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Fed Green Lights Foreign Bank Entry

Sep 3 , 2022

Council of Ministers

Following years of speculation, the federal government has decided to allow foreign investors into the financial sector.

Earlier today, the Council of Ministers approved a policy to allow foreign banks to operate in the country.

It is the first step in permitting foreign involvement in the financial sector since the Dergue regime forced all foreign banks to cease operations nearly five decades ago.

Regulators have been putting measures in place to strengthen domestic banks, whose numbers have swelled to nearly two dozen over the past year. This includes raising the minimum capital threshold by 10 fold to five billion Birr.

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