A new ambassador will represent Alfa-Bank, with rapper Basta, born Vasily Vakulenko, replacing television host Ivan Urgant in the bank’s promotional campaigns. This information came from a representative of Alfa-Bank cited by RBC.
According to Alfa-Bank’s marketing, design, and customer acquisition chief Alexei Giyazov, Basta is a longtime friend of the bank. He shares a similar entrepreneurial spirit and a sense of independence that align with the bank’s messaging.
Ivan Urgant had been the bank’s public face for advertising since 2020, playing a central role in Alfa-Bank’s outreach to television audiences.
In February 2022, Urgant’s program Evening Urgant paused broadcasting. Urgant himself spoke out against Russia’s actions in Ukraine and subsequently spent time abroad. This development prompted reflections on the future of his TV presence and marketing collaborations.
Channel One has repeatedly clarified that Evening Urgant was not canceled. The network described the hiatus as a temporary shift to an information-focused mode, rather than a cessation of entertainment programming.
Earlier, Urgant participated in a Rock festival in Kazakhstan, highlighting his ongoing ties to international cultural events even as his broadcasting schedule changed.