Citi
Citi’s Malaysia chief executive, Usman Ahmed, took the reins at the bank in February 2021, in the thick of the Covid-19 pandemic and at a time of political turmoil.
But as a Citi veteran, Ahmed was no stranger to market chaos. He was in Dubai in 2008 when the Lehman crisis shoulder-checked oil and real estate markets. In early 2021, Malaysia was suffering from the fallout from pandemic lockdowns while its third prime minister in three years was being shown the door. Through all that, the Citi team helped to keep the transactional trains running pretty much on schedule.
It helped that Citi has deep experience in the Malaysian market – where it has been operating since 1959 – with a workforce today of 5,000-plus and a vibrant on-the-ground franchise spanning corporate banking, treasury and trade, markets and securities services, consumer banking and global transaction services. On top of that, Citi’s physical presence in 95 countries, trading desks in 77 markets and a custody network in 63 markets are an enviable resource.
In