Diaspora Lending Initiative Seeks to Unlock Revenue

Oct 5 , 2025


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The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) has unveiled a 50 billion Br loan facility for the diaspora, planning to boost remittance inflows. Abie Sano, the bank’s President, said Ethiopia could earn over 35 billion dollars by tapping the full potential of its remittance sector. Currently, formal channels account for only 7.2 billion billion dollars roughly 22 percent of the total potential, leaving the country with a 28 billion dollars shortfall in remittance revenue, Abie explained. To bridge this gap, CBE plans to support diaspora contributions through both remittances and investment opportunities. Abie highlighted that the bank has launched extensive reform initiatives to better serve the diaspora and is preparing to extend up to 50 billion Br in loans in 2025.


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