Central Bank Shrinks Daily Cash Withdrawal Limit

Oct 11 , 2020


The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) has pegged the maximum daily cash withdrawal limit lower for individuals from 200,000 Br to 50,000 Br. The circular has also extended to the institution's daily cash withdrawal limit, which has been reduced to 70,000 Br from 300,000 Br. The monthly cash withdrawal limit has remained the same at one million Birr for individuals and 2.5 million Br for institutions. The cash withdrawal limit is a move from NBE to control cash circulation outside of banks, manage liquidity in the financial sector and reduce printing costs. A few months ago, the regulatory bank relaxed the cash withdrawal limit after a recommendation from the Ethiopian Bankers Association. It then fully removed the limitation rule for refugee and disaster management agencies, charity organisations, government institutions, as well as defence and security bodies. The removal of the limit was also conditionally extended to embassies and credit cooperatives. The organisations are required to produce documents citing reason and lack of easily accessible financial institutions or service access in their vicinity.


Radar

Digital Heights for Coop Bank, Profits Dip

The Cooperative Bank of Oromia (CBO) announced that a total transaction volume of 1.36 trillion Br was made through 489.5 million transactions on its digital platform, Coopay E-Birr. Fuel payment transactions alone reached 1.15 billion Br across 105,500 transactions. The platform added 8,959 agents, 32,840 merchants, and 3.85 million new subscribers in the year. However, at 2.51 billion Br, the Bank's gross profit before tax declined by 26pc from last year's 3.39 billion Br. Board Chai...


Radar

AI-Powered, Sharia-compliant Digital Financing for MSMEs, Consumers Debuts

ZamZam Bank, in partnership with Kifiya Financial Technology, has launched a Sharia-compliant digital financing service, "Ansar Digital Financing". The service, which the Bank asserts is Ethiopia's first, aims to transform access to financial services for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), particularly women and informal sector workers. The announcement was made during a formal launch event held at the Haile Grand Hotel last week. Melika Bedri, president of ZamZam Bank, stated that...


Radar

Local, International Firms Cooperate to Bridge Skill Mismatch

In a bid to address the pervasive skill mismatch, Geez Education & Training Plc (GET) has allied with International financial and management institutions to bridge the gap. Three international institutions, the Global Academy of Finance & Management (GAFM), the American Academy of Project Management (AAPM), and California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), have entered into a cooperation with GET at an event held last week at Skylight Hotel. Officials believe the move will con...