Naol Berhanu Diriba

I have spent more than nine years at INSA, Ethiopia’s national cyber security agency: first analysing network protocols, and since 2022 leading research and development on blockchain and distributed applications.

My work sits where security, digital assets and public policy meet. I assess how blockchain and cryptocurrency systems are exposed to threats, trace activity on public ledgers, and review smart contracts. I also bring that technical view to regulation: I was a technical advisor on the Cryptocurrency Mining Directive 49/2022 and my research on a blockchain-based central bank digital currency for Ethiopia, the Adwa Token, was recognised by INSA in 2022.

I hold a BSc in Computer Science from Bahir Dar University and an MA in Leadership from Yardstick International College, and I completed UC Berkeley Executive Education’s blockchain and cryptocurrencies programme.

9+ years at INSA

Protocol analysis from 2017, blockchain R&D leadership from 2022

Directive 49/2022

Technical advisor on Ethiopia’s national cryptocurrency mining directive

Adwa Token

INSA Certificate of Recognition for CBDC research, August 2022

Vienna, 2024

Presented on blockchain forensics and digital-asset investigation

1. Jun 2022 to present

   Blockchain & Distributed Applications R&D Supervisor

   Information Network Security Administration (INSA), Addis Ababa

   • Lead blockchain and cryptocurrency security analysis, assessing how digital-asset systems are exposed to cyber threats.
   • Served as a technical advisor during the development of Ethiopia’s Cryptocurrency Mining Directive 49/2022.
   • Develop and review smart contracts for governance and token use cases (ERC-20, ERC-721, ERC-1155, BEP-20).
   • Hands-on work across crypto mining, staking mechanisms and DeFi integrations.

2. Feb 2017 to Sep 2022

   Protocol Analyst

   Information Network Security Administration (INSA), Addis Ababa

   • Analysed network protocols to find and report vulnerabilities in communication systems.
   • Built protocol analysis tooling and ran controlled security tests against defensive systems.
   • Maintained and contributed to open-source intelligence (OSINT) toolsets.
   • Provided protocol traffic analysis in support of secure government communications.

Everyday tools Python, Solidity, Linux and shell scripting, Web3 libraries, block explorers and chain analytics

• Vienna 2024

  May 2024, Vienna, Austria

  Blockchain forensics and digital-asset investigation

  Presentation on blockchain technology, cryptocurrencies and how investigators trace digital assets across public ledgers.

  See the LinkedIn post
• Asham TV

  Television interview, Asham TV

  Bitcoin, exchanges and what they mean for Ethiopia

  An interview explaining how Bitcoin works economically, how international exchanges operate, and the policy questions they raise for Ethiopia.

  Watch on YouTube
• Cyberigna TV

  Television feature, Cyberigna TV

  A blockchain platform built by the INSA R&D team

  A broadcast on a blockchain-based platform my team at INSA designed for secure data exchange and transparent record keeping.

  Watch on YouTube

• 16 Jul 2025

  Bybit Delists Ethiopian Birr (ETB): Ripple Effects Across Crypto Users and Ethiopia’s Economy

  What Bybit ending birr support on its P2P market means: lost on and off-ramps, thinner local liquidity, a shift to informal channels, and what regulators could do next.

• 4 Mar 2025

  The Bybit Hack: Implications for Ethiopian Crypto Users

  The $1.5 billion Lazarus Group breach, how exposed Ethiopian users were, and the regulatory lessons from Japan.

• 12 Jul 2024

  Debunking Cryptocurrencies Myths

  Three common myths taken apart: that crypto is mainly used for crime, that it is anonymous rather than pseudonymous, and that it has no real-world use, with the case for Ethiopia and Africa.

More on LinkedIn

Copies of degrees and certificates are available to employers and institutions for verification. Request copies

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam turned stranded electricity into a magnet for energy-intensive industry. Bitcoin miners arrived first; AI and data-center compute are the natural next layer. That is the blend I work at: securing the protocols, advising the policy, and helping Ethiopia move from raw hashrate toward sovereign digital infrastructure.

Bitcoin hashrate share

~2.7%

8th largest mining country (BitKE, Feb 2026)

Power sales to miners

$55M+

EEP revenue in 10 months of 2024 (CryptoSlate)

Nominal GDP

$109B

2025, after the birr float (IMF)

Real GDP growth

7.2%

2025 projection (IMF)

Population

~135M

Second most populous in Africa (UN, 2025)

Median age

~19

One of the youngest workforces anywhere (UN)

Capital

Addis Ababa

Currency

Ethiopian birr (ETB)

Federal working languages

Amharic, Afaan Oromo, Tigrinya, Somali and Afar

Crypto position

Mining is licensed; crypto payments are not permitted

Sources: BitKE, CryptoSlate, IMF figures via The Reporter, UNDP, UN World Population Prospects. Checked September 2026.