion rubles in 2024, a 27% increase year-on-year. By combining Academ-Online’s expertise with Yandex Travel’s technology, we’ll offer hoteliers and agencies advanced booking tools, while providing businesses with an extensive selection of accommodation options for employee travel.”

Alexander Kurnosov, Head of Academ-Online:

“Since our founding, we’ve aimed to simplify business travel for companies of all sizes. Now, partnering with Russia’s technology leader, we’ll elevate corporate hotel booking to a new level.”

Artur Shubaev, Executive Director of Advance Capital:

“Academ-Online aroused great interest from both strategic and financial investors, but Yandex turned out to be the most synergistic partner. Overall, we see significant interest from ecosystem players in the travel tech market and expect that the wave of M&A transactions in this segment will only expand, including transactions with our bank participation.”

Advance Capital acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Academ-Online.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed.