OREANDA-NEWS. October 16, 2009. Troika Dialog sends a delegation of company representatives to participate in events at the IV Russia-China Economic Forum in Beijing as the company aims to create new opportunities together with its strategic partner Standard Bank and Standard Bank’s shareholder ICBC for participation in Russia-China trade and investment.  
 
Troika Dialog, the oldest and largest private investment bank in the CIS, along with Standard Bank will join leading figures in business, finance and politics from Russia and China for the fourth Russia-China Economic Forum in Beijing.
 
The fourth staging of this Forum will see senior business leaders, representatives from various financial bodies and politicians from both Russia and China come together to discuss the current economic challenges and forge new opportunities between the two regions. During the Forum days Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin will meet in Beijing with Wen Jiabao, Premier of the People’s Republic of China.

Andrei Sharonov, Managing Director and Head of Investment Banking at Troika Dialog will attend the Forum with Yuri Voitsekhovsky, President of Standard Bank Russia. Last month, Troika Dialog’s strategic partnership with Standard Bank was confirmed following regulatory approvals to create Russia’s leading financial institution adapted to the new global markets, under the Troika Dialog brand.

Andrei Sharonov and Mike Blades, Managing Director for International Business Development at Standard Bank China will give a presentation to the media on October 12 to provide expert insight into the current economic climate and existing opportunities for Russia, China and other emerging markets to lead the way to global recovery. In addition, Mr. Sharonov and Mr. Blades will provide an update on the partnership between Troika Dialog, Standard Bank and ICBC, which has a 20 per cent shareholding in Standard Bank, and highlight how cooperation between the three financial institutions can lead to the optimization of future prospects across the emerging markets.

Commenting on the Forum, Andrei Sharonov of Troika Dialog said, “The partnership of Russia’s resources with China’s capital offers one of the best synergies worldwide. In order for both nations to evolve, each is crucial to the other’s future development and growth. In the first half of 2009 alone, China has impacted Russia’s macroeconomic position on a large scale with regional loans and investments equivalent to 2 per cent of Russia’s GDP and this is set to rise in the coming years. Troika Dialog is committed to fostering greater ties with China to maximise economic and business opportunities in the future.”

Craig Bond, Chief Executive of Standard Bank for the Standard Bank-ICBC strategic partnership commented: “As the world’s main rising power with the fastest growing economy globally, China represents the main driver behind the substantial rise in demand for natural resources and raw materials. Standard Bank is well-placed to facilitate trade and capital flows between Russia and China in order to enhance the future development and growth of these emerging markets.”

About Standard Bank:
Standard Bank is a leading African banking group focused on emerging markets globally. It has been a mainstay of South Africa's financial system for over 145 years, and now spans 17 countries across the African continent. Its international expansion has taken it to 16 emerging countries outside Africa including Brazil, China and now, via its partnership with Troika Dialog, Russia.  Its headquarters are in Johannesburg and it is listed on the JSE. Standard Bank's single largest shareholder is the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.
www.standardbank.com/cib

About Troika Dialog:
Founded in 1991, Troika Dialog Group is the leading independent full service investment bank and asset management firm in Russia. The Group’s business consists of securities sales and trading, investment banking, private wealth and asset management, retail distribution and alternative investment. Troika Dialog’s operations are located in 25 cities across Russia plus offices in London, New York, Kyiv, Almaty and Nicosia.

In March this year, Troika Dialog Group announced a strategic alliance with Standard Bank under which Standard Bank acquired a 33% stake in Troika Dialog.

www.troika.ru