Join us for this episode with Brutawit Dawit, a leading figure in Ethiopia’s financial sector and the current CEO of Wegagen Capital Investment Bank, the country’s first private investment bank. She has previously held top leadership roles at Zemen Bank, Wegagen Bank, and the Bank of Abyssinia. In this conversation: Brutawit’s rise to leadership, her global career and return to Ethiopia, and insights on investment banking and the country’s economic outlook. We also discuss the banking sector, the impact of foreign banks, her professional associations, media, agribusiness, and challenges and resilience. More from our partners: Dashen Bank Website: https://dashenbanksc.com Telegram: https://t.me/DashenBankEthiopia EthioTelecom Download Telebirr Remit App on Playstore : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ethiotelecom.telebirr.remit&hl=en&pli=1 Appstore: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/telebirr-remit/id6642675033 Website: https://www.ethiotelecom.et/ To advertise with us: https://meri.et/advertise 00:00 - Introduction 03:00 - Opening 04:23 - Journey 27:21 - Bank of Abyssiniya 30:09 -Wegagen Bank 40:00 - VOCA 43:43 - Other sectors and businesses 51:06 - Zemen Bank 55:06 - Bank branches 57:48 - Role of a bank CEO 01:04:06 - Organizational structure of Banks 01:07:46 - Management style 01:13:02 - Family reaction to success 01:18:18 - Investment bank 01:31:19 - Joining unestablished companies 01:33:17 - Target customers for an investment bank 01:39:00 - Capital gain tax 01:40:12 - Future of banking in Ethiopia 01:46:41 - Niche in banking sector 01:49:38 - Media production (Netib Media, Finding sally) 01:57:04 - Underground economy 02:04:46 - Farming 02:07:59 - Have you ever thought about giving up? 02:09:21- Rundown questions 02:12:15 - Life wisdom Social Links https://t.me/MERI_PODCAST https://twitter.com/MERI_Podcast https://www.instagram.com/meripodcast/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzKNuQ80qNSpt2x-7dsazJg https://youtube.com/@Meriwoch?si=yIpJ3byprnVNwKi1 https://youtube.com/@mericlipset?si=wwa0KeQ_Nv2aPy9l https://www.tiktok.com/@meripodcast https://www.linkedin.com/company/meriethiopian/ Copyright Notice for Meri Podcast: All rights reserved. The content featured in this podcast is protected by copyright laws. Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or modification of any portion of this podcast is strictly prohibited. For permission to use our content, please contact us at info@meri.et Thank you for respecting our copyright.