History

1998

  • Webmail service launched
 

2000

  • HeadHunter founded
 

2001

  • Mail.Ru formed from Port.ru and netBridge merger
  • Mail.Ru portal launched 

2003

  • Mail.Ru Agent (IM service) launched
  • Search partnership with Google
  • Travel.Mail.Ru (travel portal launched)

2004

  • Mobile email service launched
  • Voice calls added to Mail.Ru Agent
 

2005

  • Lady.Mail.Ru (Women’s lifestyle services) launched
  • Mail.Ru Group founded (as Digital Sky Technologies Ltd-DST)
  • Launch of Auto.Mail.Ru
  • Video calls added to Mail.Ru Agent
  • Blogging service launched

2006

  • Odnoklassniki (OK) social network launched
  • Mail.Ru games portal launched
  • Naspers Ltd, a South-African media conglomerate, acquired a stake in Mail.Ru
  • «Legend: Legacy of the Dragons»  MMO game launched
  • Video portal launched
  • First mobile version of Mail.Ru Agent

2007

  • My World social network launched
  • Jun Mail.Ru’s in-house search technology launched (beta)
  • Dec Mobile versions of OK and My World launched
 

2008

  • «Perfect World» online game launched under license
  • Deti.Mail.Ru (childhood and maternity vertical) launched
  • Mail.Ru Group acquired control of Mail.Ru
 

2009

  • Web-version of Mail.Ru Agent
  • Mail.Ru Group acquired control of HeadHunter
  • «Para Pa» game launched
  • Mail.Ru Group acquired control of online gaming business, Astrum
  • Mail.Ru Group acquired a stake in Facebook
  • Money service launched
  • My World’s API opened to third-party developers
  • «Allods Online» game launched
  • Health.Mail.Ru (health vertical launched)
  • Astrum merged with Mail.Ru

 

2010

  • Mail.Ru Group acquired a stake in Zynga
  • Mail.Ru completed acquisition of its in-house data centre
  • Mail.Ru Group acquired a stake in Groupon, a social e-commerce company which offers consumers
  • discounts on products and services
  • OK opened its API platform to third-party developers 
  • Tencent Holdings acquired a stake in Mail.Ru Group
  • Mail.Ru Group acquired IM service ICQ from AOL
  • Mail.Ru Group increased its ownership in Odnoklassniki to 100%
  • Mail.Ru Group increased its ownership in Mail.Ru to 100% after Naspers, Mail.Ru’s management and other minority shareholders converted their Mail.Ru shares into Mail.Ru Group
  • Marcos Galperin, Chief Executive of Brazil’s Mercadolibre, joined Mail.Ru
  • Group as an independent nonexecutive director
  • Mail.Ru Group completed an IPO in the form of global depositary receipts (GDRs) on the London Stock Exchange (LSE)
  • Stake in VK increased to 32.55%
 

2011

  • Sang Hun Kim, Chief Executive of South Korea’s NHN Corporation, joined Mail.Ru as an independent non-executive director
  • OK moved into Mail.Ru Group’s Moscow headquarters
  • My World introduced revenue sharing with developers on its API platform (30% share to My World)