Update: iCrossing’s release corrects Yakov’s earlier report that iCrossing was acquiring Ingate—the companies stress that the deal is a partnership. A spokesman for iCrossing points out that the deal mirrors a similar tie-in with Chinese SEM firm Beijing Gridsum Technology in December and is part of a drive to extend reach across eastern Europe and Asia.

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Original: US digital ad agency iCrossing is expanding into the Russian ad market with the acquisition a partnership with Moscow-based digital agency Ingate, as Quintura reports. With 130 staff, the company carries out SEO and paid search services for 200 clients including Peugeot, L’Oreal and Proctor & Gamble and has developed its own link exchange aggregator Re-Actor. Russia’s digital ad market grew 55 percent last year to 14.7 billion rubles (£297 million), around 60 percent of which comes from contextual text ads, and despite a recent oil price-related slowdown in the the country’s economy, many western players remain keen to tap some of its online growth. iCrossing already has 550 staff in 12 offices across the US and Europe. A year ago iCrossing bought German digital agency 3GNet, which was re-branded iCrossing Germany and back in 2007 it bought UK-based search agency Spannerworks. Release.