• The banking sector, which accounts for 87.5% of Ethiopia's financial system assets, posted total assets of ETB 4.7 trillion, up 44.5% with deposits growing 40.7% to ETB 3.5 trillion, and capital rising 63.3% to ETB 422.4 billion. Total income rose 78.8% to ETB 646.3 billion, far outpacing interest income growth of 27.7%, lifting the share of non-interest revenue to 45.4% of total income. The NBE report explicitly flags rising concentration risk and notes that smaller banks may need to consolidate. Equity Group CEO James Mwangi held talks with the Ethiopian Investment Commission in September 2025, with the bank targeting operations in 15 African countries by 2030. 1360/2025, promulgated in March 2025, permits foreign banks to establish subsidiaries, branches, or acquire stakes in domestic lenders.

Source: Ethiopian News March 18, 2026 06:47 UTC