ING has appointed Deepali Bhargava as head of research and chief economist for Asia Pacific. Bhargava rejoins the Netherlands-based bank from US private equity firm KKR, where she handled macroeconomic analysis for India, Southeast Asia, and Australia, focusing on private markets. She previously worked at ING in India, gaining recognition for her USD/INR forecasts in 2010 and 2011. Before KKR, Bhargava served at Credit Suisse, advising on macroeconomic trends, economic and earnings cycles, and offering strategic insights into interest rates and currencies. She succeeds Robert Carnell, who is retiring after leading ING’s Asia Pacific research team since 2017. The appointment underscores ING’s commitment to strengthening its analytical capabilities in the region amid rising demand for economic insights.