Dashen Maintains Financial Dominance Boasting 3.5b Br Profit


Dashen Maintains Financial Dominance Boasting 3.5b Br Profit

Dashen Bank has registered another record-high profitable year netting 3.5 billion Br. Total assets soared over 144 billion Br during a year in which the bank wrapped up its five-year strategic plan. While the earnings per share declined from 532 Br to 442 Br, the bank has nearly doubled the paid-up capital requirement put forth by the central bank, reaching 9.3 billion Br. The 30th annual meeting at the Skylight Hotel was held last week while President of the Bank Asfaw Alemu, pointed to customer attraction, resource mobilisation and channel expansion as pillars of its continued growth. Asfaw attributed Dashen's success this year in acquiring a foreign loan to the tune of 40 million dollars from a joint commitment of the UK's British International Investment (BII) and Dutch FMO, making it the first Ethiopian bank to take advantage of the foreign currency intermediation directive. Dashen managed to open 253 branches in the year, raising its total to 835 across the country with more than 5.2 million customers. Board Chairman Dula Mekonen indicated that the treasury bond purchase requirement has had a significant impact on the Bank's credit deployment despite managing to obtain revenues of 18 billion Br.


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Sovereign Fund Reviews Mid-Year Performance of Line Companies, Calls for Strategic Improvements

Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH) launched its mid-year performance review for its portfolio companies, displaying mixed results for the first half of the fiscal year. Ethiopian Sugar Industry Group (ESIG) reached 95.3pc of its sales goal, selling 64,190tn of sugar for 6.1 billion Br—a 132pc year-on-year growth—despite capacity and supply issues. The Ethiopian Petroleum Supply Enterprise (EPSE) met 92pc and 97pc of its purchase and sales targets, respectively, stating it has benefitt...


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Digital Pay Uptake Booms Among SMEs, Visa Study Finds

Over 80pc of surveyed small- and medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) have started accepting digital payments in the last two years, according to a new Visa report titled, ‘Value of Acceptance: Understanding the Digital Payment Landscape in Ethiopia'. Citing increased convenience, the report indicates reduced fraud risk and improved efficiency as factors in the uptake. A substantial 66pc of these SMEs believe that investing in digital payment technologies will support future business growth. The...


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ILO Tackles Agricultural Wage Gap

The International Labour Organization (ILO) launched the Setting Adequate Wages in Agriculture (SAW-A) Project last week, with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation & Development (BMZ), seeking to promote fair wage policies, enhance collective bargaining, and support the establishment of minimum wage mechanisms to improve the livelihoods of agricultural workers. The sector employs over 80pc of Ethiopia's workforce, making it the country's largest employment sec...