Michael Wellenbeck

Background

About Michael Wellenbeck

With a career spanning senior management roles at Euronext, ICE, NYSE Euronext, and Deutsche Börse Group, I have extensive experience across the full value chain of critical financial market infrastructure. As a strategic advisor, I've collaborated with market infrastructures and policymakers in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the US, focusing on post-trading and clearing. The last years I have been focussing on developing strategies and business models in DeFi as CSO at BLOCKSIZE, building a deep understanding of the DeFi ecosystem, regulation and new business models in tokenisation, trading of digital assets, staking, liquidity provisioning and DON market data. I possess a deep understanding of traditional market infrastructure and DeFi ecosystems, combining strategic thinking, technological insight, operational excellence, and knowledge of legal and regulatory requirements. I am passionate about bringing TradFi and Defi. My successful management of strategic and change programs includes P&L responsibility, stratetigc leadership, M&A, IPOs and troubleshooting at the executive level. My multicultural leadership experience spans Germany, the UK, the US, France, the Middle East, and European cooperation or M&A projects involving multiple market infrastructures and regulators. I hold a degree in Business Economics (Dipl-Kfm, RWTH Aachen) and postgraduate education in financial services (Frankfurt Stock Exchange Trader Examination) and general management (London Business School, INSEAD). As co-founder and majority shareholder of Qyte, a tech start-up pioneering data mining and fraud detection technology, I am a natural leader, outspoken, and thrive on challenge and debate. I have excellent interpersonal skills, am enthusiastic, charming, and experienced as a mediator, valuing freedom and independence.