The state-owned lender Sberbank is planning to become the country’s biggest e-commerce player by launching its online retail mega portal in 2021. If successful, the company will become the most popular bank and the equivalent of Amazon, Uber, Netflix and Deliveroo all rolled into one company. “We don’t want to just be boring bankers,” said Sberbank CEO German Gref. Sberbank is targeting 500 billion rubles ($6.6 billion) of gross merchandise value for its future online marketplace. No other Russian online retailer has ever notched up that amount. Sberbank already has stakes in one of Russia’s top online streaming services, the country’s largest fast food delivery app, a ride-hailing and taxi firm, two rapidly-growing express grocery delivery outfits, a logistics arm, mapping and GPS services, a headhunting service, a host of popular online media outlets and an online education service.
