News

It Is Official: IMF Board Approves $464 Million for Ethiopia in Fifth ECF Review

On July 1, 2026, the IMF Executive Board completed the fifth review of Ethiopia's four-year Extended Credit Facility, allowing the country to draw about $464 million (SDR 342.05 million) and bringing total support under the program to roughly $2.65 billion.

Read summary →

Inflation Rebounds, So the Credit Cap Stays: What to Expect From the NBE

Ahead of its late-June meeting, the National Bank of Ethiopia's Monetary Policy Committee was expected to keep the bank credit growth cap in place as inflation rebounded, even as money market interest rates eased.

Read summary →

Abay Bank Rings the Bell: Fifth Company to Trade on Ethiopia's Stock Exchange

Abay Bank began trading on the Main Market of the Ethiopian Securities Exchange on June 25, 2026, becoming the fifth company to list. Its shares debuted at 1,800 birr each through a listing by introduction.

Read summary →

Inflation Is Back: Ethiopia Jumps to 13.4 Percent and Food Prices Are to Blame

Annual inflation rose to 13.4 percent in May 2026, up from 11.7 percent in April and 9.4 percent in March, as food prices increased for a third straight month. The reading reverses several months of progress toward single-digit inflation.

Read summary →

2.34 Trillion Birr: Inside Ethiopia's Record Budget and the War Costs Behind It

Finance Minister Ahmed Shide projected spending of about 2.34 trillion birr ($14.69 billion) for the 2026/27 fiscal year, up from 1.92 trillion birr, driven largely by Middle East war fuel costs. The budget deficit is seen at 1.4 percent of GDP.

Read summary →

Ethiopia Smashes Export Records: $8.7 Billion in 10 Months and Still Climbing

Export revenue reached about $8.7 billion in the first ten months of the 2025/26 fiscal year, and the government expects to earn $10.5 billion by year end, helped by strong coffee and gold prices.

Read summary →

The Next Global Economic Hub? Ethiopia's Finance Minister Makes the Case

Finance Minister Ahmed Shide said in June 2026 that Ethiopia is increasingly viewed as a potential global economic hub following the successful rollout of its comprehensive macroeconomic reform program.

Read summary →

IMF Just Cleared $468 Million for Ethiopia: Here Is What It Means for the Birr

On June 3, 2026, IMF staff and Ethiopian authorities reached a staff-level agreement on the fifth review of the four-year $3.4 billion Extended Credit Facility. The deal will release about $468 million once approved by the IMF Executive Board.

Read summary →

Awash Bank Sets the Stock Exchange Buzzing as Three More Giants Line Up to List

Awash Bank, Ethiopia's largest private bank, became the first company on the Ethiopian Securities Exchange main market, and trading momentum in May and June 2026 set the stage for three more companies to list in the coming weeks.

Read summary →

Ethiopia Just Rewrote Its Import Rules: The Franco Valuta Shake-Up Explained

A new Import on Franco Valuta Directive, No. FVD/01/2026, took effect on May 29, 2026. It sets a legal framework for imports financed with foreign currency sourced outside Ethiopia's domestic banking system.

Read summary →

Talks Collapse: Bondholders Walk Away From Ethiopia's $1 Billion Debt Deal

On May 28, 2026, Ethiopia said the Ad Hoc Committee of bondholders rejected its revised offer to restructure a $1 billion Eurobond, ending three weeks of restricted talks held from May 6 to May 27.

Read summary →

After 18 Months of Lockdown, Ethiopia Finally Loosens Its Grip on Forex

With foreign exchange reserves at record highs at the NBE and commercial banks, Ethiopia began easing some forex controls in May 2026, reflecting a stronger supply of dollars since the July 2024 reforms.

Read summary →

NBE Drops $500 Million Into the Market in a Single Day, Banks Scramble to Bid

The NBE announced a special foreign exchange auction of $500 million on May 18, 2026, opening the funds for bidding by commercial banks on a compressed same-day timeline with settlement at end of day on May 19.

Read summary →

Is the Birr Headed to 165 Per Dollar? Here Is What the Numbers Say

The birr has depreciated by close to 19 percent at private banks over the past year, with the NBE indicative rate near 157 per dollar in April 2026. Analysts project the birr to settle within 160 to 165 per dollar by the end of the 2025/26 fiscal year.

Read summary →

Fuel Prices Explode in Ethiopia: Kerosene and Jet Fuel Double in Just 30 Days

Early May 2026 fuel revisions delivered one of the sharpest monthly increases in memory, with kerosene and jet fuel more than doubling in 30 days, after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted oil supply.

Read summary →

NBE Monetary Policy Committee Holds Rates and Credit Cap Steady, Warns of Middle East Risks

The NBE's sixth Monetary Policy Committee meeting on March 21, 2026, kept the policy rate and annual credit growth caps unchanged. Headline inflation fell to 9.7 percent in February, but the MPC warned that Middle East geopolitical tensions could push oil prices higher.

Read summary →

Invest in Ethiopia 2026 Forum Closes with $13.1 Billion in Investment Deals

The Invest in Ethiopia 2026 forum concluded on March 27, 2026, with $13.1 billion in signed investment agreements, far exceeding the initial $2.4 billion target. Over 800 participants from more than 50 countries attended.

Read summary →

UNDP 2026 Economic Profile: Ethiopia's Export Boom Meets Investment Slump

UNDP's quarterly economic profile highlights Ethiopia's export surge to $5 billion in H1 2026, driven by gold, but warns that investment rates have dropped from 35.3% to 20.1% of GDP since 2018.

Read summary →

Ethiopian Banks Deliver Record Earnings as Deregulation Takes Hold

Six Ethiopian banks now appear in the African Business Top 100 African Banks table, up from five last year and two in 2022, as deregulation drives record profitability and digital payment adoption across the sector.

Read summary →