FORTUNE+ VIDEO SPONSORED CONTENTS ADVERTORIALS FORTUNE AUDIO Fortune Careers TRADE AFRICA Election 2026 New TIME REMAINING UNTIL ETHIOPIA’S NATIONAL ELECTION 0Days 0Hours 0Minutes 0Seconds




Justice Ministry Freezes Accounts of Eight Payment Gateways

Jan 17 , 2026


[ssba-buttons]

The Ministry of Justice has ordered all commercial banks to freeze the accounts of eight payment gateway providers and submit full financial records. In a December 29 directive signed by Tesfaye Daba Wakjira, State Minister for the Attorney General Division, the order covers ArifPay, AddisPay, FenanPay, LakiPay, SantimPay, Kacha, Chapa Pay, and Sinan Pay. Banks are required to report all domestic and foreign currency balances, share capital, and transaction histories from account opening to date, along with Excel-formatted statements, KYC records, and proxy details certified by official bank seals. The move follows a separate December 23 order lifting account freezes on 50 individuals. From these individuals, YagoutPay CEO Teshome Alemayehu has been set free. Authorities are investigating alleged tax evasion and money laundering as part of tighter oversight of the fast-growing digital finance sector. Star pay and Yagout pay has been lifted from the freezed accounts after a week. Editor's Note: This article has been updated from its original form on January 18. The information that Starpay and Yagout Pay being among the list of frozen accounts has been removed and updated. We regret the error and apologize for any confusion caused.


Radar

Coffee Export Platform Links Ethiopian Roasters with Overseas Consumers

Ethiopian coffee roasters have gained a direct route to international consumers through a multi-brand e-commerce export platform launched by DHL Express Ethiopia and EXM Global PLC. The companies say it is the first platform of its kind in Ethiopia. Bringing together 10 Ethiopian coffee brands in a single digital marketplace, the platform enables overseas customers to order freshly roasted coffee in quantities ranging from speciality retail purchases to larger commercial volumes. DHL Express...


Radar

Addis Abeba Clears 59Km of Rivers, Remains Short of Halfway

Addis Abeba has completed 59Km of river cleanup and development work, although total coverage has yet to reach 50pc. Mayor Adanech Abebe said the 59Km stretch was transformed in one and a half years as she presented a comprehensive review of the city's strategic plan from 2022 to 2026. Mayor Abebe described the progress as a major "breakthrough", saying the work relied entirely on the city's funding, engineers, architects and workers. By comparison, she said, a world-renowned foreign contract...


Radar

Kisse Platform Brings Collateral-Free Microloans Through Agent Network

Mefithe Microfinance S.C., MZ Tech, and Arifpay Financial Technologies S.C. have launched “Kisse”, an agent-powered digital microloan platform designed to expand access to finance for micro and small enterprises. Through trained local agents, borrowers can apply for collateral-free, short-term business loans. Once approved, the funds are transferred to mobile wallets or bank accounts through Arifpay's payment gateway. The partners said loans can be disbursed within hours. Under the par...