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Jean-Michel Karagah
SEDA Experts

Jean-Michel Karagah

Senior Advisor

Jean-Michel Karagah is a senior commodity trade and structured finance executive with over 30 years of international banking and corporate experience across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

Commodity Trade and Structured Finance Expert Witness

Mr. Karagah has held senior leadership positions within international banking groups, including ING Group and BNP Paribas in Geneva and Paris, as well as BB Energy Group, a global commodity trading company. He is recognised for his expertise in trade and structured finance, transaction banking, structured working capital solutions, liquidity optimisation, risk management solutions, and cross-border financing structures.

Mr. Karagah formerly served as Global Head of Trade Finance at BB Energy Group in London, where he led the group’s global trade finance platform across Europe, the Middle East, USA, Africa, and Asia. In this role, he structured and implemented bilateral and syndicated trade finance facilities, expanded and diversified banking and insurance relationships globally, and implemented liquidity optimisation and risk mitigation solutions supporting international commodity trading activities. He also served as Global Head of Compliance & Bank Documentation, overseeing the compliance activities, regulatory processes, credit insurance arrangements, and banking relationship across multiple jurisdictions.

Prior to BB Energy Group, Mr. Karagah spent more than 13 years with BNP Paribas in Geneva and Paris, including as Team Head for Commodity Trade Finance, EMEA, and Senior Relationship Manager.

During this period, he managed teams covering major commodity clients across the Middle East and Africa and originated and structured cross-border trade and structured finance facilities across the oil, gas, metals, and soft commodities sectors. He worked closely with credit, compliance, treasury, risk and legal teams to structure trade and structured facilities, and liquidity management and risk mitigation solutions.

Earlier in his career, he served as a Relationship Manager in Commodity Trade Finance at Banque Bruxelles Lambert (Suisse) SA, part of ING Group, where he managed and developed a commodity finance portfolio across Russia, the CIS, and Europe.

Mr. Karagah is currently the Founder and Director of JM&K Consultancy Ltd, a London-based advisory firm specialising in trade and structured finance, transaction banking. He advises corporates, commodity traders on the structuring and implementation of financing solutions, including receivables finance, borrowing base facilities, prepayment structures, supply chain finance, inventory financing, and risk mitigation strategies. Throughout his career, Mr. Karagah has worked extensively with international banks, credit insurers, export credit agencies, commodity traders, and corporate treasury teams on complex financing transactions and strategic funding initiatives across developed and emerging markets.

Mr. Karagah began his career in Geneva in private banking and portfolio management support roles with Banque du Crédit Agricole (Suisse) SA and International Capital Bank before moving into commodity trade finance at Alcari SA.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Production Management from the University of Geneva.

EXPERTISE


Commodity Trade & Structured Finance

Transaction Banking & Working Capital Solutions

Trade Credit Insurance & Risk Mitigation

Liquidity & Treasury Optimization


EDUCATION

University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland

Bachelor’s Degree in Finance & Production Management

WORK HISTORY

SEDA Experts

Senior Advisor

2026-Current


JM&K CONSULTANCY LTD

Founder & Director

Senior Advisor – Structured Trade & Commodity Finance

2018-Current


BB ENERGY GROUP

Global Head of Compliance & Bank Documentation

2017-2018

Global Head of Trade Finance

2012-2017


BNP PARIBAS SA / BNP PARIBAS (SUISSE) SA, Geneva, Switzerland

Team Head - Commodity Trade Finance - EMEA

2006-2012

Senior Relationship Manager - Commodity Trade Finance EMEA

1998-2006


BANQUE BRUXELLES LAMBERT (SUISSE) SA – ING GROUP, Geneva

Relationship Manager – Commodity Trade Finance (Russia, CIS & Europe)

1994-1998


ALCARI SA, Geneva

Commercial Assistant

1992 – 1994


INTERNATIONAL CAPITAL BANK, Geneva 

Assistant Portfolio Manager

1992


BANQUE DU CRÉDIT AGRICOLE (SUISSE) SA, Geneva

Assistant Portfolio Manager

1990 – 1992

Contact Form
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Contact

Jean-Michel Karagah

1185 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036

+1 646-626-4555

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