The first-ever securities trading floor, projected to be operational within two years, will be housed in the site of a 12-storey edifice on Churchill Road, near Addis Abeba's financial district. The property that will house the market for shares is occupied by the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC).

The Ethiopian Capital Market Authority (ECMA), the Securities Exchange (ESX), and the Investment Holdings (EIH) are spearheading this initiative, with plans to co-locate their offices. The location not only places these institutions in close proximity to the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) but also puts them amidst the increasing headquarters of several commercial banks such as the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE), Hibret, Abyssinia, Dashen, Nib, and Zemen banks.

The current arrangement sees the Authority and Securities Exchange sharing a corporate building around the Flamingo area on Africa Avenue (Bole Road), while the Holdings operates from a site near Abrehot Library in the Arat Kilo neighbourhood. According to experts, the geographical clustering of these financial entities reflects a complex interplay of political, technological, economic, and cultural factors. A study by Dariusz Wojcik of the University of Oxford discovered how the physical proximity of stock market actors could significantly influence their behaviour and performance.

The move is accompanied by a parallel relocation of the state-owned broadcaster, which is moving to a newly built facility in the Shegole area, northwest of the city, inaugurated in July this year. In the next couple of weeks, its entire staff is expected to fully evacuate the premises that have served as the headquarters for the past quarter of a century.

The building that will soon become the hub of Ethiopia's securities trading has a storied past, having initially built to serve as the Ethiopian Coffee & Tea Authority before being repurposed by the transitional government of the EPRDF in the early 1990s. The Authority has been requesting a return of its property since the initial dispossession, claiming to have recently made a request to the Parliament.

Nigussie Mekonnen, head of property administration at the Authority, indicates the return of the property would save significant rental costs of 245,000 Br for its offices at Horizon Plantations Plc branch. The building was acquired through privatisation schemes nearly two decades ago while the renovation of its headquarters around the Mexico area has yet to be completed, despite a year into the project.

"We've not stopped requesting for the return of the building," he said.

EBC's tenure in the building, starting in the early 1990s, represents a chapter in the organisation's history branded Ethiopia Television until 2014. The impending renovation of this historic building is anticipated, particularly given the significant roles the ECMA, ESX, and EIH will play under the watchful eye of the Prime Minister's Office.

The formation of the Securities Exchange is particularly momentous, with state-owned companies such as the Ethiopian Shipping & Logistics (ESL), the Ethiopian Insurance Corporation (EIC), and Birhanena Selam Printing Enterprise (ESPE) enlisted to be founding members. The Exchange has been actively raising capital, with a notable contribution of 225 million Br from the sovereign wealth fund. It also plans to list five of the 26 companies under its supervision. This initiative to raise equity, part of a broader 900 million Br capital, has seen active participation from banks, insurance companies, and non-financial entities, disclosed CEO Abdurahman Eid-Tahir.

Subscriptions from banks, insurance companies, and non-financial entities have also been coming in as the capital raise progresses until mid-January.