Economist and Banking Professional

Belayneh Getachew Filatie

I direct stakeholder engagement at EthSwitch, Ethiopia’s national payment switch, building partnerships with banks, regulators and fintechs. Before that I led capital market and investment banking projects at Amhara Bank, a bank I helped found.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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About

I’m Belayneh Getachew Filatie, an Ethiopian economist and banker based in Addis Ababa.

I hold an honors MSc in Development Economics from the University of Gondar and a BA in Economics from Addis Ababa University. I started in higher education, teaching, researching and advising regional government bureaus, then moved into private banking in December 2021.

Today I am Director of Stakeholder Engagement at EthSwitch, Ethiopia’s national payment switch. I lead the work with government agencies, regulators, banks, microfinance institutions, fintechs and development partners to grow the use of its shared payment services. Before that I spent six years at Amhara Bank, most recently running its Program Management Office: investment on the Ethiopian Securities Exchange, mergers and acquisitions, an investment bank and a fintech company as subsidiaries, financial market liberalization, and corporate strategy work.

Before that I was part of the founding, organizing and executive committees that created Amhara Bank. I also serve on several boards in development and youth work, and I aspire to be an economist, an investment analyst and an impactful investor.

In numbers

10+years of progressive experience in banking, development finance, research and teaching.
180K+shareholders in Amhara Bank, which I helped found.
8B+ ETBpaid-up capital of Amhara Bank at its formation.
270branches across Ethiopia, a bank that grew from a founding committee.

Areas of expertise

Stakeholder engagementAt EthSwitch: partnerships with regulators, banks, microfinance institutions, fintechs and NGOs to grow the use of shared payment services.
Capital marketsAt Amhara Bank: capital market analysis, investment and listing on the Ethiopian Securities Exchange, and assessments of financial market liberalization.
Investment banking and M&AAt Amhara Bank: setting up an investment bank as a subsidiary and facilitating mergers and acquisitions in line with the bank’s strategy.
FintechAt Amhara Bank: leading the establishment of a fintech company as a subsidiary of the bank.
Development financeAppraising developmental projects, feasibility studies, and partnerships with international development partners.
Corporate strategyAt Amhara Bank: counterpart to PwC on the bank’s five-year strategy and implementation plan, and reporting to executive management and the Board.
Research and teachingEconomics at Bahir Dar and Injibara universities, theses supervision, and consulting for regional government bureaus.

On stage

My path

  1. 1Director, Stakeholder Engagement · EthSwitchApr 2026 to now. Leads the national and regional engagement strategy: partnerships with government agencies, regulators, NGOs, banks, microfinance institutions and fintechs to drive adoption of shared payment services.
  2. 2Director, Private Stakeholders Engagement · EthSwitchDec 2025 to Apr 2026. Go-to-market for new payment solutions with banks, MFIs, fintechs, payment service providers, merchants and corporates: pilots, workshops and onboarding.
  3. 3Founder and Chairperson of the Board · Bridge SACCOJan 2025 to now. Part-time. Steers the SACCO’s governance, strategy and financial oversight in the interest of its members.
  4. 4Acting Director, Program Management Office · Amhara BankApr 2025 to Dec 2025. Led the bank’s technical projects, its capital market and investment banking projects, and the five-year corporate strategy as counter team to PwC.
  5. 5Program Manager, Capital Market and Investment Banking Projects · Amhara BankJul 2023 to Apr 2025. Investment and listing on the Ethiopian Securities Exchange, an investment bank and a fintech company as subsidiaries, M&A and financial market liberalization.
  6. 6Manager, Project Appraisal and Development Financing · Amhara BankDec 2021 to Jul 2023. Appraised youth and SME developmental projects, led feasibility studies and built partnerships with international development partners.
  7. 7Project Office Coordinator · Amhara BankJan 2021 to Dec 2021. Coordinated the project office while the bank was under formation.
  8. 8Founding, organizing and executive committees · Amhara BankMay 2019 to Feb 2022. Part-time. Helped form the bank until it opened.
  9. 9Programmes Executive · Young Global Economists SocietyOct 2024 to Dec 2025. Remote, Boston. Designed learning, sector-specific youth and regional programs for members.
  10. 10Director, Marketing and Partnership · PMI Ethiopia ChapterMar 2025 to Jun 2025. Marketing and partnership strategy to grow the chapter’s visibility and membership.
  11. 11Member of the Board · Right for EducationDec 2024 to Nov 2025. Remote, Dublin. An online publisher of free educational content across Africa.
  12. 12Academician, researcher and business consultant · Bahir Dar UniversityDec 2019 to Dec 2021. Teaching, research and project evaluation for the Amhara Regional Economy and Finance Bureau.
  13. 13Academician, researcher and business consultant · Injibara UniversitySep 2017 to Nov 2019. Teaching, thesis supervision and support to the Amhara Regional Industry and Investment Bureau.
  14. 14Assistant Lecturer · Injibara UniversitySep 2015 to Aug 2017.

Boards and community

Founder and Board Chairperson, Bridge SACCOSince Jan 2025. A savings and credit cooperative.
Board member, Gojjam Development AssociationSince Dec 2022. Health, education, financial literacy and economic development, with international partners.
Board advisory and project evaluation, Kefeta SACCOSSince Jul 2023. Coaching the board and evaluating youth-led projects in a USAID-funded youth program.
Earlier boards and programsRight for Education (2024 to 2025), Young Global Economists Society (2024 to 2025), PMI Ethiopia Chapter (2025) and Creative Crescendo.

Recognition

Certificate of Recognition, Amhara Bank Board of DirectorsJune 2022. For contributing as a member of the founding, organizing and executive committees that formed the bank.
Certificate of Appreciation, Injibara UniversityFebruary 2019. For planning and developing the university’s five-year strategy plan as deputy chairperson of the committee.

Education and certifications

MSc, Economics (Development Economics)University of Gondar, 2017. Honors, with an excellent thesis result.
BA, EconomicsAddis Ababa University, 2015.
Investment Operations CertificateChartered Institute for Securities and Investment, London, January 2024.
Professional credentialsPMP, CISI, CMSA, FPWMP, FTIP, ESG and CDA. Candidate for CFA and CISI Level 4.
MembershipsCFA Institute, CISI, Project Management Institute, Ethiopian Economics Association, Amhara Scholars Council and Addis Ababa University Alumni.

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