Эфиопия: национальная платежная система EthSwitch показала рекордную прибыль и внедрила мгновенные переводы

Newsletter Subscribe Enter your email address below and subscribe to our newsletter EthSwitch, Ethiopia’s national payments switch, has reported a gross profit before tax of ETB 2.6 billion for the 2025/26 financial year, highlighting the rapid growth of interoperable digital payments in one of Africa’s largest and fastest-growing economies. During the year, the company processed 387 million interoperable transactions worth ETB 1.26 trillion, reflecting increasing adoption of digital financial services and stronger integration across Ethiopia’s banking and payments ecosystem. Person-to-person (P2P) transfers dominated transaction volumes, accounting for 242.6 million transactions valued at ETB 1.06 trillion. ATM interoperability generated 131.5 million transactions worth ETB 189.2 billion, while point-of-sale payments reached 3.9 million transactions valued at ETB 10.7 billion. Transactions conducted through the ETHQR platform exceeded 551,000, with a total value of ETB 6.8 billion. The results cap a milestone year for EthSwitch as Ethiopia continues to modernise its payments infrastructure and expand financial inclusion. A key development was the launch of EthSwitch’s new five-year strategic plan for 2026/27 to 2030/31, outlining the company’s next phase of growth and innovation. During the year, EthSwitch also completed the migration of all person-to-person transfers to the EthioPay Instant Payment System (IPS), strengthening the country’s real-time payments capabilities and enhancing interoperability across financial institutions. EthioPay IPS also received recognition from AfricaNenda as a mature instant payment system. The platform achieved another milestone by processing more than one million P2P transactions in a single day, with a combined value of ETB 5.1 billion. To further strengthen the country’s digital payments ecosystem, EthSwitch launched the EthioPay brand and hosted the Ethiopian Digital Payment Conference 2.0, bringing together policymakers, regulators, banks and industry leaders. The event was officially opened by Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh and National Bank of Ethiopia Governor Eyob Tekalign, underscoring the strategic role of digital payments in Ethiopia’s economic transformation. The organisation also partnered with Glenbrook Partners to host a CEO-level workshop aimed at accelerating the adoption of instant payments across the financial sector. EthSwitch’s achievements were recognised internationally when it received the Best Financial Inclusion Technology Initiative in Africa award at the TAB Global Business Achievement Awards in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. As the operator of Ethiopia’s shared payments infrastructure, EthSwitch connects banks, microfinance institutions, mobile money operators and payment service providers. With a population of more than 130 million, Ethiopia is positioning digital payments as a key pillar of its transition to a more connected, inclusive and cashless economy. //Staff writer