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  • Meet Russia's richest woman, a self-made billionaire who founded her e-commerce company on maternity leave

Meet Russia's richest woman, a self-made billionaire who founded her e-commerce company on maternity leave

Talia LakritzJun 26, 2024, 02:01 IST

Russian billionaire Tatyana Bakalchuk.Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

  • Tatyana Bakalchuk is Russia's richest woman with an estimated net worth of $7.4 billion.
  • She founded e-commerce retailer Wildberries, Russia's version of Amazon that sells a range of items.

In 2004, Tatyana Bakalchuk spent $700 to create a website for Wildberries, an e-commerce business she started out of her Moscow apartment while on maternity leave.

Today, Wildberries is considered the Russian equivalent of Amazon, a booming online retailer that earned $6 billion in revenue in 2023, and Bakalchuk is Russia's richest woman, Bloomberg reported.

Yet, despite her immense wealth, Bakalchuk, 48, keeps a low profile and apparently lives modestly — she reportedly doesn't own a home, choosing to rent instead.

Here's how Bakalchuk makes and spends her fortune.

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Tatyana Bakalchuk is worth an estimated $7.4 billion, Forbes reported, making her Russia's richest woman.

Russian billionaire Tatyana Bakalchuk.Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters

She founded the e-commerce retailer Wildberries in 2004 while on maternity leave from her job as an English teacher.

A Wildberries delivery point in St. Petersburg.Artem Priakhin/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
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In 2023, Wildberries earned $6 billion in revenue with a gross merchandise volume of $27.8 billion.

A Wildberries advertisement in Moscow.Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters

Despite her billionaire status, Bakalchuk keeps a low profile and doesn't own a home.

Russian billionaire Tatyana Bakalchuk.Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
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Bakalchuk's latest venture will involve building an alternative payment platform to help bolster Russia's economy amid international sanctions.

Tatyana Bakalchuk.Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
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