• RVB LLC (Wildberries & Russ Group) signed an MoU with Ethiopian Investment Holdings to localize Wildberries’ products and develop investment and technology projects in Ethiopia.

• EIH, Africa’s largest sovereign wealth fund with over USD 150 billion in assets, manages key Ethiopian enterprises, including Ethiopian Airlines and Ethio Telecom.

• RVB’s Africa expansion follows SPIEF 2025 disclosures that its exports reached 200 billion rubles in 2024 and are projected at 450 billion rubles for 2025.

Russian e-commerce group RVB LLC—the united company formed from the merger of Wildberries and Russ Group—has signed a cooperation agreement with Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH), marking Wildberries’ first move into the African market. The memorandum of understanding was signed in Moscow by RVB CEO Robert Mirzoyan and EIH CEO Brook Taye, according to information published on November 14.

The agreement includes joint work to adapt Wildberries’ product range to the Ethiopian market and cooperation on investment and technological initiatives. RVB said the partnership aims to support Ethiopia’s e-commerce growth and related infrastructure. The company added that the deal will pave the way for Wildberries’ expected entry into Ethiopia and other African markets in the near future.

EIH, established in 2014, is the continent’s largest sovereign wealth fund, managing more than USD 150 billion in state assets. Its portfolio includes major Ethiopian enterprises such as Ethiopian Airlines, Ethio Telecom, the Development Bank of Ethiopia, and the Ethiopian Shipping and Logistics Services Enterprise. The fund is a key driver of Ethiopia’s economic modernization and its achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The partnership follows RVB’s announcement at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2025 that it is preparing a broader launch into the Global South. The company said it had expanded into three new countries—Georgia, Tajikistan, and the United Arab Emirates—over the past year. RVB reported exports of more than 200 billion rubles in 2024, with expectations of reaching 450 billion rubles in 2025.

Wildberries, founded in 2004, operates across Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, and partners with sellers in China and the UAE. Its logistics network spans more than 135 facilities and over 90,000 pickup points, serving 79 million customers as of 2025.

Cynthia Ebot Takang