SCHNEIDER GROUP has been operating in the consulting services sector since 1 April 2003. Back then, German entrepreneur Ulf Schneider and his team committed to the mission of supporting international businesses as they expanded into the growing markets of Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus. Since then, the SCHNEIDER GROUP team has been building bridges between the business communities of Europe and Asia for more than 20 years, constantly expanding our geographical footprint in these regions.
Our history
Opening of SCHNEIDER GROUP’s 1st office, Moscow, Russia
Opening
of the office in St. Petersburg
Opening
of the office in Kazakhstan, Almaty
Opening
of the office in Belarus, Minsk
Opening
of the office in Poland, Warsaw
Opening
of the offices in Uzbekistan, Tashkent and Armenia, Yerevan
Opening of the office in Austria, Vienna
Opening of offices in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) and Baku (Azerbaijan)
Opening of offices in Tbilisi (Georgia) and Vilnius (Lithuania)
After 5 years as Chief Financial Officer at the Moscow office of the international insurance company Allianz, Ulf Schneider founded his own company to help European companies entering the Russian market navigate the tricky local accounting and tax environment. "Starting my business in 2003 I thought that if everything went well, I would be running a team of 20 employees. Now I'm really proud of SCHNEIDER GROUP 500 people strong international team."
Right from the start Ulf planned to open offices in both Russian capitals: the political and economic capital, Moscow, and the cultural capital, St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg is the twin city of Hamburg, Ulf's hometown in Germany. Today the company’s office in St Petersburg is one of the biggest and most successful ones. The team in St Petersburg provides a full range of services to international clients, ranging from market analysis and partner search to full accounting support, legal and tax consultancy, business process efficiency review and optimization based on the best of breed local and international IT solutions.
Kazakhstan and the business opportunities offered by the country were in the focus of discussions among Western business community in Moscow in 2006. Ulf Schneider, president and founder of SCHNEIDER GROUP, decided to open an office in Kazakhstan following his brief visit to Almaty and Astana: SCHNEIDER GROUP became one of the country's first international consulting companies. As of today, the Kazakhstan team has more than 60 employees in the Almaty, Atyrau and Nur-Sultan offices.
Opening of office in Minsk. The country’s geographical location between Russia and the EU and the availability of skilled workforce make Belarus an excellent site for the manufacturing and further export of goods, whether to Russia or to Europe. During his visit to Minsk in December 2008 Ulf Schneider was inspired by the hospitality and hard-working nature of the Belarusians. Short afterwards the company’s office in Minsk was opened.
In 2010-2011, more and more SCHNEIDER GROUP customers were increasingly interested in expanding their operations outside of the CIS countries. Opening of the office in Warsaw meant crossing new borders and unlocking new business opportunities. SCHNEIDER GROUP Polish office was opened in 2012. The Polish team advises international companies on business setup, offers accounting outsourcing and management reporting services, HR administration and payroll calculation, as well as legal and tax consultancy.
In 2018 two offices – in Yerevan (Armenia) and Tashkent(Uzbekistan) – were opened.
Armenia's rich cultural and historical heritage and high-skilled workforce, particularly in IT, make the country an attractive destination for international investors, while SCHNEIDER GROUP Armenia takes over all supporting business functions, allowing customers to entirely focus on business development.
In 2017 Uzbekistan saw a range of far-reaching economic, political and social reforms that made the country more open to investors and attractive for major international companies. The demand for professional business advisory services was constantly growing. SCHNEIDER GROUP addressed this demand by opening the office SCHNEIDER GROUP office.
The office in Vienna was opened with two objectives in mind: to be closer to the head offices of our Austrian customers and to provide local support to CIS companies, seeking to expand into the EU market.
In 2022, SCHNEIDER GROUP continued to build its presence in the fast-developing countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus.
Kyrgyzstan's strong economic growth, the development of the mining and energy sectors as well as the opening of new technology parks continue to attract foreign investors. The new SCHNEIDER GROUP office in Bishkek allows us to better support clients locally as they leverage new opportunities to develop in the region.
Recent economic trends in the Eurasian region have consolidated Azerbaijan's position as an increasingly important regional player. The largest free economic zone "Alat" in the Caucasus, the highly developed oil and gas sector and infrastructure as well as new projects in the field of "green" energy present attractive business opportunities in the field of localisation, exports and logistics.
The opening of a new office in Georgia is a further step in the expansion of SCHNEIDER GROUP's presence in the Caucasus. Over the past few years Georgia has become a destination of choice for high-tech and service companies attracted by a conducive business environment.
This year SCHNEIDER GROUP opened its first office in the Baltic States, which are gaining increasing strategic importance in logistics and business process outsourcing, as well as the relocation of highly qualified specialists. A well-developed infrastructure, projects in construction, financial technology, biotechnology and logistics, and in particular the development of the Klaipeda seaport, all make this market attractive to international investors.
BELARUS
30/04/2024
Temporary restriction on payment of profits and dividends to residents of "unfriendly" countries in Belarus
The restriction applies from a minimum amount of approx. 3 million Belarusian roubles and requires special authorisation from regional executive committees for payment processing.
KAZAKHSTAN
30/04/2024
Universal declaration process in Kazakhstan
As of January 2024, managers, founders, individual entrepreneurs, and their spouses must file asset and liability declarations as part of the implementation of Kazakhstan's Plan of the Nation (100 concrete steps).
KAZAKHSTAN
30/04/2024
EEU: New procedure for VAT on cross-border supply of electronic services
Amendments to the "Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union" affect cross-border trade, taxpayer registration procedures, and VAT payment.
When purchasing a remote registration service in electronic form, VAT will be levied at the taxpayer's location.
BUSINESS CONFERENCE
05/04/2024
Eurasian Crossroads: Business Opportunities & Tax Update for Turkey, Central Asia and Caucasus
As global trade evolves, Turkish businesses, with strong ties to neighbors like Caucasus, Central Asia, and Russia, bridge the East-West gap, fostering regional collaboration. During the conference SCHNEIDER GROUP experts will provide in-depth market insights and expert guidance on tax issues in the dynamic Eurasian market.
BUSINESS BREAKFAST
01/03/2024
Ban on foreign ERP in Russia: Migration to 1C
During our event, SCHNEIDER GROUP experts will talk about the legal and technical consequences of the ban, the experience of successful implementation of client projects on the transition to Russian software, as well as answer questions from participants.
HYBRID EVENT
15/02/2024
Changes in Russian and EU Tax legislation affecting business in Russia
During our hybrid event, SCHNEIDER GROUP experts will probe into critical topics affecting group finances on both the German and Russian corporate sides.