FMDQ Group Plc has announced the appointment of Zeal Akaraiwe as its new Group Chief Executive Officer, entrusting him with the responsibility of leading Africa’s first vertically integrated financial market infrastructure (FMI) group.
Akaraiwe brings more than two decades of experience spanning financial markets, treasury management, risk advisory, derivatives, banking, and regulatory policy. His appointment comes as FMDQ continues to strengthen its position as a key driver of financial market development, innovation, and capital market growth in Nigeria and across Africa.
Rich Financial Sector Experience
Before his appointment, Akaraiwe served as a consultant adviser to the Central Bank of Nigeria on financial market policy, a role he has held since January 2024. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of Graeme Blaque Advisory, a boutique advisory firm specialising in structured risk, derivatives, treasury, and regulatory advisory services.
At Graeme Blaque Advisory, Akaraiwe led several landmark transactions, including providing end-to-end commodity hedging advisory for a $2.6 billion oil and gas asset acquisition—one of the largest oil acquisition transactions in Nigeria. He also played a pivotal role in resolving approximately $1.5 billion worth of complex derivative contracts, helping corporate clients unlock trapped settlement positions.
His extensive banking career includes nearly a decade at Standard Chartered Bank, where he served as Head of Global Markets Sales in Nigeria. In that role, he oversaw treasury sales operations, developed derivative strategies for corporate and institutional clients, trained regulators, and managed a team responsible for about 40 per cent of the bank’s Global Markets revenue.
Akaraiwe also held leadership positions within Standard Chartered’s operations in Zambia and London, where he was involved in pioneering several first-of-their-kind derivative transactions across Africa, including local currency interest rate swaps, cross-currency swaps, and commodity hedging solutions.
Beyond banking, he has contributed to public policy and legislative development, serving as a member of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Nigerian Senate between 2017 and 2018.
His career began in Nigeria’s banking sector with roles at City Express Bank, TrustBank, and LeadBank, where he built expertise in energy-sector banking, relationship management, asset generation, and treasury services.
Academic Background
Academically, Akaraiwe holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Actuarial Science from the University of Lagos. He has also completed executive and professional certifications from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), the University of Cambridge, and Lagos Business School.
Industry stakeholders expect his leadership to further strengthen FMDQ’s role in deepening Nigeria’s financial markets, enhancing market infrastructure, and driving innovation across fixed income, currency, derivatives, and exchange platforms.
His appointment marks a significant milestone for FMDQ as it seeks to expand its influence within Africa’s evolving financial ecosystem and support the development of efficient, transparent, and globally competitive capital markets.SEO Assets
