Our Team
Michael Habte
Managing Director
Michael Habte is a seasoned executive with over 15 years of global experience spanning capital markets infrastructure, financial strategy, quantitative economics, and institutional development. Most recently he served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Ethiopian Securities Exchange (ESX), where he co-led the design, establishment, and successful launch of Ethiopia’s first organized stock exchange. Under his leadership, ESX achieved a 140% oversubscribed capital raise and successfully deployed the country’s first electronic trading and back-office systems.
Michael has held senior roles at leading international financial institutions including BBVA, Citigroup, Moody’s, and Bloomberg. His expertise covers the full spectrum of asset classes—equities, fixed income, commodities, and FX—as well as end-to-end experience in trading infrastructure, market surveillance, IPO readiness, and product innovation. He holds a masters degree in economics from Johns Hopkins University and dual bachelor’s degrees in finance and economics from the University of Houston. He is a certified capital markets professional (CISI Levels 1 & 3) and is fluent in English and Amharic.
Yohannes T. Arega
Director
Yohannes T. Arega is an experienced capital markets strategist and regulatory expert with over 16 years of extensive experience in financial markets, institutional development, and compliance across both developed and emerging economies. With a robust background in market operations, risk management, and regulatory transformation, Yohannes has successfully led major institutional projects in the U.S., Africa, and other frontier markets.
He has held leadership and advisory roles at top-tier financial institutions including Macquarie Group, JP Morgan Chase, Marrill Lynch, and NEXT Financial Group. His work spans regulatory compliance, AML/CFT frameworks, risk modeling, project management, and capital market supervision. Yohannes is particularly known for building compliance infrastructures from the ground up and aligning institutions with IOSCO principles and global best practices.
As a senior advisor to the Ethiopian Capital Market Authority, he has played a pivotal role in shaping Ethiopia’s nascent capital market regulatory architecture and strategic roadmap. He is fluent in Amharic and holds an MBA in Finance from Tulane University, alongside a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Houston. He is also FINRA-certified (Series 7, 24, 31, 66) and licensed in life and health insurance.