The Ethiopian Capital Market Authority (ECMA) has approved the registration of 9,999,000 shares of Berhan Bank S.C., comprising both existing and newly offered shares, as the bank formally enters Ethiopia’s capital market registration framework.

In a notice dated October 1, 2026, ECMA confirmed it had approved the Registration Statement of Berhan Bank S.C. on September 30, 2026. The registered shares consist of two tranches: 6,328,419 existing shares already held by shareholders, and 3,671,581 new shares approved to be offered to both existing and new shareholders.

The registration follows Article 75 of the Capital Market Proclamation No. 1248/2021 and Articles 4 and 29 of the Public Offer and Trading of Securities Directive No. 1030/2024, which require all securities offered to the public to be registered with the Authority.

The offer of new shares to both existing and new shareholders is worth noting. Unlike registrations that limit new share offers to existing shareholders only, Berhan Bank’s approval opens the door to bringing in entirely new investors, a broader capital-raising posture that suggests the bank is thinking beyond a rights issue.

Berhan Bank’s registration was approved on the same day as Cooperative Bank of Oromia, Awash Insurance, and Oromia Insurance, making September 30, 2026 one of the most active single days in ECMA’s registration calendar to date.

The registration of securities does not constitute a public offer or solicitation and does not set a listing date on the ESX.

Source: ECMA