Ethiopia has launched the Ethiopian Digital Financial Service Providers Association to represent 18 founding members. The body aims to boost coordination and financial inclusion.
The association began as an informal working group in 2022 and is now legally registered with accreditation. It is backed by the European Union and the United Nations Capital Development Fund under the DFS4Resilience programme.
Yoseph Kibret, the chairperson, said the body will strengthen coordination among players and provide a unified voice in policy discussions. Ethiopia has received about 1.6 million dollars in support, which helped register over 320,000 customers and train more than 40,000 people.
By June 2025 cumulative digital transactions reached 18.6 trillion birr. Telebirr recorded 60.6 million users and 4.19 trillion birr in transactions during the 2025/26 fiscal year. The European Union representative noted digitalization is one of five Global Gateway priorities.
