From January to September 2026, Chinese advertisers increased their spending on Yandex by 2.4 times compared to the same period in 2025. The average budget per advertiser also grew by approximately 2.4 times, driven by improved advertising tools and technologies. Chinese businesses are now approaching the investment levels of major domestic players.
New advertisers from China account for 38% of the total, while companies that have been working with Yandex for more than a year contributed 84% to the average budget growth. Mobile gaming remains the primary category for these investments, with spending doubling between January and August 2026 compared to the previous year.
Other sectors also saw significant growth in advertising investments from China. Spending on travel promotion increased by 7.6 times, e-commerce by 9 times, and medical services by 5 times. Yandex continues to compete with global platforms such as Unity Ads, AppLovin, and BIGO Ads, which also operate within the Russian market.
The increase in advertising revenue from Chinese companies is attributed to the technological competitiveness of Yandex's tools. According to Ivan Bryukhovetsky, Consul for Education, Science, and Technology at the Russian Consulate General in Shanghai, Chinese businesses are shifting toward more systematic long-term operations in Russia.
