Fed Green Lights Foreign Bank Entry


Fed Green Lights Foreign Bank Entry

Following years of speculation, the federal government has decided to allow foreign investors into the financial sector. Last week, the Council of Ministers approved a policy to allow foreign banks to operate in the country. It is the first step in permitting foreign involvement in the financial sector since the Dergue regime forced all foreign banks to cease operations nearly five decades ago. Regulators have been putting measures in place to strengthen domestic banks, whose numbers have swelled to nearly two dozen over the past year. This includes raising the minimum capital threshold by 10 fold to five billion Birr. Some private banks are in the clear. Awash Bank leads its peers with 11 billion Br in subscribed capital. Dashen and the Bank of Abyssinia follow with close to seven billion Birr each. Two months ago, Amhara Bank joined the industry with a cool six billion Birr in paid-up capital, the first bank to achieve such a monumental feat in the first year of operation.


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Parliament Reviews Bill Allowing Foreign Property Ownership

A draft proclamation that would allow foreigners to own or occupy immovable property in Ethiopia has been submitted to parliament by the Council of Ministers. Designed to attract foreign investment, the draft law plans to ensure that Ethiopian citizens retain their right to land ownership and use. According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, the draft was among six agenda items discussed and approved during the Council's regular session held on May 2, 2025. The proclamation is e...


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Speeding in the Spotlight as New Safety Drive Begins

The Road Safety and Insurance Fund Service has stated that drivers are responsible for 68 percent of traffic accidents in Ethiopia, with the remainder mainly caused by pedestrians and road conditions. On this topic, the service launched a one-month mass media campaign on last week focused on raising awareness about speeding, the leading cause of traffic accidents. The campaign, under the motto "Slow Down, Speeding Ruins Lives," plans to shed light on the dangers of speeding. Yohannes Lemma, E...


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Askari Metals Secures Five Gold Licenses in Untapped Adola Belt

Askari Metals has acquired 100pc of Rift Valley Metals, gaining five gold exploration licences covering 460sqkm in Ethiopia's Adola Greenstone Belt, part of the southern Arabian-Nubian Shield, a mineral-rich but underexplored region. "The exploration areas—Sakaro, Sakaro West, Lega Dembi South, Megado, and Wayu Boda—lie near Ethiopia's top gold mines, including Lega Dembi and Sakaro, which have produced over three million ounces of gold. The area is known for orogenic gold systems hosted...