Issue 155: Diplomatic Tensions & Wallet Woes

In partnership with

Hello

Marked by various developments and the vibrant celebration of Irreechaa, Addis didn’t sleep this past week. If you joined in the festivities, we wish you a joyful season of thanksgiving.

A surge in VAT and tariff payments dominated conversations, affecting institutions such as the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, Ethio Telecom, and Ride. Meanwhile, the government's electric vehicle policies have sparked diplomatic tensions with the African Union.

This week's roundup also highlights the nation's first blockchain-powered remittance service, ongoing civil service reform, concerning findings related to the local e-commerce sector, and an in-depth analysis of bill aggregators in Ethiopia. Enjoy!

If you are here because someone forwarded you this email, you can subscribe here to get future newsletters.

The African Union Commission Chairperson, Moussa Faki, has written to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed expressing deep concern over the ongoing detention of AU vehicles at customs, citing violations of international agreements. Read more.  

Cooperative Bank of Oromia has partnered with InFTF to launch the country's first blockchain-powered remittance service. Read more.  

Ethiopia's state-owned telecom provider, Ethio Telecom, has introduced a wide-ranging tariff increase, prompted by rising operational costs following the adoption of a floating exchange rate policy two months ago. Read more.  

A 70-million-dollar World Bank project targets a shift towards a competence-based civil service by leveraging technology and modern human resource management systems. Read more.

Once a vital part of Ethiopia's financial services, bill aggregation has faded from the spotlight. Despite the rapid expansion of digital financial services, the future of bill aggregation remains uncertain. What role can bill aggregators play in the nation's digital financial transformation? Read more.

The Daily Newsletter for Intellectually Curious Readers

• We scour 100+ sources daily

• Read by CEOs, scientists, business owners and more

• 3.5 million subscribers

Sign up today!

The Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA) has introduced a new directive that determines license fees and annualized fees for different operators in the sector. The directive sets the base value for mobile frequency bands, ranging from 967,200 birr to 3.5 million birr per Megahertz (MHz) of bandwidth per year. Read more.  

A recent study reveals that 58% of e-commerce platforms in Ethiopia have annual revenue and transaction volume below $10,000, highlighting the nascent stage of the country's e-commerce sector. Read more.

Dutch-rooted global development organization SNV is collaborating with KMD London, a consultancy firm, to launch a mobile app-based comprehensive financial solution for medium, small, and micro enterprises (MSME) through three Ethiopian banks. Read more.

The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) has granted licenses to five private non-bank entities to operate in the foreign exchange market, in a move to liberalize a tightly regulated forex regime. Read more.