MOSCOW: Russian cybersecurity company Group IB is to open a global headquarters in Singapore this year or in early next as part of international expansion plans, chief executive Ilya Sachkov said.
Sachkov, 32, is a co-founder of the Moscow-based company which was set up in 2003 and focuses on investigating high-tech crimes and online fraud. Its clients include banks, energy companies, telecom firms ranging from Russia to Latin America, Canada, the United States and Britain. The company also has offices in London, New York and Dubai.
The move to Singapore comes as Russia and the West are in a stand-off over allegations that Moscow meddled in the US elections. The Kremlin has denied these allegations.
Sachkov, who runs a team of more than 300 people, said the timing of the Singapore move was right.
“It is Asia’s financial centre – and our business does well in Asia. Singapore is the first country which bought our products … Interpol’s cyber-crime headquarters, with which we are cooperating, is located in Singapore,” Sachkov said.
Sachkov, a cybersecurity engineer himself, said that for the business to grow, it should be global.