Weekly News from Lithuania, January 8

Jan 08 2021

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POLITICS

Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis had a telephone conversation with the U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo

On 7 January, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis had a telephone conversation with the U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and discussed topical issues of cooperation between Lithuania and the U.S., and international security policy.

On 6 January, Ministers of 13 member states of the European Union called on the European Commissioners for health and for international cooperation with the EU partners, as well as on the European Commission to set up a support mechanism to allow the Eastern Partnership countries to secure early access to COVID-19 vaccine.

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BUSINESS & SCIENCE

Lithuanian gaming marketplace Eneba scored €6.55 million in funding to support its rapid international expansion

Eneba, a Lithuanian marketplace startup which sells games and other gaming related products, just has raised €6.55 million in funding from InReach Ventures, Practica Capital FJ Labs and a group of business angels.

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Lithuania’s Fintech Industry in 2020: Review of This Year’s Key Developments

Lithuania’s fintech ecosystem continued to grow in 2020 on the back of government-led initiatives, favorable regulations, and booming digital finance activities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of Q3 2020, Lithuania is home to more than 200 fintech companies and had issued 121 licenses going towards electronic money institutions (EMIs) and payment institutions (PIs). These figures make Lithuania one of the largest fintech hubs in Europe by number of licensed companies.

LTG Infra, the company responsible for the implementation of the Rail Baltica project in Lithuania, has launched the second stage of a tender, during which it will select a contractor for the railway bridge over the river Neris near Jonava. This will be the longest railway bridge in the Baltic States, spanning more than 1.5 kilometres.

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Ondato Rise €1.63 Million Investment And Expands in Europe To Power The Digital Economy, Naming London as HQ

Ondato, the digital & biometric authentication company, announces its expansion into Europe naming London as its new HQ. The business will now be based in London’s Canary Wharf district, using technology developed at its R&D center in Vilnius, Lithuania, where the company was founded. During 2021, Ondato will also be looking to expand in Germany, France, and Spain, after raising seed capital from Startup Wise Guys and OTB Ventures, Europe’s largest VC firm focussed on tech start-ups with a strong footprint in Central and Eastern Europe.

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CULTURE & HISTORY

KTU Folk Art Ensemble "Nemunas" celebrates 70th anniversary | Credits @ KTU

The innovative centre of Balt’s culture and tourism promotion “The Balts’ Road” established in Šiauliai

The first interactive Balts’ culture promotion centre in Lithuania and Latvia is waiting to open its doors to visitors after the quarantine. The main goal of this centre and the whole project LLI-187 “International Cultural Route Balts’ Road”, abbr. “Balts’ Road”, is to promote travelling and getting to know tangible and intangible cultural and natural heritage of Balts. Travel routes in the Baltic lands have been developed, there is a tourist guide, a website wwww.baltukelias.lt, and now, a unique space that will help to introduce to the past of Balts’ culture and its manifestations at present.

Vilnius Ghetto is a place of tragic Holocaust memories, yet even there, life and hope endured. The Ghetto’s cultural heritage apparently reveals it better than anything.

This virtual tour explores arts, education and creative endeavours within the Ghetto and the people behind them. The people who looked after Jewish culture in horrifying circumstances.

Some of the objects are long gone, many of them have changed a lot throughout the years as most of the local Jewish community, which was once very big and vital in Kaunas, was killed during WW2.

Founded in 1925, the Kaunas Municipal Vincas Kudirka Public Library is one of Lithuania’s oldest institutions of the kind. It’s also one of the most innovative ones – its creative team continually surprises us with new projects and initiatives beyond the traditional book sharing system.

A Lithuanian photographer whose drone shots made headlines around the world during the first Covid-19 lockdown, has taken to the skies once again, this time to help the people of Vilnius celebrate Christmas.

With Lithuania calling a nationwide lockdown in the lead-up to the Christmas and New Year holidays, residents of the country’s capital Vilnius are once again making the most of the situation – this time by sharing the holiday spirit from a safe distance.

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January 11

Virtual exhibition tour “Shenot Eliyahu/Elijah’s Years: The impact of Vilna Gaon on Lithuanian Jewish Culture”

Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in cooperation with Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania invites you to join a virtual exhibition tour by dr. Lara Lempertienė.

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