Veteran ABS Banker Resurfaces at PT Bakrie

LatAm ABS specialist Michael Lucente has resurfaced in Indonesia three months after quitting Merrill Lynch following a 10-year stint there. He has been appointed CEO at PT Bakrie & Brothers, an Indonesian company with interests ranging from property to telecommunications, reporting to president director Nalinkant Rathod. But that does not mean Lucente, who will continue to be based in New York, is leaving LatAm. “We are very interested in investments in the region,” the banker tells LatinFinance. “Several are under consideration,” he adds. PT Bakrie has holdings with a current market value of more than $6bn. At Merrill, Lucente was responsible for EM structured finance and held various senior positions, most recently MD, principal finance.