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The Bank of Abyssinia has gone all-in on paperless banking, betting that biometric log-ins and touch-free kiosks will save it hundreds of millions of Birr in printing costs while enhancing its green credentials. At the RasPremium Branch inside the Bank’s headquarters on Gambia Street, its President, Bekalu Zeleke, displayed to Central Bank Governor MamoMihretu a live demonstration of the paperless system. Tablets with fingerprint readers and kiosks that operate in seven languages replaced the familiar piles of deposit and withdrawal slips.


“This isn’t simply a facelift,” Bekalu said at the July26, 2025, inauguration. “It’s a rethinking of how we serve. These technologies are designed to be intuitive, secure, and inclusive.”


Customers who need help can still lean on staff for onboarding. A tablet prompts new users to type in a mobile number, then captures a portrait photo and fingerprints. Two selfservice machines handle cash deposits, withdrawals and cheque submissions. A third caters to customers using the Bank’s interestfree products. The upgrade positions the Bank of Abyssinia at the forefront of the domestic banking industry. Nearly 1,000 branches are now entirely paper-free, each equipped with tablets and kiosks (many of the latter are currently on shipment, according to the Bank's officials), and staff nationwide have already been trained on the new system. According to Bekalu, the transition to entirely paperless operations enables the Bank to maintain its edge as banks race to become faster and more transparent.


Governor Mamo called the move a “milestone” for the industry and warned peers that global competitors will eventually test the market’s openness.

“This is no longer a luxury,” he said. “It’s a survival.”


PUBLISHED ON Jul 27,2025 [ VOL 26 , NO 1318]

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