TIF General Director Met with ICBC Standard Bank CEO

On 14 January 2026, Mr. Ramil Babayev, General Director of the Turkic Investment Fund (TIF), held a meeting with Mr. Chong Gao, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ICBC Standard Bank in London to discuss potential areas of cooperation and investment collaboration.

The TIF General Director was accompanied by Mr. Sanjar Usmanov, Chief Investment Officer; and Mr. M. Esat Mert, Director for IR & CM and Treasury. The ICBC Standard Bank CEO was joined by Mr. Stephen Gargiulo, Global Markets Management Committee; Mr. Vladimir Guber, Managing Director and Mr. Cagri Kutman, Director, FIC Sales Corporates & Banks, CEEMEA.

During the meeting, the General Director of TIF outlined the Fund’s mandate and provided an overview of the main parameters and criteria governing TIF’s investment operations and treasury activities. He highlighted TIF’s strong emphasis on development impact and its social development mandate, noting the Fund’s objective to support sustainable and inclusive growth across its member countries.

ICBC Standard Bank CEO Mr. Gao presented a brief overview of the institution’s background and evolution, explaining its core focus and strategic objectives as an investment bank. They also shared insights into ICBC Standard Bank’s activities within the broader multilateral development bank ecosystem.

The parties held discussions on potential operations in TIF member countries and exchanged views on concrete opportunities for cooperation. In this context, both sides expressed interest in exploring treasury operation in more detail and possible syndication structures and agreed to follow up on identified opportunities through their respective teams.

The meeting concluded with a shared understanding to maintain close engagement in support of development-oriented investments in the region.