Central Bank Notes Rising Risks in Banking Sector


Central Bank Notes Rising Risks in Banking Sector

The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) released its second financial report last week, noting rising risks in the banking sector stemming from local and external factors. The report assessed the banking sector as stable and noted that despite the concentration of credit, risks are lower than anticipated due to the diversification of loans to the private sector. It noted that the sector would not face systemic threats even under severe credit shocks. The banking industry has continued to dominate the country’s financial sector. As of June 2024, banks accounted for 96pc of the financial industry's assets. Liquidity risks were estimated to be low, with the sector showing resilience to short-term liquidity shocks despite some vulnerabilities. Operational risks, however, were identified as a growing concern. The banking sector faces growing risks such as bank fraud, third-party risks, and insider threats in the short- and medium-term. The report praised the industry's performance amid ongoing reforms. The NBE predicts a broadly positive outlook for the current fiscal year, accompanied by fiscal, monetary, and exchange regime reforms. The report also notes the strong performance and resilience in microfinance, capital goods leasing, and insurance sectors.


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Yirgalem Hospital Inaugurates New Oxygen Production Plant

A new oxygen production plant has been inaugurated at Yirgalem Hospital Medical College in Sidama Regional State. The launch was attended by the regional state's chief administrator Desta Ledamo and Health Minister Mekdes Daba (PhD). Desta noted that a new kidney dialysis centre will soon be opened as well. Mekdes stated that the Ministry is working to increase the number of oxygen production facilities from the current 10 to 34 nationwide. The Yirgalem plant cost 86 million Br to build and h...


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Corridor Develops with Parking, Recklessness Concerns, Research Finds

Research involving 400 respondents across four first-round corridor development routes revealed major challenges to the initiative. The study, conducted by Shaka Analytics and ETC Institute in collaboration with the Addis Abeba City Transport Bureau, examined the impact of the program on transportation patterns, transit accessibility, and parking availability. The routes—Arat Kilo to Bole Deldey, Embassy of England to Arat Kilo, Mexico roundabout to Wello Sefer, and Piassa to Arat Kilo—we...


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Digitalisation Spreads to the Court System

Ethio telecom and the Amhara Regional State Supreme Court have agreed to implement a Smart Court project in Bahir Dar to modernize court operations using digital technology. This agreement includes building a modern network infrastructure, implementing cloud services, creating a modular data centre, establishing a network operations control centre, and connecting the region's courts with a secure digital network. The project is designed to facilitate secure digital information exchange betwee...